February is being hosted by Audra @ Unabridged Chick

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour.
According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Click on title for synopsis via IndieBound (I am an IndieBound Affiliate)

Monday:  The Best Man by Kristan Higgins from Meryl L. Moss Media
Thursday:  Three Sisters by Susan Mallery from Meryl L. Moss Media

…………of HIDING IN SUNSHINE by John and Caitlin Stuart

20 Karen Gonyea Leave a Blog Post Comment

An email has been sent to the winner and she has 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

Living with 3 males for a very long time, the DH and 2 sons, sports of all kinds, was always being watched and/or talked about in my house.  So when our friend Nicole, from Tribute Books contacted me about today’s guest, I knew I would love if he stopped by and talk about his book, plus my family would not be happy with me lol.  So I ask that we give Mr. Tim Forbes a roaring stadium welcome!!!

TIM FORBES

Alternately blessed and cursed by the notion that everyone should do what they love for a living, Tim Forbes creates and writes about the games that people play.

Tim grew up in the farmlands of northern Connecticut, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College—where he played Division III basketball in front of literally tens of people. He received an MBA from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an Associate’s Degree at the Professional Golfers Career College in Temecula, CA. Yes, in that order.

After 15 years spent meandering about in Corporate America, Tim went on to work for three professional golf tours: the Symetra Futures Tour, the LPGA Tour, and the PGA Tour. He also served as general manager for golf clubs in Nashville, Tennessee and Orlando, Florida. In 2009, he founded Outside the Mode, a sports marketing and production company based in his adopted home of Los Angeles.

Tim lives in Redondo Beach, California with a perennially underachieving fish named Halo, a cat, and a wife he fondly calls Bird.
Visit Tim at his website,  Twitter and GoodReads.

GUEST POST

Cards on the table – yours truly is not quite right.

How else could you explain the fact that I spent a year of my life attending and writing about 100 uniquely different sporting events involving 50 separate sports? But that’s what I did, and literally thousands of readers helped me keep score. And when it was done, we all knew more about sports in America than it was thought to be humanly possible. Or at least I did, anyway.

“But why?” you ask. Well here’s my story and I’m sticking to it…

As Bill Cosby once said, I started out as a child. A child inexorably drawn to sports – the organized kind andespecially the disorganized kind favored by my circle of friends. Consequently I grew up chasing a ball. It didn’t matter what size or shape, I chased them all. I was fortunate enough to have come of age in a time when kids themselvesscheduled their own games and “officiated” them via the kid’s code of sports ethics – an arcane collection of arguments, declarations, and insults that inevitably led to the Do Over. Or somebody taking their ball and going home.

On those occasions when a quorum wasn’t available for even the most streamlined of games, I played them solo. Some might call it “practicing”, but I knew it as “having fun”. And as is the case with many things one repeats endlessly, I managed to develop some level of skill. So it came to be that I went to college on a basketball scholarship.

Annoyingly enough, they don’t let you just major in Basketball – well, not in 1977 anyway, and not in any conference that, like mine, did not start with the word “Big”. So I chose to pursue a degree in Psychology. Don’t ask me why. And when my undergraduate days ended, I decided to obtain an MBA, because, well…because.

The ironic thing was that neither Psychology nor Business Administration would have even been in the race had Sports Management been an academic option. Ubiquitous now, at the time that I entered college there was no such degree program. And so, a career match made in heaven went by the boards…for the time being, anyway.

In my mid-30’s, having acquired over a decade of experience in Corporate America, I became vaguely aware of the fact that people were getting paid to work in sports! Having thus discovered the existence of what was rightfully MY chosen field of work, I spent the next several years alternating between a state of agitation over having been born a decade too early, and thoughtful rumination on how I could still pull off a second half rally and transition to my natural calling.

At the age of 40, the confluence of a certain set of circumstances, not the least of which is the most understanding wife in the cosmos, enabled me to take the plunge. I enrolled in an accredited four semester program that rewarded me upon completion with an Associate’s Degree in Professional Golf Management. I was on my way – a little late out of the gate, but with a full head of steam and ready to use my transferrable skills to claw my way to the top of the sports business.

Nearly a decade later, having come to know quite well the good, the bad and the ugly about pursuing a second career within the sports industry, I was innocently confronted one day with the following question:  ”After working in the industry for ten years, do you still love sports?”

Hmmmm…great question. One I honestly didn’t have an answer for. As you can imagine though, it became critically important for me to find one. And thus began germinating the idea of a “sports walkabout” – an effort to reconnect with my ball-chasing, sports-loving roots.

I went to a game. And then another. And another. Big games, little games. Tournaments, matches, meets and bouts. Men’s games, women’s games. Professional. Amateur. High School. College. Games that I was intimately familiar with. Games that I didn’t have the faintest idea as to their rules.

To those that virtually accompanied me I offered to share everything that I found – both positive and…not so positive. I promised to keep it light-hearted, and they in turn agreed to laugh, learn and share the link with others. This blog, this portrait of Americans at play, became a love letter to sports, warts and all. My friends at Google Analytics tell me that it has been read by thousands of people all over the world.

I hope it brings a smile of pleasure and recognition to your face as well. Because it’s always game time somewhere.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tim Forbes was like many Americans: painfully unsatisfied in his corporate job but making too much money to walk away. But then, one momentous day, he and his wife struck the Deal, leading to a career in the one field he loved more than anything: sports.

Years later, having carved out his place in the sports business, he was surprised when a friend asked, “Do you still love sports?”…And stunned when he didn’t know how to reply. Of course he still loved sports! Didn’t he? Was it possible that walking away from a perk-filled Corporate American life had all been for nothing?

His year-long quest to find that answer started with a single game. But what he discovered there soon led to an unlikely coast-to-coast “sports walkabout” involving 100 more games and 50 different sports—from major-market events to the smallest of the small. Poignant, irreverent, and ultimately inspiring, It’s Game Time Somewherechronicles one man’s search for the love of the game.
Purchase links:    B&N       MyBookOrders

Watch the trailer:

THANKS TO AUTHOR, TIM FORBES, I HAVE
ONE (1) EBOOK TO GIVEAWAY. OPEN TO ALL

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTRY PAGE

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 affliate.
I am providing link(s) solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: WHAT IS YOUR

FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH ON TV?*

*EBOOK–OPEN TO ALL*
 **HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

As promised yesterday, Mr. Tom Roe is back to discuss his novel and giving one lucky winner the chance to win a copy of his book.  Welcome Back Tom Roe!!

Tom Roe

I am a retired USAF military pilot having served with the Air Force for twenty-six years followed by retirement as a full Colonel. I also practiced as a trial lawyer in the field of Aviation Accident Litigation. I have been writing for a number of years and have had five novels published. My fifth novel is titled “The Alabama Rebel” and takes place in the years before during and after the Civil War. Much of the source material for this novel was from my own family history and congressional records which were subsequently published in thirteen volumes. I graduated from St. Thomas University and William Mitchell College of Law, both in St.Paul, Minnesota. I presently live in Florida along the Atlantic Ocean and also in Colorado in the mountains of the southwest. I spend most of my time reading and writing novels. I limit my social activities to military groups I served with and stay involved with my USAF Pilot Class. Life has been good and I have no regrets.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Alabama Rebel: A Novel of Courage Amid Conflict

This historically based novel is a window into Alabama both before, during and after the Civil War. River Hunter is the son of a Cherokee mother and a Scotch-Irish father who has a unique perspective on a society that undergoes a radical shift forced on it by the War. River’s father is presumed dead after disappearing on a trapping trip into the mountains of the Carolinas, so, River’s mother gathers her children and they move to the cotton belt of Alabama to avoid being shipped west by President Jackson during the Removal time for Native Americans. River rapidly adapts to the new life and has an insatiable appetite for knowledge, reading books at every opportunity. In time he obtains a formal education at recognized academies and universities. Following his heroic service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and schooling at one of the nation’s most prestigious law schools, River becomes an attorney. He is then betrothed to a beautiful young woman who has inherited a substantial plantation upon the death of her husband in the War. Many problems plague the young couple from the forces existing in the South after the War to the prejudicial attitudes of River’s inlaws to the polarized politics between the newly freed Slaves and their former owners. This fascinating novel exams all sides within the context of a very unique segment of American history.

THANKS TO JKS COMMUNICATIONS, I HAVE ONE (1)
EBOOK VERSION TO GIVE AWAY.          OPEN TO ALL

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTRY PAGE

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

*USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM BELOW
IN ORDER TO BE INCLUDED IN THE GIVEAWAY*
BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL

ADDRESS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM
SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN
*LEAVE COMMENT: WHAT WORD COMES TO

MIND WHEN YOU THINK OF THE CIVIL WAR?*

*EBOOK–OPEN TO ALL*
 **HONOR SYSTEM**
ONE WINNING BOOK PER HOUSEHOLD
PLEASE NOTIFY ME IF YOU HAVE
WON THIS BOOK FROM ANOTHER
SITE, SO THAT SOMEONE ELSE MAY
HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN
AND READ THIS BOOK.
THANK YOU.

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

a Rafflecopter giveaway

…..of Villa Triste by Lucretia Grindle

20 Stacey Van Metre Leave a Blog Post Comment

8 Tony L Smoaks Follow @CherylMash on Twitter

27 Daniel M Leave a Blog Post Comment

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.

Our friend, Samantha from JKS Communications, emailed me with some new titles and I thought that you would enjoy knowing more about today’s guest and his book.  Today he will be answering some interview questions and will be back tomorrow to discuss his book with the opportunity to win a copy of his book.  Don’t forget to  revisit.  So without further ado, Mr. Tom Roe!!

THOMAS ROE

I am a retired USAF military pilot having served with the Air Force for twenty-six years followed by retirement as a full Colonel. I also practiced as a trial lawyer in the field of Aviation Accident Litigation. I have been writing for a number of years and have had five novels published. My fifth novel is titled “The Alabama Rebel” and takes place in the years before during and after the Civil War. Much of the source material for this novel was from my own family history and congressional records which were subsequently published in thirteen volumes. I graduated from St. Thomas University and William Mitchell College of Law, both in St.Paul, Minnesota. I presently live in Florida along the Atlantic Ocean and also in Colorado in the mountains of the southwest. I spend most of my time reading and writing novels. I limit my social activities to military groups I served with and stay involved with my USAF Pilot Class. Life has been good and I have no regrets.

Q&A with Tom Roe

Where did you get the idea for the story you tell in The Alabama Rebel?
My family originally lived in the Forkland, and Eutaw, Alabama areas, and I have spent a great deal of time there. It is an area with so much history particularly involving the Civil War period. This part of Alabama is in the heart of the Black Belt and was very involved in the marketing of cotton before, during and after the War. I was aware of much of the history of the area, but what really keyed me into it was the discovery of an old cloth bound book I found in a used bookstore in Minneapolis. It was volume 8 of the books referenced in my preface that contained testimony of Alabama citizens regarding the instability that existed in the state after the Civil War. Much of that testimony directly involved the areas of Forkland and Eutaw, as well as the county they were in, Greene County. Reading that book of testimony was the initiating factor that led to the novel.

The battle scenes especially in Alabama Rebel are descriptive and realistic. Did your experiences as a military pilot who served with the Air Force for 26 years influence your writing?
Not really, other than the experiences of losing friends over the years. That I was familiar with. I also feel I have some familiarity with the emotions men go through when they are face to face with risk of injury or death. I did gain many experiences from my years with the Air Force, and it is those experiences that we draw upon when we write historical fiction.

How was the title chosen?
Actually, I had a problem picking the title. I did not want to focus so much on River in the title, and at times I wish I had chosen something more vague. Possibly referring to the Oak Tree at Rosehill or the Magnolia Tree that was in front of Rosehill. The Magnolia Tree is a symbol of the South. I wanted the novel to principally focus on the problems the South faced before, during and after the Civil War.

Were you ever a rebel?
All my life. I was very independent and lived my life as I thought best. Not as well as River Hunter, but I did fairly well.

Stop back tomorrow to hear more about the book and a chance to win an EBook copy.

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