08 February 2019

Valentine Countdown Blitz and Giveaway! Day 5!




An avid gardener, artist, musician and writer, Emily-Jane Hills Orford has fond memories and lots of stories that evolved from a childhood growing up in a haunted Victorian mansion. Told she had a ‘vivid imagination’, the author used this talent to create stories in her head to pass tedious hours while sick, waiting in a doctor’s office, listening to a teacher drone on about something she already knew, or enduring the long, stuffy family car rides. The author lived her stories in her head, allowing her imagination to lead her into a different world, one of her own making. 

As the author grew up, these stories, imaginings and fantasies took to the written form and, over the years, she developed a reputation for telling a good story. Emily-Jane can now boast that she is an award-winning author of several books, including Mrs. Murray’s Ghost (Telltale Publishing 2018), Queen Mary’s Daughter (Clean Reads 2018), Gerlinda (CFA 2016) which received an Honorable Mention in the 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, To Be a Duke (CFA 2014) which was named Finalist and Silver Medalist in the 2015 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and received an Honorable Mention in the 2015 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and several other books. A retired teacher of music and creative writing, she writes about the extra-ordinary in life and the fantasies of dreams combined with memories. 




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There are so many possibilities that affect the course of history. One change, one small item overlooked, can make a world of difference, not only in a person's life, but in the history and well-being of an entire nation. And then there are those multiple scenarios of what if? What if King James VI of Scotland didn't succeed in amalgamating Scotland with England? Would Scotland have remained free and independent and a nation of its own well into the twenty-first century? And would Scotland, this independent version, make its own decision to join the European Union when its southern neighbor was choosing to pull away? And, what if there was another heir to the Scottish throne?
In Queen Mary's Daughter (Clean Reads Publisher), author Emily-Jane Hills Orford presents another plausible timeline, one that incorporates both historical fact and fiction with the endless possibilities of time travel. 





Character Casting:

I’m not sure I’d be very good at casting. The only character I can truly associate with an actor is Mary Elizabeth’s grandmother. 




I think Jane Seymour would fit the grandmother’s role perfectly. All the women are strong characters, passionate, believing strongly in their cause, in their purpose in life. This is definitely a powerful woman’s story. 







To view our blog schedule and follow along with this tour visit our Official Event page Part 1 
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Murder, She Meowed (A Pawsitively Organic Mystery) by Liz Mugavero Book Tour and Giveaway!


Murder, She Meowed (A Pawsitively Organic Mystery) by Liz Mugavero

About the Book

 
Cozy Mystery 7th in Series 
Kensington (January 29, 2019) 
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages 
ISBN-10: 1496717589 
ISBN-13: 978-1496717580 
Digital ASIN: B07CWDC8G9
Kristan “Stan” Connor loves concocting tasty organic treats for dogs and cats—and she also loves her fiancé, pub owner Jake McGee. But she’s not so enthusiastic about finding a dead body at her own bachelorette party . . .
Stan and Jake’s wedding will soon take place on the town green in Frog Ledge, Connecticut, followed by a reception at their beloved Irish pub filled with friends, family, and their four favorite canine companions. Stan just has to endure the traditional girls’ night out first. Male strippers jumping out of gigantic cakes aren’t her preferred entertainment. But the hired hottie never gets around to taking it all off . . . because someone takes him out first with one of Stan’s kitchen knives. A heartbroken Stan recognizes the victim as one of the delivery men from the local farm—who must have been moonlighting for some extra cash. Now the guest list has turned into a suspect list—and Stan’s making a vow to find the killer . . .
Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!

About the Author

 
  Liz Mugavero has been writing stories since she could hold a pen. Before that, she would tell them to anyone who would listen (not many at the time). After deciding early on she would write books for a living, she practiced by writing bad, angst-filled poems, short stories and even a storyline for a soap opera–all by age 15. She never wavered from her goals despite all the usual questions including, “So are you going to be an English teacher with that degree in English?” or, “That writing thing sounds nice, but how are you REALLY going to make a living?” She went on to get a master’s in writing and publishing and spent time in journalism, PR, and presently, corporate communications. And she’s confident this writing thing IS the way to make a living. Aside from writing, she loves animals (has a houseful), the beach, reading other writers’ masterpieces and Starbucks coffee.

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
February 4 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
February 4 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 4 – Reading Authors – REVIEW
February 5 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
February 5 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
February 5 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW
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February 6 – Valerie’s Musings – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 7 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 7 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
February 7 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 8 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 8 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
February 8 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
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February 10 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
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February 11 – Cinnamon, Sugar and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE
February 11 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 11 – Here’s How It Happened – GUEST POST

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07 February 2019

The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin Book Spotlight! #NetGalley


An intimate portrait of the close friendship and powerful creative partnership between two of Hollywood’s earliest female superstars: Frances Marion and Mary Pickford. An enchanting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator’s Wife.

Hollywood, 1914. Frances Marion, a young writer desperate for a break, meets “America’s Sweetheart,” Mary Pickford, already making a name for herself both on and off the screen with her golden curls and lively spirit. Together, these two women will take the movie business by storm.

Mary Pickford becomes known as the “Queen of the Movies”—the first actor to have her name on a movie marquee, and the first to become a truly international celebrity. Mary and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, were America’s first Royal Couple, living in a home more famous that Buckingham Palace. Mary won the first Academy Award for Best Actress in a Talkie and was the first to put her hand and footprints in Grauman’s theater sidewalk. Her annual salary in 1919 was $625,000—at a time when women’s salaries peaked at $10 a week. Frances Marion is widely considered one of the most important female screenwriters of the 20th century, and was the first writer to win multiple Academy Awards. The close personal friendship between the two stars was closely linked to their professional collaboration and success.

This is a novel about power: the power of women during the exhilarating early years of Hollywood, and the power of forgiveness. It’s also about the imbalance of power, then and now, and the sacrifices and compromises women must make in order to succeed. And at its heart, it’s a novel about the power of female friendship.
 




My Review

What a delightful book! It is about Mary Pickford and Frances Marion, two real characters from the Hollywood scene. Mary was a child stage actress who continued to play girls even into her twenties. Her younger siblings, Jack and Lottie were also forced to work on the stage. The main characters in this story though are Mary, Frances and Mary's mother Charlotte. Frances becomes a screen writer for Mary.

in 1909, with no work in sight, Mary decides to appear in the "flickers" and becomes America's Sweetheart. Frances Marion is a talented woman who writes screenplays. She met Mary Pickford when Mary's first husband, Owen, invited Frances to sketch his wife. They immediately became fast friends and they collaborated on films. Mary doing the acting and Frances writing the script. Mary came to own her own production company along with her husband Douglas Fairbanks, and Charlie Chaplin. So with Frances writing and Mary acting, they were definitely a force to be reckoned with. Both women were passionate and fierce when it came to their careers and would do what it took to succeed. 

Mary had a whirlwind marriage with Douglas Fairbanks but their marriage did end. Frances was introduced to the love of her life, Fred Thompson and they had two sons. Mary and Frances stayed friends until Frances died in 1973 and Mary died in 1979. 

This book was very interesting to me, I had not read a lot about Hollywood and Mary Pickford in particular. It appears that there had been a lot of research. Full of real characters, producers, D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. DeMille, Albert Capellani and the Lumière brothers from France and actresses  Lilian Gish, Lois Weber, Frances Marion, Anita Loos, June Mathis. What a cornucopia of people! A book with a passion for acting and the persona's of Mary and Frances were amazing and poignant. Lots of history of Hollywood, silent films and talkies! I loved it and recommend reading this one! The girls in the picture may have faded over time but they are never forgotten!

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only.



Melanie Benjamin is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels THE SWANS OF FIFTH AVENUE and THE AVIATOR'S WIFE, as well as the national bestseller ALICE I HAVE BEEN, and THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MRS. TOM THUMB. THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE, about the creative, feminist friendship between Mary Pickford and Frances Marion, icons of early Hollywood, will be out in January 2018. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and is currently at work on her next historical novel.
http://www.melaniebenjamin.com
https://www.goodreads.com/MelanieBenjamin

The Beautiful Years Part III by Annie Rose Welch Release Blitz and Giveaway! @angelwriter11




Title: The Beautiful Years Part III 
Author: Annie Rose Welch 
Genre:Contemporary/ Mafia Romance
Release Date: February 7, 2019 
Cover Designer: Buoni Amici Press 



There was one secret that I kept from my wife.
The Fausti famiglia was one of the most infamous and powerful crime families in the world. Their rule spanned the thickness of history books.
And I was one of them.
I was the estranged son of the most ruthless man in the monarchy, Lucious Leone Fausti. Only a murderous technicality kept me out of his reach, but there was never any doubt that I belonged to him. I saw his reflection in every mirror. The darkness that lived in his eyes lived in mine.
My dangerous lineage had been hidden until my wife, Scarlett, the curious farfalle that she was, started fluttering around the sleeping giant. She awakened the monsters of my past, and they would stop at nothing to claim what they felt belonged to them.
Using my wife as a pawn in their game to lure me in? Wasn’t going to happen. They underestimated this monster they had created. I’d sacrifice it all to keep the woman I called mine safe—even if it meant my life.
La mia parola è buona quanto il mio sangue. My word is as good as my blood.
Book III in a seven-part Mafia Romance saga.


 

 


   


Born and raised in New Orleans, Annie has a habit of shortening her words and telling long stories. She speaks with a southern flair and cooks with it too. At the tender age of twenty- one, she hitched up her wagons (took her first plane ride) and moved out west to the big shake (California). Her passion for writing began one sleepless night when she imagined a gorgeous woman and a man with maniacal hair floating above her like lightning bugs falling from the sky. Curious about them, their story, and why they were floating around in her head, she sat down and penned (typed) her first novel, Marigny Street. A dream come true for her, she hasn’t stopped writing since. She loves a damn good love story, always has, no matter what the genre. She is particularly moved by imperfect love that in its own unique way is perfect, the notion of love at first sight, soul mates, and things that are generally out of the norm.
When she’s not writing she enjoys dabbling in photography and finding new, inspirational music to add to her collection. She currently resides in Texas (where everything really is bigger) with her husband, daughter, and their three peculiar dogs, Boudreaux, Tabasco, and Vanna Loo (who, call her crazy, bark with an accent).
For lagniappe (a little extra), a virtual cup of café au lait and beignets, please visit Annie’s website:




Part I

Part II

Coming Soon!!


Preorder The Beautiful Years IV
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