How I wish that genies in bottles were real and I would come across one, don’t you?  I know one of my wishes would be to have the ability to read every single book I wanted to, including the one written by today’s guest.  But, unfortunately, that isn’t the case.  However, Nicole from Tribute Books, is stopping by today to introduce us to this author and I have already put her book on my tbr list.  Please help me welcome Ms. Lesley Kagen!!

I attended Marquette University for one year, fell in love, and followed my boyfriend to New York City. I lasted about six months. I was so intimidated, I spent most of my time running from my apartment to the grocery store and back to my apartment, which was located above a 24 Hour Soul Record Store. Hence, I have the dubious ability to recite every lyric to every James Brown tune ever recorded.

After returning to Milwaukee, I enrolled in the University of Wisconsin where I majored in Radio and Television. I fell into a job as a morning drive DJ on one of the country’s first alternative radio stations—WZMF. I got to interview lots of very cool rock n’ rollers like Frank Zappa, Hendrix and John Lennon.

In 1976, I moved to Los Angeles, where I began a ten year career working for Licorice Pizza record chain where I produced, wrote and voiced thousands of commercials as Lesley from Licorice Pizza. When I set out to expand my career, I ended up doing on-camera commercials, a couple of Movies-Of-The-Week, and a Laverne and Shirley.

I met my husband, Peter aka Sushi Man, in Malibu, which is pretty funny considering he was from Milwaukee as well. While we both loved living in California, after the birth of our kids, Casey and Riley, we felt this overwhelming need to return to the roost, so we moved back home in 1990.

Well, that’s about it. Oh, wait. The writing. I adore it. I crave it. But it wasn’t until Casey went off to college, and teenage Riley made it clear that any form of communication between us was to be restricted to—”With or without pepperoni”—that I found the opportunity to sit down and let ‘er rip. I hope you love reading Whistling in the Dark, Land of a Hundred Wonders, Tomorrow River and Good Graces as much as I loved writing them. 

Whistling in the Dark captivated readers with the story of ten-year-old Sally O’Malley and her sister, Troo, during Milwaukee’s summer of 1959. The novel became a New York Times bestseller and was named a Midwest Honor Award winner.

In Good Graces, it’s one year later, and a heat wave has everyone in the close-knit Milwaukee neighborhood on edge. None more so than Sally O’Malley, who remains deeply traumatized by the sudden death of her daddy and her near escape from a murderer and molester the previous summer. Although outwardly she and her sister, Troo, are more secure, Sally’s confidence in her own judgment and much of her faith have been whittled away. When a series of disquieting events unfold in the neighborhood-a string of home burglaries, the escape from reform school of a nemesis, and the mysterious disappearance of an orphan, crimes that may involve the increasingly rebellious Troo-Sally is called upon to rise above her inner demons. She made a deathbed promise to her daddy to keep Troo safe, a promise she can’t break, even if her life depends on it. But when events reach a crisis point, will Sally have the courage and discernment to make the right choices? Or will her false assumptions lead her and those she loves into danger once again?

Lesley Kagen’s gift for imbuing her child narrators with compelling authenticity shines as never before in Good Graces, a novel told with sensitivity, wit, and warmth.

Book Details
Hardcover
Price: $25.95 
ISBN: 9780525952381
Pages: 352
Release: September 2011


Amazon buy link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0525952381/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=tributebooks-20

eBookPrice: $12.99

YouTube author interview video HTML embed code<iframe src=“http://www.youtube.com/embed/KMdfe-blKk0?rel=0” allowfullscreen=”” width=”375″ frameborder=”0″ height=”220″></iframe>

Today the ladies of WOW Tours are stopping by, and once again, introducing us to one amazing woman.  A world traveler and now an author.   Since I did read her book, I can say, it may be her debut book, but put her on your radar because I doubt this will be her only novel.  Sp please help me welcome Cat Larose and the ladies of WOW!!!

Cold weather is here in New England, which means snow is right around the corner.  So when Rebecca from The Cadence Group contacted me to read, review and have the author stop by, I thought it would be fun.  So without further ado, please help me welcome, Mr. Mark Smythe!!

Mark Smythe resides in a small, rural town located in the beautiful Southern geography of Western New York State.  It is a lovely and quaint agricultural community, just South of Buffalo, New York.


He, his wife Sandra and their two children, Cassandra and Alexander, live on a picturesque, turn-of-the-century farm complete with a charming old white farmhouse, quaint red barns and wooden pasture fences.
Mark is an Interior Structural Fire Fighter with a local Volunteer Fire Department, and is also a member of the Emergency & Rescue Squad.
The concept for this particular book began years ago, as an original bedtime story that he made up for his own children, which they always asked for and seemed to like, especially on those cold and snowy winter nights, so reminiscent of the Northeast.
You can visit Mark at his website.

THE SNOWMAN’S REVENGEby Mark Smythe

Illustrations by Mike Motz

Published by Mark Smythe

ISBN-13: 9780982270400

At the request of The Cadence Group, a TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

 

Synopsis (from the author): The snow’s piled up high and school’s cancelled, so let’s play outside and, of course, build a snowman! Now, what if you were left out in the cold snow all by yourself, like that poor snowman? Would you be mad? Of course you would!

 

Well, this snowman is out for revenge, especially after he sees those kids in the nice warm house, eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate! So, let’s see what happens in this delightful story, nicely flowing with rhymed verse, very beautifully illustrated and quite humorous indeed.

So lovable, it’s sure to be an instant favorite and a timeless classic with “kids” of all ages.

 

My Thoughts and Opinion: When I was approached to read and review this book, I thought it would be fun, especially with the holidays just around the corner. But in fairness to the author, I must admit, that since I did not have the opportunity to read it to a young child to obtain a reaction of a little one, it is based solely on my opinion of the book. The book is written in a rhyming fashion. I found the illustrations to be vivid and colorful which I would think would keep a child’s attention. However, the premise of the story is of the revenge of one angry snowman. I thought that and the images to go along with that part of the story line, a bit scary for a child, but again, that is my opinion. Because it has been many years that I have had the pleasant experience of reading to a youngster, I don’t feel that I am qualified to give this book a rating, only my opinion.  

 

 

THANKS TO REBECCA FROM THE CADENCE GROUP,

I HAVE ONE (1) COPY OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

 

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

 

 

 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.

 

 

Cold weather is here in New England, which means snow is right around the corner.  So when Rebecca from The Cadence Group contacted me to read, review and have the author stop by, I thought it would be fun.  So without further ado, please help me welcome, Mr. Mark Smythe!!

Mark Smythe resides in a small, rural town located in the beautiful Southern geography of Western New York State.  It is a lovely and quaint agricultural community, just South of Buffalo, New York.


He, his wife Sandra and their two children, Cassandra and Alexander, live on a picturesque, turn-of-the-century farm complete with a charming old white farmhouse, quaint red barns and wooden pasture fences.
Mark is an Interior Structural Fire Fighter with a local Volunteer Fire Department, and is also a member of the Emergency & Rescue Squad.
The concept for this particular book began years ago, as an original bedtime story that he made up for his own children, which they always asked for and seemed to like, especially on those cold and snowy winter nights, so reminiscent of the Northeast.
You can visit Mark at his website.

THE SNOWMAN’S REVENGEby Mark Smythe

Illustrations by Mike Motz

Published by Mark Smythe

ISBN-13: 9780982270400

At the request of The Cadence Group, a TPB was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

 

Synopsis (from the author): The snow’s piled up high and school’s cancelled, so let’s play outside and, of course, build a snowman! Now, what if you were left out in the cold snow all by yourself, like that poor snowman? Would you be mad? Of course you would!

 

Well, this snowman is out for revenge, especially after he sees those kids in the nice warm house, eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate! So, let’s see what happens in this delightful story, nicely flowing with rhymed verse, very beautifully illustrated and quite humorous indeed.

So lovable, it’s sure to be an instant favorite and a timeless classic with “kids” of all ages.

 

My Thoughts and Opinion: When I was approached to read and review this book, I thought it would be fun, especially with the holidays just around the corner. But in fairness to the author, I must admit, that since I did not have the opportunity to read it to a young child to obtain a reaction of a little one, it is based solely on my opinion of the book. The book is written in a rhyming fashion. I found the illustrations to be vivid and colorful which I would think would keep a child’s attention. However, the premise of the story is of the revenge of one angry snowman. I thought that and the images to go along with that part of the story line, a bit scary for a child, but again, that is my opinion. Because it has been many years that I have had the pleasant experience of reading to a youngster, I don’t feel that I am qualified to give this book a rating, only my opinion.  

 

 

THANKS TO REBECCA FROM THE CADENCE GROUP,

I HAVE ONE (1) COPY OF THIS BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.

 

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

 

 

 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.

 

 

First I would like to apologize to Sarah from St. Martin’s Press, author Tyler McMahon and you, the visitors of this blog.  In the midst of my personal tornado, I received a very enthusiastic email from Sarah asking if I would like to review this book, but at the time, I couldn’t but did offer to share this author with all of you.  And even with that, I am a bit late.

This is what Sarah had to say, “Hi again – I feel like you must be getting sick of me by now because I keep writing you about books to review.  But seriously, PLEASE, please don’t delete this email!  Give me one chance to share this book with you…

I work for a publishing company and recently FELL IN LOVE with HOW THE MISTAKES WERE MADE – a debut novel by Tyler McMahon – hitting bookstores October 11^th.”

^{And now we get the chance to hear what has Sarah so excited.  Please help me welcome Tyler McMahon!!!}

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TYLER MCMAHON is the author of the debut novel How the Mistakes Were Made. He received his MFA in fiction from Boise State University. His stories have appeared in Threepenny Review, Sycamore Review, and Surfer’s Journal, among others, and he has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is a professor of fiction at Hawaii Pacific University.

You can visit Tyler McMahon at:

website,  Facebook, GoodReads, Twitter 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Laura Loss came of age in the hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s. The jailbait bass player in her brother Anthony’s band, she grew up traveling the country, playing her heart out in a tight network of show venues to crowds soaked in blood and sweat. The band became notorious, the stars of a shadow music industry. But when Laura was 18, it all fell apart. Anthony’s own fans destroyed him, something which Laura never forgot.

Ten years later, Laura finds her true fame with the formation of The Mistakes, a gifted rock band that bursts out of ‘90s Seattle to god-like celebrity. When she discovered Nathan and Sean, the two flannel-clad misfits who, along with her, composed the band, she instantly understood that Sean’s synesthesia—a blending of the senses that allows him to “see” the music— infused his playing with an edge that would take them to the top. And it did. But it, along with his love for Laura, would also be their downfall.

At the moment of their greatest fame, the volatile bonds between the three explode in a mushroom cloud of betrayal, deceit, and untimely endings. The world blames Laura for destroying its rock heroes. Hated by the fans she’s spent her life serving, she finally tells her side of the story, the “true” story, of the rise and fall of The Mistakes.

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF SARAH

FROM ST. MARTIN’S PRESS, I HAVE 

FIVE (5) PB BOOKS TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

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.

First I would like to apologize to Sarah from St. Martin’s Press, author Tyler McMahon and you, the visitors of this blog.  In the midst of my personal tornado, I received a very enthusiastic email from Sarah asking if I would like to review this book, but at the time, I couldn’t but did offer to share this author with all of you.  And even with that, I am a bit late.

This is what Sarah had to say, “Hi again – I feel like you must be getting sick of me by now because I keep writing you about books to review.  But seriously, PLEASE, please don’t delete this email!  Give me one chance to share this book with you…

I work for a publishing company and recently FELL IN LOVE with HOW THE MISTAKES WERE MADE – a debut novel by Tyler McMahon – hitting bookstores October 11^th.”

^{And now we get the chance to hear what has Sarah so excited.  Please help me welcome Tyler McMahon!!!}

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TYLER MCMAHON is the author of the debut novel How the Mistakes Were Made. He received his MFA in fiction from Boise State University. His stories have appeared in Threepenny Review, Sycamore Review, and Surfer’s Journal, among others, and he has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He is a professor of fiction at Hawaii Pacific University.

You can visit Tyler McMahon at:

website,  Facebook, GoodReads, Twitter 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Laura Loss came of age in the hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s. The jailbait bass player in her brother Anthony’s band, she grew up traveling the country, playing her heart out in a tight network of show venues to crowds soaked in blood and sweat. The band became notorious, the stars of a shadow music industry. But when Laura was 18, it all fell apart. Anthony’s own fans destroyed him, something which Laura never forgot.

Ten years later, Laura finds her true fame with the formation of The Mistakes, a gifted rock band that bursts out of ‘90s Seattle to god-like celebrity. When she discovered Nathan and Sean, the two flannel-clad misfits who, along with her, composed the band, she instantly understood that Sean’s synesthesia—a blending of the senses that allows him to “see” the music— infused his playing with an edge that would take them to the top. And it did. But it, along with his love for Laura, would also be their downfall.

At the moment of their greatest fame, the volatile bonds between the three explode in a mushroom cloud of betrayal, deceit, and untimely endings. The world blames Laura for destroying its rock heroes. Hated by the fans she’s spent her life serving, she finally tells her side of the story, the “true” story, of the rise and fall of The Mistakes.

THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF SARAH

FROM ST. MARTIN’S PRESS, I HAVE 

FIVE (5) PB BOOKS TO GIVE AWAY.

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.

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.

I’m sure by now, most of you know, I can’t pass up a good mystery. That’s why when Rebecca from The Cadence Group contacted me to read and review his book,  I had such a difficult time saying that word all of us book addicts have saying, the word, NO.  But reluctantly I had to because I am so far behind, but I offered instead to share this fantastic sounding book with all of you.  So please help me welcome author Kurt Kamm.

I’m sure by now, most of you know, I can’t pass up a good mystery. That’s why when Rebecca from The Cadence Group contacted me to read and review his book,  I had such a difficult time saying that word all of us book addicts have saying, the word, NO.  But reluctantly I had to because I am so far behind, but I offered instead to share this fantastic sounding book with all of you.  So please help me welcome author Kurt Kamm.