Reviews!

To any authors/publishers/ tour companies that are looking for the reviews that I signed up for please know this is very hard to do. I will be stopping reviews temporarily. My husband passed away February 1st and my new normal is a bit scary right now and I am unable to concentrate on a book to do justice to the book and authors. I will still do spotlight posts if you wish it is just the reviews at this time. I apologize for this, but it isn't fair to you if I signed up to do a review and haven't been able to because I can't concentrate on any books. Thank you for your understanding during this difficult time. I appreciate all of you. Kathleen Kelly April 2nd 2024

13 February 2019

Death by Committee (An Abby McCree Mystery) by Alexis Morgan Book Tour and Giveaway! @Alexis_Morgan

Death by Committee (An Abby McCree Mystery) by Alexis Morgan

 About the Book
 
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Kensington (January 29, 2019) 
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496719530 
ISBN-13: 978-1496719539 
Digital ASIN: B07CWF6QBL
When Abby McCree suddenly inherits her favorite relative’s property in small town Snowberry Creek, Washington, she soon realizes that the ramshackle home comes with strings attached—one of which is tied to a dead body! After a rough divorce, Abby McCree only wants to stitch up her life and move on. But other loose ends appear after her elderly Aunt Sybil passes away, leaving Abby to tend to a rundown estate, complete with a slobbery Mastiff of questionable pedigree and a sexy tenant who growls more than the dog. As Abby gets drawn into a tight-knit quilting guild, she makes a twisted discovery—Aunt Sybil’s only known rival is buried in her backyard! Despite what local detectives say, Abby refuses to accept that her beloved aunt had anything to do with the murder. While navigating a busy social calendar and rediscovering the art of quilting, she launches an investigation of her own to clear Aunt Sybil’s name and catch the true culprit. The incriminating clues roll in, yet Abby can’t help but wonder—can she survive her new responsibilities in Snowberry Creek and still manage to patch together a killer’s deadly pattern without becoming the next victim?

About the Author

USA Today Best-selling author Alexis Morgan has always loved reading and now spends her days imagining worlds filled with strong alpha heroes and gutsy heroines. She is the author of over forty-five novels, novellas, and short stories that span a variety of genres: American West historicals (as Pat Pritchard); paranormal and fantasy romances; and contemporary romances. She is excited to say that next year will also see the release of her first cozy mystery series. Alexis has been nominated for several industry awards, including the RITA, the top award in the romance genre.

Author Links - 
Website - http://www.alexismorgan.com/ 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AMorganAuthor 
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Alexis_Morgan 
Blog - http://www.alexismorgan.com/snowberry/index.html 

Purchase Links - 
Amazon 
B&N 
Kobo  
GooglePlay  
IndieBound 


TOUR PARTICIPANTS
February 1 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW, GUEST POST
February 1 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
February 2 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW
February 2 – The Power of Words – REVIEW *
February 3 – Nadaness In Motion – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 4 – The Montana Bookaholic – REVIEW
February 4 – My Reading Journeys – SPOTLIGHT  
February 5 – Jody’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 5 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 6 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 6 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 7 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
February 7 – A Blue Million Books – GUEST POST
February 8 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
February 8 – The Book Diva’s Reads – SPOTLIGHT
February 9 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW
February 9 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 10 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW
February 11 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 12 – That’s What She’s Reading – GUEST POST
February 13 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 13 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
February 14 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? 

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today! 

 

12 February 2019

Strange Blood: 70 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampire Movies by Vanessa Morgan Book Spotlight and Giveaway!

vampire book

Title: Strange Blood: 70 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampire Movies
Author: Vanessa Morgan
Genre: horror, vampires, movies, non-fiction
Cover design: Gilles Vranckx
Release date: April 2019

Blurb

This is an overview of the most offbeat and underrated vampire movies spanning nine decades and 23 countries.

Strange Blood encompasses well-known hits as well as obscurities that differ from your standard fang fare by turning genre conventions on their head. Here, vampires come in the form of cars, pets, aliens, mechanical objects, gorillas, or floating heads. And when they do look like a demonic monster or an aristocratic Count or Countess, they break the mold in terms of imagery, style, or setting.

Leading horror writers, filmmakers, actors, academics, and programmers present their favorite vampire films through in-depth essays, providing background information, analysis, and trivia regarding the various films. Some of these stories are hilarious, some are terrifying, some are touching, and some are just plain weird. Not all of these movies line up with the critical consensus, yet they have one thing in common: they are unlike anything you've ever seen in the world of vampires.

Just when you thought that the children of the night had become a tired trope, it turns out they have quite a diverse inventory after all.
Free preview

You can download and read the first six chapters of Strange Blood on Amazon.
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon FR

vampire author

Author bio

Vanessa Morgan is the editor of When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, as well as the author of the cat book Avalon, and the supernatural thrillers Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside, A Good Man, and Clowders. Three of her stories have been turned into movies. She has written for a myriad of Belgian magazines and newspapers and introduces films at BIFFF, Razor Reel, and Cinematek. She’s also a programmer and copywriter for the Offscreen Film Festival in Brussels.

Other books by Vanessa Morgan


Author links


Giveaway

Weather Menders by Debra Denker Blog Tour and Giveaway!@ weathermenders @BkJunkiePromos #WeatherMenders #DebraDenker #BJPPartner

Weather Menders by Debra Denker

Publication Date: November 10, 2017 
Catalyst Artistic Productions 
Paperback & eBook; 298 Pages
Genre: Sci Fi/Climate Change Fiction/Time Travel

What if Time Travel were real? What if Time Travelers from 300 years in the future told you that there was a chance that you could prevent catastrophic climate change, plagues, and wars by going back in time to key Pivot Points and ethically altering the outcome of rigged elections? What if failure would result in the destruction of the biosphere? Would you go?
In post-plague 2050 Britain, palm trees tower over the rice paddies of Stonehenge. Tara MacFarlane, a weary 96-year-old anthropologist originally from Taos, New Mexico, longs only to finish out her life in peaceful Buddhist meditation, and rejoin the great love of her later years, the humanitarian Scottish-Afghan doctor Xander, in a future incarnation. Suddenly one stifling autumn day Tara, her great-granddaughter Leona, and Leona’s boyfriend Janus are faced with a trio of Time Travelers from a future alternate Timeline where humanity and the eco-system survived and thrived.
The fate of Earth’s biosphere falls squarely on the shoulders of Tara, Leona, Janus, and Tara’s small gray cat, Georgie, who shows a surprising aptitude for telepathy. Time is short to reverse catastrophe that will bleed through into the alternate Timeline, and the Time Travelers must first determine the ideal Pivot Points by reading Time Code vibrations off the great standing stones of Avebury. Unexpectedly joined by the brave and wise cat Georgie, the six plunge into the Time Circle of Stonehenge on their mission. Where and when will they go, and will they succeed in restoring the Earth and humanity to balance?

"Weather Menders is a pioneering cli-fi novel that combines science fiction with time travel and spiritual fantasy in a unique and captivating way. The message is clear: we must act soon and be woke. Oh, and there's a telepathic time-travelling cat!" -- Dan Bloom, editor, The Cli-Fi Report

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

About the Author

Debra Denker has been writing stories since she learned to read. Although novels and poetry were her first loves, she turned her talent to journalism in the ‘70s and ‘80s, writing about Afghanistan and the refugee situation in Pakistan for National Geographic and many leading newspapers. She has specialized in social documentation utilizing journalism, photography, and film to convey the experiences of people in war torn areas, with the intention of stimulating the empathy necessary for humans to stop violence against people and planet.
Denker is the author of two published books, the non-fiction literary memoir Sisters on the Bridge of Fire: One Woman’s Journeys in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, and the novel War in the Land of Cain—a story of love, war, and moral choices set during the Soviet-Afghan war of the 1980’s.
Denker now writes for the award-winning conservation media website, Voices for Biodiversity, raising consciousness to help ward off the Sixth Great Extinction.
She currently lives in Santa Fe with her family of cats, Dorjee Purr-ba, Yeshe Gyalpo, and Samadhi Timewalker, but travels frequently in earthly space, and hopes to travel in time and galactic space.
The novel’s website is www.weathermenders.com.
Her personal blog www.mysticresistance.com explores a range of spiritual, social, and political issues and their intersection with sacred activism.

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Friday, January 25
Tuesday, January 29
Wednesday, January 30
Feature at Broken Teepee
Friday, February 1
Guest Post at Maiden of the Pages
Monday, February 4
Tuesday, February 5
Interview at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, February 6
Thursday, February 7
Review at Pursuing Stacie
Friday, February 8
Feature at Cheryl's Book Nook
Monday, February 11
Tuesday, February 12
Thursday, February 14
Review at A Book Geek
Friday, February 15
Review at Umut Reviews
Feature at Coffee and Ink

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away two paperback copies of Weather Menders! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on February 15th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Giveaway is open to US/UK/CANADA.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.
Weather Menders

11 February 2019

The Retreat by Mari.Reiza Book Blitz! @mari_reiza




~ Book Blitz ~
The Retreat by Mari.Reiza
 Coming of Age / Psychological Thriller 

About the Book:


An uncomfortable but fascinating ripening journey.
Ahmed has abandoned her. Nadia is gone the way Isabelle did before, her two fallen warriors. But Marie can still hear His voice clearly.
A deep call for justice takes hold in an impressionable teenage girl from a recently broken family during a religious retreat; what happens next will mark her life for years to come.
the Retreat is a story of men playing God, of hurt that doesn’t find its way out.




Find it on Amazon

About the Setting

The story moves back and forth in time and place. From Brussel's during Marie's early teenage years with her mother and siblings, to Zermatt where she's sent with the nuns on a fated ski trip. Years later in London, Marie is attempting to find a job and build a life with Ahmed who she met on a plane, when she's lured to a Victorian bathhouse and meets troubled Nadia. But the book begins and ends after Marie's London years, back in her natal Bordeaux. There Marie strikes the final blow in her prodigal daughter's return of sorts.

Meet Marie

Marie is cute with a sexy gap like a secret passage between her upper incisors. She was once a diligent student, before her estranged dad left them or was driven away, or they left and he failed to follow the family to Brussels. But soon after her ski trip trouble, she's labelled a rebel by her conservative single mother whose only hobby is work and only God is sacrifice, accused that her kind of righteousness gets them into trouble. Is God where Marie's fight started? She thinks when people have faith in nothing they're less dangerous. Why can't she marry well like her older sister or build a successful career like her brother? She tries shortly with Ahmed in London, until Nadia lures her back into her old destructive ways, eventually prompting Marie's return to her natal town where nothing has changed. There Marie feels blamed for her younger sister Lucie's depression, her marriage to old peasant Raoul and her recently found fervour to breed donkeys. Marie knows Lucie is angry against her and she's angry back. How many things have happened in Marie's short life! Has Marie inherited them in a way? Who has forced them upon her?

Meet Marie's Teacher and School Friends
Hélène is endowed with breasts big enough that she would still be liked even if she was ever forced iron on her smile. Hélène has been there for ages and is confident in and out of school premises, talking to the school’s staff, with colleagues of every race, sex, colour and nationality. She’s even fun. She is every classmate’s dream and every teacher’s pet, and the section’s headteacher is her father, her surname forever capable of favouring her. She's definitely trouble.

Martine emulates Hélène in every way she can, even if she falls desperately short of her goal: other than for her derrière extraordinaire, she seems a good for nothing girl, hardly a genius.

Monsieur Berger, the religion teacher, wears large Italian spectacles he claims to have bought in Rome whilst on a visit to the Pope and uses a few long strands of white hair to pretend he isn’t bold. His skin, especially around his hands and eyes, is wrinkly, pale and freckly, and his fingers tremble during his impassioned oratories, making him look like a Mayan idol whose touch unleashes visions from dubious gods. Monsieur Berger exclusively wears brown corduroys, paired with pale cashmere turtlenecks and shirts which look far too expensive for anyone vowing poverty like he insists he does. And he often delivers the full lesson with his zip undone. The rumour is Monsieur Berger was not always the religious type but has a florid past. Are clumsy Sister Perline and sour Sister Prudence covering for him?

Isabelle’s a very quiet girl, not as sexy-pretty as Hélène, but still deliciously put together down to every centimetre allocated to her face and body, except for her dark, luscious half-eyebrow. Where’s the other half gone?

Meet Ahmed

Ahmed is on his early twenties with captivating eyelashes, working in a bank in London. The day Marie met him she thought he was it; understood
that much of what she had been missing and actually required was in his love. She temporarily felt locked outside of her misery. But it turns out the man was tormented by the curse of ambition, like a prospector in the Wild West, ready to suppress every good bit of himself for no trouble to come his way. Ahmed had been put there to fill a void. Yet after a year they had been together he had not managed to modify a thing in Marie, nor to impress in her body one lasting imprint: nothing of him had endured.

Meet Nadia

The same thin, long neck as Isabelle. The same straight black mane of hair. The same thick, dark eyebrows; both eyebrows. Her hands, one slightly deformed. In the haze of the baths Marie thinks Nadia's stomach looks so tiny, her belly button so pretty. Her voice is gentle almost that of a ghost. 'Do you believe in God?' Nadia has lost a sister to a fire and her brother is angry. When she extends her sponge, Marie's ready to let the young woman invade her like a peacekeeping force.


If the book interests you, you can request for a REVIEW COPY in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author:

Mari.Reiza was born in Madrid in 1973. She has worked as an investment research writer and management consultant for twenty years in London. She studied at Oxford University and lives off Portobello Road with her husband and child.

Find Mari at:

Twitter * Instagram






Please Explain Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy to me by Laurie Zelinger and Perry Zelinger Book Tour and Giveaway!



Nearly 500,000 adenotonsillectomies will be performed on children this year. 

Will you be ready? The new 3rd Edition of this bestselling book helps parents understand and organize the necessary medical and emotional components that accompany their child’s surgery. In an easy to follow timeline for events prior to and following a tonsillectomy and/or adenoidectomy, the authors provide reassuring and accurate guidance that eases the process for the patient and family. As caregivers, you will:

- Get the facts about tonsils and adenoids in simple terms.
- Reduce your own anxiety about surgery and recovery.
- Learn how to best support your child through the medical and emotional events surrounding the procedure.
- Have scripts available to guide your conversations with all of your children.
- Discover the sequence of events leading up to surgery and how to prepare for them.
- Find out what you need to have at home while your child recuperates.
- Understand and respond to any unforeseen complications.
- Become confident that you have maximized your child’s comfort and adjustment during the weeks surrounding surgery.

Available to buy from...
From Loving Healing Press

Guest Book Review by Devorah Bergman

I really enjoyed exploring this book.  As a teacher, sometimes students find out they are having surgery and are scared.  This book is a great resource to share with parents and to use when talking to a student who is about to undergo surgery.

I found it really interesting how the authors make the child a part of the conversation and remind parents not to have the initial conversation in front of their child.  So many parents give into those fears and discuss it on the car ride home, scaring a child.  A gentle reminder to have the conversation behind closed doors and to show the child a united front are key to reassuring a child.

From start to finish this book walks families through the procedure and I cannot wait to read more from these authors.

5 Stars

"A handy and valuable guide for parents who face the ultimate decision to have their child undergo a surgery, this book unravels the fear, answers the questions and makes it understandable and reassuring. It is much needed in the field and its joyful illustrations make it easy to follow and comprehend." -- Donna Geffner, Ph.D., Ed.D (Hon.), CCC-SP/A, Past president of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) 

"When reading the book, you feel as if Dr. Laurie is right in front of you and leading you through the whole process. This book provides a useful, simple and straight forward approach for parents and children to deal with the anxiety that precedes any surgery." -- Zev Ash, M.D., F.A.A.P. (pediatrician)

"As owners and directors of a nursery school and summer camp for the past 27 years, we are often asked how to prepare a child for a medical procedure. This book is an excellent roadmap for parents on preparing not only your child, but also yourself, for a scary and often intimidating experience." Adam & Amy Langbart, owners of /Merrick Woods Country Day School and Camp, Merrick, NY 

"The use of actual possible scripts to use with your child to help explain procedures and ease a child’s anxiety, well organized helpful to-do lists and timelines serve to make this a required read and practical guide for parents or any caregiver with a child about to undergo a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy." Steven H. Blaustein Ph.D, CCC, BCS-CL, Speech-Language Pathologist, Board Certified Specialist - Child Language 

"This book spells out in clear and concise language what parents need to know and how to prepare children for the surgery. Suggestions on how to talk to children in developmentally appropriate language will be especially helpful to parents. I enthusiastically recommend this book to parents of children facing this medical procedure." David A. Crenshaw, Ph.D., ABPP, Board Certified Clinical Psychologist, Author, Clinical Director of the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie


Fig. 2: Uvula as an acrobat – illustration for children Click on image for a larger view

More books by the author
Releasing April 2019!!
Dr. Zelinger's next book will be Please Explain "Time Out" To Me: A Story for Children and Do-It-Yourself Manual for Parents 

About the Author
Dr. Laurie Zelinger, Diplomate, is a Board Certified Psychologist with a specialty in School Psychology, and a Registered Play Therapist with forty years' experience. She is a licensed New York State psychologist who recently retired from a Long Island public school system and is now devoting her time exclusively to writing, consulting, and her busy private practice. Dr. Laurie's previous books include: "Please Explain Anxiety to Me: Simple Biology and Solutions for Children and Parents," The "O MY" in TonsillectOMY & AdenoidectOMY: How to Prepare Your Child for Surgery (in its second edition), A Smart Girl's Guide to Liking Herself Even on the Bad Days for American Girl, and a chapter on selective mutism in the compendium, School Based Play Therapy (second edition). She is also credited with being a consultant for the Bitty Baby book series by American Girl where she assisted in the development of the "For Parents" sections, as well as editorial development of another American Girl book. Dr. Laurie's interest in writing began in 4th grade, when a play she wrote was performed by students in her public school. Dr. Zelinger is a fellow and elected officer in the nationally based American Academy of School Psychology and spent four years on the Executive Board of the New York Association of Play Therapy. As a media referral specialist for the American Psychological Association, she has contributed to nearly 200 venues regarding child development. Dr. Laurie and her psychologist husband, Dr. Fred, are both certified Red Cross Disaster Mental Health volunteers. They have been happily married for over thirty-five years and have raised four children. You can learn more about Dr. Zelinger and her books at DrZelinger dot com. 

You can also follow the author here...
Website    Author on Facebook    Goodreads

Follow the Book Tour

018836-glossy-silver-icon-symbols-shapes-square-2
I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR'S GIVEAWAY !!
Win $25 Amazon.com Giftcard or Paypal Cash
(winners choice)
Ending on Sunday 24th February at 11.59pm EST
Open Worldwide

Enter Below & Good Luck !!
Are you a book reviewer or book blogger? Join our book tours reviewers team - Apply Here 
Current book tours open for sign ups HERE



Vincent Van Gogh - The Ambiguity of Insanity By Giuseppe Cafiero Book Blitz!


Vincent Van Gogh - The Ambiguity of Insanity
By Giuseppe Cafiero
Genre: Meta Literature       
Format: Audiobook
                    
My main interest in the life of Vincent Van Gogh is in his humanity. In attempting to understand the man and his art, I have focused on the women and the places which played an essential part in his development. In my opinion, no previous biography has concentrated so specifically on these two factors, which I have used to provide the framework for my account.  
The women are presented as women of flesh and blood, certainly, but also in the roles of spiritual guides (Mrs Jones), mother figures (Kee Voss, Sien Hornik, Margot Begemann), or subjects for portraits (Mme Roulin and Mme Ginoux). Places, too, played a decisive part in the development of his character and art. Isleworth, Amsterdam, the Borinange, Arles, St. Remy, Auvers-sur-Oise witnessed and influenced Vincent’s attempts to capture colours, atmosphere and the effects of light.
Anyone interested in the tormented life of this extraordinary man is therefore bound to be fascinated by this account, which also draws out a further vital factor: Vincent’s obsessive determination to become a painter. It is impossible to understand the man without investigating the nature of his obessions.
Obsession was the subtle, tragic malady which slowly but inexorably consumed the man: the obsessive determination to express himself in colour and symbol; an obsession with redemption (seen in his mission to the Belgian miners of the Borinage and his relationship with Sien), an obsession with friendship (the failure of his relationship with Gauguin), his obsession with a self-tormenting spirituality (the relationship with his pastor father), with brotherly love (his relationship with Theo, which touches on the morbid), with the sun of the southern France (Arles and Auvers), and with death itself.
Powerless to intervene, we witness the long and painful progress towards his final suicide, heralded by the longing for extinction once madness (undoubtedly desired and loved as a means to silence his anguish) had proved a grievous companion and certainly not the source of hoped-for peace.
The work consists of ten chapters, each featuring a place and a woman who played an important part in Vincent’s life.


About the Author
Giuseppe Cafiero lives in the Tuscan countryside, in Lucignano, in the province of Arezzo, Italy.
Born in Naples, he spent his childhood in several Italian cities. In Bologna he began to attend intellectual circles at Roberto Roversi ‘s renowned bookstore, “Palma Verde”.
It was in one of the magazines published by this cultural center, that the first part of “James Joyce – Rome and other stories” was first published.
He later worked for various radio producers, especially Radio Capodistria and the Italian Swiss Radio so he moved to Tuscany. Finally he was able to devote himself to reading and to pursue his literary work.
His main literary influence was Calvin, author of extraordinary literary intellectual subtlety and intelligence. Giuseppe Cafiero continuously reads Borges, another great sublime, inimitable author who also worshiped Joyce.
Giuseppe Cafiero has written renditions, free adaptations, reductions for the radio, translations from French. The spectrum of names is extensive, from Shakespeare to O’Neill, from Raspe to Daudet, from Toller to Brecht. He has written for thaetre and radio, collaborating also with the RAI, Radio Sveringes and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
But his strongest point is the “bio-fiction” as his book about Joyce in Rome, another published in 2008 about Vincent van Gogh, and one about Monsieur Gustave Flaubert in 2010. The three characters were revolutionary in their own field. Van Gogh, with his extraordinarily beautiful explosion of colors. Joyce, who broke with the literary realism of the 1800′s.
Due to his experience writing for radio, his books have a great handling of the language of his characters. This is the case of the program Giuseppe Cafiero wrote called ‘James Joyce in una notte in Valpurga’, in 1990, after which he ended the narrative fiction of Joyce’s stay in Rome in 1906 and 1907.
Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/Vincent-Van-Gogh-Ambiguity-Insanity/dp/B07M65GX3V

AddToAny

View My Stats!

View My Stats

Pageviews past week

SNIPPET_HTML_V2.TXT
Tweet