Category: JKS Communications

Guest Author LOUISE GAYLORD showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME LOUISE GAYLORD

AUTHOR NAME

Louise Gaylord is an acclaimed national award-winning author who established herself with her very
first book, a suspenseful murder mystery centering on a young, sharp female assistant district attorney.
This was the cornerstone of what has become her popular Allie Armington mystery series, the idea for
it sparked when Louise herself spent three months on a grand jury panel.

The series has grown to four novels, with stories ranging from the Southwest (“Anacacho” and “Spa Deadly”) to New York (“Xs”), to the most recent (“Dark Lake”) featuring her beloved Adirondacks.

In the middle of establishing her mystery writer credentials, she expanded out of the genre with an insightful character study novel, “Julia Fairchild,” and then the delightful “Recipes from Camp Trillium.” The cookbook features worldwide recipes from Louise’s family and guests during years they visited her in New York’s Adirondack Mountains.

Her first Allie Armington Mystery, “Anacacho,” won the 2003 National Benjamin Franklin Award for Best Mystery/Suspense sponsored by Publisher’s Marketing Association in Los Angeles. The San Francisco Book Festival awarded Louise with best audio book in 2010 for “Spa Deadly.” “Recipes from Camp Trillium” won the Dan Poynter’s Global eBook Awards, in which “Julia Fairchild” and “Spa Deadly” were also finalists. And most recently, “Dark Lake” was recognized in the General Fiction category of the Los Angeles Book Festival.

Louise’s newest book, “Sutton Place,” will be published August 27, 2013, by Little Moose Press,
Beverly Hills, California.

Louise lives in Houston, Texas, though she might be found writing almost anywhere in the world.
Connect with Ms. Gaylord at these sites:

WEBSITE TWITTER

Q&A with “Sutton Place” author Louise Gaylord

What will fans of “Julia Fairchild” like about your newest book, “Sutton Place?”
“Sutton Place” is the prequel to “Julia Fairchild”. The reader learns in detail about the incidents that drove Julia from New York to New Mexico.

Three months serving on a grand jury panel inspired your Allie Armington mystery series. How did you come up with Julia’s character?
Julia just “grew like Topsy” in my mind. She’s a composite of all the strong women I have known.  Lies, family secrets, obsessions – will Julia ever catch a break?  She catches her break in “Julia Fairchild”.

Your mystery novels are known for having very unexpected twists and surprise endings. How do you keep readers on their toes?
I don’t outline so sometimes I even surprise myself! I really write to amuse myself. One of my writing instructors said I should have fun when writing. I have a friend who writes a chapter here and then a chapter there. I can’t do that. I have to write in a linear fashion.

As a successful, award-winning mystery writer, you stepped out of the genre to work on a few other books, including Recipes from Camp Trillium. What’s your favorite dish to stir up in the kitchen?
Grandma Betsy’s Chicken. My mother put Lawry’s seasoning and Worchester sauce on everything. This made a nice, simple one-dish meal to serve all. To make it, you just need chicken, Worcestershire sauce and Lawry’s® Seasoned Salt. Then add any vegetable of your choice. Cut up potatoes, mushrooms, onions or red bell peppers, carrots, almost anything except greens. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Quarter the chicken or cut it into single-serving pieces. Place the chicken skin side up in an aluminum foil-lined pan. Throw the vegetables all around it. Douse it with Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake that for 25 to 40 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

You studied art history in college after your grade-school teachers encouraged you to do
something with your painting skills. How has painting helped you write?
I’m a very visual person. So I can imagine a scene as if I’m painting it and portray that in words on page. A lot of people who write also paint. I noticed though that I never had a problem dropping the paintbrush to go play tennis or golf.  But once I started writing I couldn’t leave my computer.

You’re churning out books left and right. What are you working on now?
An Allie Armington Mystery. The working title is: “A Cruise to Die For.” Stay tuned!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Just When Things Seem to be Going So Well…

…a horrific incident from Julia Fairchild’s past — one she thought had been buried long ago —comes
charging back into her life. Then a promising romantic weekend goes bad, which makes staying at Sutton Place more than Julia can handle. So she flees her home, her family…her life. But apparently, she can’t go far enough.

The Fairchilds were a happy family of wealthy New York stock, with two loving daughters. Until the
secrets started to surface.

The first secret was revealed when Julia was told the truth about her father. Her reaction to the
revelation sent her spinning out of control.

The second secret concerned the parentage of Julia’s sister, Ariel. How Ariel responded to the
revelation astounded the rest of the family.

Now Julia is building a superb reputation at one of New York’s finest hospitals. The future looks bright
until a romantic weekend turns into a disaster. Fleeing home and family, she moves to New Mexico
and starts to pull her life together.

Just when it looks like things are heading toward happily-ever-after, events in New York draw Julia
back to Sutton Place, where she learns of Ariel’s secret life and finds herself facing her worst
nightmare.

Sutton Place moves a mile a minute and never lets you see what’s coming around the next turn.

BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Suspense
Published by: Little Moose Press
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
Number of Pages: 261
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-9893988-1-7
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9893988-2-4
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9893988-3-1

PURCHASE LINKS:

              

THANKS TO SAMANTHA AT JKS COMMUNICATIONS,
I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS OCTOBER 24th AT 6PM EST

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WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
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DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author CHERYL RAINFIELD showcase & giveaway

WELCOME CHERYL RAINFIELD

CHERYL RAINFIELD

“I write the books I needed as a teen and couldn’t find.” – Cheryl Rainfield

Cheryl Rainfield is the author of the award-winning SCARS, a novel about Kendra, a queer teen sexual abuse survivor who uses self-harm to cope; STAINED (Oct 1) about Sarah, a teen with a port-wine stain and body image issues who is abducted and must rescue herself; the award-winning HUNTED, a novel about a teen telepath in a world where any paranormal power is illegal; and PARALLEL VISIONS, about a teen who sees visions of the future–but only when she has an asthma attack. She’s also the author of two hi-lo books for reluctant readers: The Last Dragon and Walking Both Sides. Cheryl Rainfield is an incest and ritual abuse survivor, a feminist, queer, and an avid reader and writer. She lives in Toronto with her little dog Petal.

Cheryl Rainfield has been said to write with “great empathy and compassion” (VOYA) and to write stories that “can, perhaps, save a life.” (CM Magazine) SLJ said of her work: “[readers] will be on the edge of their seats.”
Connect with Cheryl at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In this heart-wrenching and suspenseful teen thriller, sixteen-year-old Sarah Meadows longs for “normal.” Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had, become a hero rather than a victim, and learn to look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside. It’s that—or succumb to a killer.

BOOK DETAILS:

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date: 10/1/2013
Pages: 304
ISBN-13: 9780547942087

PURCHASE LINKS:

       

THANKS TO AUTHOR CHERYL RAINFIELD & JKS COMMUNICATIONS,
I
HAVE ONE (1) SET OF 3 PREVIOUS TITLES TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO ALL-EBOOKS
        
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FOLLOW CHERYL’S TOUR HERE FOR MORE CHANCES TO WIN!

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

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YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
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DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author ALAN SHELTON showcase & giveaway ENDED

WELCOME ALAN SHELTON

ALAN SHELTON
Alan Shelton is a leader who colors outside the lines, a corporate executive
mentor with an entrepreneurial spirit and a gripping speaker who engages his audiences.With a reputation like that, it is no wonder that his book, “Awakened Leadership: Beyond Self-Mastery,” has become so successful. Shelton graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in Utah after completing missionary work in Peru. By 1977, Shelton had landed his first big gig in the corporate world at PricewaterhouseCoopers, now PwC, where his clients included IBM, Sunkist, Beckman Instruments and Toyota Motor Sales. His journey continued through 1990 when he sold his CPA firm, Shelton, Smith and Townsend, and turned to leadership training. Since then, his client list has grown to include the University of San Diego, Wrangler, VF Corp., The North Face, Celgene and many others.“Awakened Leadership,” published by Red Hatchet Press in May 2012, has taken the
leadership world by storm. The book is the winner of a 2013 National Indie Excellence
Book Award as well as a 2012 USA Best Book Award.Shelton advises and facilitates workshops for international businesses in Oceanside,
Calif., where he lives in a refurbished fire station with his loving wife, Justine. He has
two children, Kristin and Michael, who earned business degrees from the University of
Southern California and the University of Arizona, respectively.
Connect with Alan at these sites:

WEBSITE        TWITTER   

ABOUT THE BOOK
Transformational leadership books and processes have delivered us to the era of self-mastery. But how do we move from being effective leaders to being awakened leaders? By situating leadership in the nest of the seeker’s journey toward truth, you can now stand on the shoulders of the visionaries who have come before, and become conscious of your own position within Source.
Leaving behind charts, maps, and graphs, “Awakened Leadership” is a portal to direct experience via pointers and personal stories that will help you recognize the gift of being who you really are. Then your leadership essence will effortlessly manifest not only in the boardroom, but in all facets of your life.
BOOK DETAILS:

Genre: Motivational
Published by: Red Hatchet Press
Publication Date: May 2012
Number of Pages: 220
ISBN: 978-0984712502

PURCHASE LINKS:

            

THANKS TO SAMANTHA AT JKS COMMUNICATIONS,
I
HAVE ONE (1) EBOOK COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
EBOOK-OPEN TO ALL
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DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author THERESA RIZZO showcase & giveaway ENDED

Glad you could stop by today and visit.  Samantha from JKS Communications is here to introduce us to today’s guest.  Please help me in welcoming Ms. Theresa Rizzo to CMash Reads!

THERESA RIZZO

Theresa Rizzo is an award-winning author who writes emotional stories that explore the complexity of relationships and families through real-life trials. Born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, she now lives outside of Boulder, Colorado with her husband of thirty years.

Connect with Theresa at these sites:

http://www.theresarizzo.com/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Theresa-Rizzo/113723968731477 https://twitter.com/Theresa_Rizzo

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

He Belongs to Me is a love story . . . a tale of betrayal and deception and of a young mother’s determination to recover what belongs to her.

Forced to leave her baby and tricked into relinquishing her parental rights, four years later Catherine Boyd is back and she’ll do anything to regain custody of her son–even reconcile with the husband falsely accused of killing their son’s twin.

All in the name of love for a little boy, generations of pain and tragedy are exposed in a courtroom drama.

Read an excerpt

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 394 pages
Publisher: Theresa Rizzo (June 1, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0989045013
ISBN-13: 978-0989045018

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

THANKS TO SAMANTHA AT JKS COMMUNICATIONS,
I
HAVE ONE (1) DIGITAL COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO ALL–EBOOK
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS JUNE 23rd AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author JOHNNY TAN showcase and giveaway ENDED

We have a very special guest visiting today in honor of Mother’s Day.  I want to thank Samantha, from JKS Communications, for giving me the opportunity of hosting Mr. Johnny Tan.  Welcome to the group!

JOHNNY TAN

Johnny Tan lived a life of unconditional love for the last 33 years. His journey began when he started college in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Adopted at birth by his Malaysian mom, he realized the rich spiritual connections that resulted from meeting his foster mom in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, and 7 other women who would play important roles in his life. They represented his teachers, coaches, and counselors. Guided by his business achievements and his 9 moms, Johnny experienced the passion to compose From My Mamaʼs Kitchen to honor his moms and mothers everywhere. Released with the endorsement of the National Association of Mothers’ Centers, the book has won five awards and made the Amazon Best Seller List in several categories.

The bookʼs success lead Johnny to establish a powerful platform. He launched his consulting and speaking career to teach strategies on how to use the power of unconditional love to attain harmony. Johnny is also a featured host of a weekly Internet radio program, FMMK Talk Radio, which ranks in the top .1% of Blog Talk Radioʼs most popular shows. Guests have included The New Times number one best-selling authors and experts from the U.S. and other countries.

Johnny’s leadership experience extends from being a former corporate executive for eight years to owning his own business. He also served his community as chairman of Baton Rouge Area Convention and Visitor Bureau in 2001, commissioner of Baton Rouge Sister Cities Commission in 2000, chairman of Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Committee in 1998, as well as chairman of Project Baton Rouge 2020—a Vision of Opportunity with a World of Possibility in 1997, and president of Louisiana Restaurant Association Baton Rouge Chapter in 1995.

Vision and Mission Statement

Johnny believes the best way to know him is through his personal vision and mission statement, which he composed in January 1996.

For Myself: Using my gift of creativity and imagination, I will continue to invent the future by expressing my visions courageously in words and actions. I will always be a professional – honoring integrity, justice, kindness, and will always be humble and have a sense of humor in everything I do.

For My Family: They are my treasure. I will always promote and take the lead in building healthy and loving relationships that allow each of us to become his or her best.

For My Professional Life: I will create a learning environment that is fair and honest. I will cultivate and inspire others to greatness and success by acting as a catalyst in a shared vision.

For My Community: I am committed to enriching the lives of all who cross my path. I will let potent leadership permeate through the community. I will join hands with my brothers and sisters respecting everyone’s rights. I will support the people I represent, and endeavor to bolster their spirits and the good of the community.

Connect with Johnny Tan at these sites:

http://www.johnnytan.com/ https://www.facebook.com/johnnyhtan https://twitter.com/FMMKTalkRadio

GUEST POST

Celebrating Mother’s Love

The Mother’s Day that we celebrate today tracks back to ancient times. The Greek’s spring festival honored Rhea, wife of Cronus and mother of many deities in Greek mythology. The Romans used their spring festival, Hilaria, as a dedication to Cybele, a mother goddess. Early Christians celebrated the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ. England later designated it to be Mothering Sunday, to honor all mothers.

Various observances honoring mothers existed in America during the 1870’s and 1880‘s. However, the modern Mother’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother in America. She secured a trademark creating the Mother’s Day International Association in 1912. Thanks to her courageous effort, today, over 140 countries around the world celebrate Mother’s Day some time during the year. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first official Mother’s Day on May 9, 1914.

From My Mama’s Kitchen –“food for the soul, recipes for living” celebrates Mother’s Day throughout the year. Mothers all over the world share an abundance of unconditional love for their loved ones. The power of unconditional love transcends all religious beliefs, genders, cultures and ages. It reminds us that we are all part of the bigger world, and we all have potential to succeed in life.

The content of my book pays tribute to my 9 moms and moms everywhere. What started as a project of collecting recipes evolved over seven years into a collection of 30 timeless recipes for living I received from his 9 moms. The book reminds each of us that a strong home team supports us and our efforts of learning and growing. It rekindles those incredible feelings we shared with our mothers and those we considered as mothers. When love is given without regard to conditions it provides us with the empowerment that drives our ambition to succeed.

How did I manage to have 9 moms, you ask? Most of the time, before I have a chance to answer, people would follow up with, “Is it a blessing or a curse?” My answer is always a blessing, a tremendous blessing. Adopted at birth by my Malaysian mom, I spent the first 18 years learning from her. Among the many things she taught me, everyone of us holds a seed of greatness—the key to success in life. The gem of this seed is the asset that develops our dreams, goals and wishes. At 18 I came to the United States to attend LouisianaStateUniversity in Baton Rouge. Here is where I began to meet my eight other moms one at a time over a period of the next 18 years. Starting with the first, my Southern Belle mom, Eleanora Carter, to the last, my German mom, Dianne Heise, they were my teachers, coaches, and counselors, always available to listen to my ideas and console me during need. Most of my 9 moms have since passed away, but each of them has left me with a valuable lesson that collectively formed the basis of my success.

Many look forward to this Mother’s Day with anticipation to express love for their mom. Whether it is an expensive gift or a just a nice dinner that mom doesn’t have to cook, she will know it was from the heart. Mothers have a way to mould the soul and guide the heart. For those whose mothers have passed on, Mother’s Day gives us a chance to recall those magical loving moments. It is this unconditional motherly love that makes us who we are. The book offers solutions and provides the skills and wisdom to assist us to become better teachers, coaches and counselors to our loved ones.

ABOUT THE BOOK

From My Mama’s Kitchen book is dedicated to the realization and mastery of the power of unconditional love as potent leadership. It offers a wealth of wisdom, practical living skills, and effective communication techniques.  The book reveals 30 timeless recipes for living, ranging from the power of relationships to the nature of love and the meaning of life brought to the reader in the nurturing comfort of a kitchen setting. From the virtue of spiritual awareness to self-actualization, Johnny Tan’s 9 moms have nourished him with their wisdom to become a person defined by his thoughts and actions.

Released with the endorsement of the National Association of Mothers’ Centers, the book has won five awards: Mom’s Choice Awards, Mr. Dad Seal of Recognition, Publisher’s Choice Awards by Family Magazine Group, International Book Awards, and National Indie Excellence Book Awards. The book also made the Amazon Best Seller List in the following categories: Parenting & Family Relationships: Parent and Adult Child, Self Help: Spiritual and Motivational, and Cooking, Food & Wine: Essay.

Designed as a keepsake for all occasions, meant to last and inspire forever. The book has a dedication page for readers to inscribe their own loved one’s name, and a space where readers can record their recipes for living.  At the end of the book, Johnny incorporates nine of his favorite food recipes.

BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 150 pages
Publisher: THC Investments (January 19, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0982023502
ISBN-13: 978-0982023501

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

THANKS TO SAAMANTHA AT JKS COMMUNICATIONS,
I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 25th AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author JOAN STEINAU LESTER showcase and giveaway ENDED

We have a very esteemed and award winning guest today.  So without further ado, welcome Dr. Joan Steinau Lester!!

JOAN STEINAU LESTER
Dr. Joan Steinau Lester is an award-winning commentator and author of four critically acclaimed books: Eleanor Holmes Norton: Fire In My Soul; The Future of White Men and Other Diversity Dilemmas; Taking Charge: Every Woman’s Action Guide; and her first novel, Black, White, Other: The Search For Nina Armstrong.   She has won the NLGJA Seigenthaler Award in journalism and the Arts & Letters Creative Nonfiction Finalist Award. Taking Charge was nominated as a Best Women’s Book by the SanFrancisco Women’s Heritage Museum and Mama’s Child was a Bellwether Prize finalist.
After receiving her doctorate in multicultural education, Dr. Lester served as the Executive Director of the Equity Institute, which pioneered the diversity wave of the ’80s and ’90s, for sixteen years.
As a member of a biracial family, Lester’s lifelong passion has been writing
about issues of racial identity. Her former husband and father of her children was black; she has been with a female partner/spouse for over thirty years.  Lester’s writing has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including Essence, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Northern California.

Connect with Dr. Lester at these sites:

http://www.joanlester.com/index.htm     https://www.facebook.com/joan.s.lester     https://twitter.com/joan_lester

GUEST POST

Being a fulltime writer is a strange occupation. I work all day alone in a tiny cottage behind my house, hunched over my computer, lost in an imaginary world. If I weren’t producing coherent literature, some might consider this behavior peculiar, at best–or worthy of psychiatric intervention.

Even at night my characters follow me, so real are they. I hear their voices, worry over their troubles, wish they hadn’t decided to do that.  “Oh no,” I want to warn, while I grit my teeth and let them have their way.

Odder yet, I’m always maintaining a dual perspective, for at the same time I feel enmeshed with my fictional people (“Ruby, please call home!”) I am simultaneously aware of my role as their creator, and consumed by technical issues. Take verb choices, for instance: which one will give the most accurate and vivid picture of my characters’ reality? Does Solomon, the father in my novel Mama’s Child, stride into a room, lope, or guiltily sidle in, after he misses an urgent parent meeting with the head of his daughter Ruby’s school?

Yet despite my sometimes sleepless nights as I mull over the best possible word to describe my character’s behavior–words in harmony with the kind of person he is–I love the solitary life, creating worlds over which I have total control.

And then, another oddity of the writing life occurs, if one is successful: after years of happily laboring alone, growing intimately acquainted with my characters’ lives over a span of time (in Mama’s Child we watch the family fracture and reassemble over forty years), then, suddenly, it’s publication day! Now a whole big world comes tumbling in. Reviewers, readers, interviewers–everyone has a response, everyone wants their say. My private imaginary world is suddenly a public one.

Even as I’m thrilled to hear others’ enthusiasm for Elizabeth, Solomon, Ruby, and Che, my characters in Mama’s Child, I mourn that quiet period when they were my creatures alone. Like a parent whose child is growing up, leaving home, I have to say Good-bye, knowing that I have done my absolute best to prepare her for the world, and let her go.

 

ABOUT THE BOOK
A stunning tale about the deeply entrenched conflicts between a white mother and her biracial daughter.
Mama’s Child is story of an idealistic young white woman who traveled to the American South as a civil rights worker, fell in love with an African American man, and started a family in San Francisco, where the more liberal city embraced them—except when it didn’t. They raise a son and daughter, but the tensions surrounding them have a negative impact on their marriage, and they divorce when their children are still young. For their biracial daughter, this split further destabilizes her already challenged sense of self—“Am I black or white?” she must ask herself, “Where do I belong?” Is she her father’s daughter alone?
As the years pass, the chasm between them widens, even as the mother attempts to hold on to the emotional chord that binds them. It isn’t until the daughter, Ruby, herself becomes a wife and mother that she begins to develop compassion and understanding for the many ways that her own mother’s love transcended race and questions of identity.
BOOK DETAILS:

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Atria Books; Original edition (May 7, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451693184
ISBN-13: 978-1451693188

PURCHASE LINKS:

           

THANKS TO SAMANTHA AT JKS COMMUNICATIONS,
I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS MAY 24th AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

 

Guest Author Linda Stasi and giveaway ENDED

When Marissa, from JKS Communications emailed me and I read the synopsis of our  guest’s book, I wanted to know more.  And I think you will too.  I have the honor and pleasure to introduce you to Ms. Linda Stasi!!  Welcome to the group!!

LINDA STASI

The popular and well-read columnist/critic for The New York Post, Linda Stasi, has also been an on-camera co-host with Mark Simone on NY 1 TV’s “What a Week!” for the past eight years.

Stasi has appeared on TV talk shows and news channels such as “The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” “The O’Reilly Factor,” “The View” as well as CNN, Fox News, MSNBC,  and many others.

She has served as guest radio talk show host on WOR radio and co-host on “The Radio Factor” with Bill O’Reilly and is a regular guest on Boston’s “Matty In The Morning.”

Brash, funny and opinionated, the acerbic Stasi has authored five non-fiction books – “Looking Good Is the Best Revenge,” “A Field Guide to Impossible Men,” “Simply Beautiful,” “Boomer Babes” and “Scotto Sunday Suppers” – and debuts her first novel on January 22, 2013 from Forge Books titled “The Sixth Station.” Not afraid to say what’s on her mind in her popular column such as one entitled “Shed No Tears for This Twisted Sicko,” on the death of Michael Jackson received over 18,000,000 hits in the first few hours and was reprinted around the world.

She has won numerous awards including “Best Columnist” by the Newswomen’s Club of NY, “Best Humor Columnist,” and “Woman of the Year: 2006” by the Boys Town of Italy for her charitable work such as driving a tractor-trailer in an 18-truck convoy from NYC to the gulf states with relief supplies for Hurricane Katrina victims.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Some say Demiel ben Yusef is the world’s most dangerous terrorist, personally responsible for bombings and riots that have claimed the lives of thousands. Others insist he is a man of peace, a miracle worker, and possibly even the Son of God. His trial in New York City for crimes against humanity attracts scores of protestors, as well as media and religious leaders from around the world.

Cynical reporter Alessandra Russo heads to the UN hoping for a piece of the action, but soon becomes entangled in controversy and suspicion when ben Yusef singles her out for attention among all other reporters. As Alessandra begins digging into ben Yusef’s past, she is already in more danger than she knows—and when she is falsely accused of murder during her investigation, she is forced to flee New York.

On the run from unknown enemies, Alessandra finds herself on the trail of a global conspiracy and a story that could shake the world to its foundations. Is Demiel ben Yusef the Second Coming or the Antichrist? The truth may lie in the secret history of the Holy Family, a group of Templars who defied the church, and a mysterious relic stained with the sacred blood of Christ Himself.

BOOK DETAILS:
Hardcover, $24.99
ISBN: 978-0765334275
Fiction, 368 pages
Forge Books, Jan. 22, 2013

THANKS TO MARISSA AT JKS COMMUNICATIONS, I
HAVE TWO (2) COPIES TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 11th AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
ADDENDUM
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble. I am an IndieBound affiliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

Book Showcase “Hiding Gladys” and Giveaway ENDED

I am switching things up a bit for today and tomorrow.  Samantha, from JKS Communications asked if I could do a 2 day showcase and when I read the synopsis, well, how could I say no.  Today I will be featuring the book, along with a giveaway.  And mark your calendars, you have to stop by again tomorrow, so that you can meet the author, Ms. Lee Mims.

LEE MIMS
AND THE BOOK:

SYNOPSIS:

What’s a live rattlesnake doing sunning itself in the back seat of field geologist Cleo Cooper’s Jeep? Nothing good, you can be sure — but the dilemma of how it might have gotten there isn’t as crucial to her as making certain it doesn’t stay. Yet, alarming as such an uninvited passenger might be, more disturbing to the plucky, single-minded Cleo is the need to nail down her deal for mining rights to a rare, vastly valuable North Carolina granite deposit.

The problem is that the property owner, Gladys Walton, has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, while neglecting to sign the final documents.

First, a murder interferes with locating her: is the woman’s body found dumped in a well that of the missing Gladys? Amid the wooded, rocky countryside, suspicious misdeeds multiply and Gladys’s conniving relations all behave extremely badly.

The increasingly provoked Cleo sees her dog shot, the progress at her job site dangerously disrupted and, finally, is made witness to another death. Whom can she trust? And what kind of distractions should she allow herself when so much is at stake? Both her charming but exasperating ex-husband and an even more seductive former lover are both on hand competing to rescue her; it’s clear to Cleo, though, that she must go it alone and risk the consequences.

BOOK DETAILS
Paperback
$14.99
ISBN: 978-0738734231
Fiction/Mystery
264 pages
Llewellyn Worldwide, MIDNIGHT INK
Jan. 8, 2013

Don’t forget, stop by tomorrow and meet author, Lee Mims
THANKS TO SAMANTHA AT JKS COMMUNICATONS, I
HAVE ONE (1) COPY TO GIVE AWAY.
OPEN TO U.S. RESIDENTS
FILL OUT RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM BELOW
GIVEAWAY ENDS APRIL 4th AT 6PM EST

WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN BY RAFFLECOPTER AND NOTIFIED
VIA EMAIL AND WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND
OR ANOTHER NAME WILL BE CHOSEN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM

DISCLAIMER
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.