Hey Charlie, You're Next! by Michael Judkins + Giveaway + Author Interview

 

Join Us For This Tour From:  June 20 to July 1 

 
Book Details:

Book Title:  Hey Charlie, You're Next!  by Michael B. Judkins
Category: Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 30 pages
Genre: Children's Fiction, Children's Stories
Publisher: Oct14 Entertainment 
​Publication Date: August 2020
Content Rating: G: No bad language or explicit content  

 

Book Description:

Charlie finds himself in the midst of bullying on Basketball day at school and is unsure of how to speak up for himself. With a little bit of advice from his teacher and some hope, there is nothing that can tear him down.

​Hey Charlie, You're Next offers readers a compelling story about overcoming negativity and gaining self confidence. It is the first book in the Hey Charlie series by Michael Judkins. Stay tune for the next books!

BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon.com ~ Amazon UK
add to goodreads 

Author Interview:

Q. Which was the hardest character to write? 

A. Charlie. Some of the stories and experiences I'm pulling from myself. So, it tends to get emotional at times. 

Q. There are many books out there about...What makes yours different?

A. I'm aiming for inclusion with the understanding you have a voice to use for the betterment of all people. Through educating our strength we can build bridges that last lifetimes. 

Q. Favourite snack? 

A. Swedish fish and Mountain Trail mix 

Q. If you were stuck on a deserted island, which 3 books would you want with you? 

A. Harry Potter Goblet of Fire, Joel Osteen Believe, and Oprah. 

Q. If there is one thing you want readers to remember about you, what would it be?

A. Everything begins with a beginning, write the story, whatever it turns out to be, let it be. 

Meet the Author:

Michael B. Judkins, is a local creative residing in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. He holds an Associate in Science in Journalism, Bachelor of Science in Human Services, and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling with over 20 years in the field of Human Services.

Michael self-published his first poetry collection titled, “Introduction to Sentimental Me”. After the release of this collection, Michael was signed to Aois 21 Media publishing house which published his second poetry collection released title, “Interlude to Sentimental Me.” In addition, to the “I Stand- Podcast” and “Interlude to Sentimental Book Tour (Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C, Bethlehem Pa, and Allentown, PA) which also included a virtual book tour (blog sites).

During this time, Michael started his independent film career in 2016, as a script supervisor on a short film produced in the Lehigh Valley area of PA. This project opened the door for Michael in the local film industry in the Lehigh Valley. After this, Michael worked on several film projects throughout the next few years as production manager, production assistant, Key Grip, and Producer. Michael also has written, produced, and directed his first stage play titled, “Interlude to Sentimental Me Stage Play.”

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ youtube ~ goodreads

 

Tour Schedule:

June 20 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
June 21 – Library Lady's Kid Lit – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 21 - My Reading Getaway – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 22 – Sandra's Book Club – book spotlight
June 23 - Kam's Place – book spotlight / author interview
June 23 – Amy's Booket List – book spotlight / giveaway
June 23 - The Phantom Paragrapher – book spotlight / giveaway
June 24 – Hall Ways Blog – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 24 - Paws.Read.Repeat – book spotlight
June 27 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 28 – Book Zone Reviews – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 28 - Splashes of Joy – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 29 – Lisa's Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
June 29 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
June 30 – Character Madness and Musing – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 30 - Literary Flits – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
July 1 – Chit Chat with Charity – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway

 

Enter the Giveaway:

Win a $25 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of the author of HEY, CHARLIE, YOU’RE NEXT (1 winner) (USA only) (ends July 8)

HEY, CHARLIE, YOU'RE NEXT Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

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The Mourning Bird by Mubanga Kalimamukwento

The Mourning Bird by Mubanga Kalimamukwento

Published by Jacana Media on the 1st May 2019.

How I got this book:

Bought the ebook from Amazon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amazon UK / Amazon.com

The Book Depository / Waterstones

When eleven-year-old Chimuka and her younger brother Ali find themselves orphaned in the 1990s, it’s clear that their seemingly ordinary Zambian family is brimming with secrets: from HIV/AIDS to infidelity to suicide. Faced with the difficult choice of living with their abusive extended family or slithering into the dark underbelly of Lusaka’s streets, Chimuka and Ali escape and become street kids.

Against the backdrop of a failed military coup, election riots and a declining economy, Chimuka and Ali are raised by drugs, crime and police brutality. As a teenager, Chimuka is caught between prostitution and the remnants of the fragile stability from before her parents’ death. The Mourning Bird is not just Chimuka’s story, it’s a national portrait of Zambia in an era of strife. With lively and unflinching prose, Kalimamukwento paints a country’s burden, shame and silence that, when juxtaposed with Chimuka’s triumph, forms an empowering debut novel.

The Mourning Bird is such a sad novel about the disintegration of a family following its patriarch's early death. From being a promising student from a reasonably affluent household, eldest daughter Chimuka finds herself rapidly descending into poverty after her father's family scavenge everything they can from her home at the end of his funeral - leaving his wife and three children behind in empty rooms. As the story progresses, we discover that Chimuka's childhood perception of a happy home wasn't exactly its reality. I appreciated Kalimamukwento's portrayal of Chimuka's increasing emotional maturity from child to young woman. It's as if the worse her predicament became, the more she grew up, yet she still remained an irritatingly passive character for me. I understand that, realistically, children and young women in her situation wouldn't have had a lot in the way of choices and personal autonomy, but I so wanted her to at least try to change things rather than always letting someone else take the lead.

Kalimamukwento manages to incorporate a range of interconnected social issues into The Mourning Bird, impressively without ever making it feel as though she is hectoring her readers about them. The terrible effects of Zambia's AIDS epidemic are at the root of Chimuka's orphaning, with glue, drugs and prostitution becoming almost inevitable as she slides down the social scale. Kalimamukwento's sympathetic understanding comes across very well so I was always rooting for Chimuka to find some inspiration to turn her life around before it really was too late for her. 

The beautiful prose throughout The Mourning Bird made this novel a pleasure to read, even while its subject matter is so dark and distressing. It is a strong coming of age tale which has a lot to say about the people, especially the children, left behind at this turbulent time in Zambia's history.

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A Postcard for Annie by Ida Jessen

A Postcard for Annie by Ida Jessen

First published in Danish in Denmark in 2013. English language translation by Martin Aitken published by Archipelago Press on the 28th June 2022.

How I got this book:

Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amazon UK / Amazon.com

The Book Depository / Waterstones

Writing with the same narrative generosity, the same belief in the dignity and voice of her characters as Marilynne Robinson, this prize-winning collection of stories follows the inner lives of several women on the brink, or the sidelines, of catastrophe.

From the winner of the Lifetime Award from the Danish Arts Foundation and the 2017 Critics’ Choice Award, Ida Jessen’s A Postcard for Annie traces the tangled emotional lives of women facing moral dilemmas.

A young woman witnesses a terrible accident with unexpected consequences, a mother sits with her unconscious son in a hospital room, a pair of sisters remember their mother’s hands braiding their hair.

 

In seaside tourist villages and in snowy cities, turbulence destabilizes composed lives, whether through outright violence between strangers or habitual domination between loved ones.

 

Jessen fills each story with bracing passages that splash with the living world, only to become concentrated in the unfixed, vacillating matter of a human psyche caught between silence and speech, paralysis and action.

This collection of six elegant short stories is an interesting book to linger over and ponder. The tales take place in beautifully portrayed Danish locations, often at chilly times of the year, and I loved losing myself in the atmospheres that Ida Jessen evokes. While her prose is concise as, obviously, there isn't space for waffling in a short story, each word warrants its inclusion and has its place. Praise must also be given to Martin Aitken for the sensitive translation which flows effortlessly and still feels recognisably Danish.

Jessen's six stories have a strong originality and, while I found some more memorable than others, each one completely captured my attention at the time of reading it. The women are so real and I appreciated that older women are given space here too. The eponymous story, A Postcard For Annie, a tale of memory, is one of my favourites and I was also particularly taken with An Excursion where a woman whose marriage has begun to grate contemplates a change. Mother And Son is superb mystery which questions the strength of maternal love.

I highly recommend this collection for fans of thoughtful short stories and introverted tales as well as readers of atmospheric Nordic fiction.

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Unconditional: A Love Story by Shon + Giveaway + Excerpt

Unconditional: A Love Story
Shon
Publication date: May 10th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Charli is everything Damian ever wanted.

Captivated from the moment they met, he allowed her to set the tone for their summer fling.

But when the summer was over and he wanted more, he soon found out that maybe his feelings were one-sided.

That was two years ago and he’s still stuck on Charli. He needs to move on.

A lot has changed since they last saw each other, but Damian can’t shake the what-ifs. And the moment they cross paths again he knows his heart still belongs to the elusive woman who stole it the first time he laid eyes on her.

Who’s to say they won’t get it right this time around?

Goodreads / Amazon / Amazon UK

—

EXCERPT:

prologue.
summer2019

“We need to talk.”

Well, shit. That’s not good, Charli thought to herself as she continued pulling on her shorts.

She couldn’t decide if it was worse to hear those four fateful words from a boyfriend or a fuck buddy.

I guess I’m about to find out, was her wry thought as she finished zipping up the distressed jean shorts that barely covered her ass. With her eyes darting around the room to avoid eye contact with the man who claimed they needed to talk, she located one of her gold hoops on the rug.

Following her avoidant eyes, the other occupant of the room bent to pick it up before she had the chance.

“Thanks,” Charli spoke lowly as their fingers brushed during the exchange.

The warmth of his fingers led to a sharp inhale that she couldn’t even hide.

“Did you hear me?” the beautiful man in front of her wanted to know. “I said we need to talk,” he reiterated. Just in case.

But she’d heard him loud and clear the first time.

Sighing, Charli took a step back and shoved the earring into her pocket instead of trying to put it on right now.

“I heard you,” she said, trying to veil the worry in her voice.

What could Damian possibly want to talk about? And why couldn’t his timing be better? They’d just finished…making each other very happy. His scent still surrounded her and captivated her senses.

But now, the knots in her stomach quickly pushed her to forget the pleasure she’d just experienced.

“What do we need to talk about?” she finally asked meeting his green eyes. They were usually enchanting and full of lust when they were together, but now he looked…panicked?

No, it couldn’t be. Not cool, calm Damian.

Unless…

Had he found a girlfriend? Was he about to end their arrangement and politely tell her to get on with her life?

The thought wasn’t a pleasant one, but Charli couldn’t really blame him.

As an Ivy League dropout and ex-socialite, she didn’t really feel like she had much to offer aside from a good time.

She winced inwardly and vowed to deal with the origins of that problematic thought later. Much later. Not now when she was standing face to face with the man she’d been trading orgasms with all summer.

Damian regarded her from his towering height of six-two and even though she was five-eight she felt miniscule under his unwavering gaze.

“It’s about us,” he revealed, “I need to talk to you about what we’re doing.”

Charli gulped but didn’t break eye contact. She could do this. She could have a civilized, adult conversation with someone she shared every inch of her body with on an almost daily basis at this point.

“What about us? I like what we’re doing.” Charli pushed her hair away from her face. She hated the sensation of stray strands tickling her cheeks.

Damian exhaled sharply and gave a faint nod. “Yea, I did too. Until recently.”

Ouch.

Charli straightened her shoulders and prepared for the next words, somehow knowing they would pack a devastating blow.

But nothing could have prepared her for what he said next.

Author Bio:

Shon is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She used her degree in English Literature for eight years to teach English all around the world. She has recently returned home to the States and now she spends all her time reading or writing down her wildest daydreams.

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House Boy by Lorenzo DeStefano

House Boy by Lorenzo DeStefano

Published by Atmosphere Press on the 5th June 2022.

How I got this book:

Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amazon UK / Amazon.com

The Book Depository / Waterstones

An urban thriller with socio-political and racial overtones, HOUSE BOY by Lorenzo DeStefano is a fact-based tale that inhabits a shadowland where ancient traditions take root and prosper in our so-called modern world. In the polite suburb of Hendon, North London, in an undistinguished house at 321 Finchley Lane, the lives of a young man, Vijay Pallan, and a wealthy divorcee, Bindsa Tagorstani, intersect as if decreed by history. House Boy exposes readers to the harsh realities of human trafficking, the boundless capacity for human pain, and the ultimate blessing of even one man’s survival.

House Boy is a grimly real thriller exploring the tragedy of human trafficking through the tragic experiences of a young Indian man, Vijay, who, persuaded that there are great opportunities for him to come and work in England, instead finds himself forced into domestic slavery. I was strongly reminded of Mende Nazer's powerful memoir, Slave, and a note at the conclusion of House Boy acknowledging the man whose actual life inspired this novel reminded me that slavery is sadly still far from being a thing of the past.

DeStefano's detailed prose does make House Boy a difficult novel to read emotionally as readers bear witness to the appalling way in which Vijay is treated by his 'owner' and her son. I did wonder, at times, whether we did quite so many sickeningly intense scenes following on from each other, reinforcing the images we already had. I was particularly intrigued by the reactions of the few visitors to the house, all of whom were only too aware what was going on yet either would not risk their own relationships with Bindsa to intervene or did not seem to see anything wrong in the way she abused her house boy.

I think that House Boy is an important novel for raising awareness of a human tragedy that is all too often kept out of sight, its victims often also unfairly blamed for the predicament in which they find themselves. I'm not sure I would class it as a thriller myself, although its later courtroom scenes could appeal to crime fiction readers and the social commentary makes this quite different to other London novels I have read.

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Her Dark Reflection by Hailey Jade + Giveaway + Excerpt

Her Dark Reflection
Hailey Jade
Publication date: June 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

“They called me the Whore Queen. Some even called me the Evil Queen. But they could call me whatever they wanted. I was still queen.”

Rhiandra Tiercelin hungers for power and her charm has always been her sharpest weapon in hunting it. So when a brutal attack leaves her physically scarred, desperation drives her to make a deal with Draven, a magic-wielding stranger who is inexplicably compelling and definitely dangerous. She knows she can’t trust him, but he when he offers to make her a queen, the temptation is too enticing to resist.

Armed with a glamoured face and an enchanted apple, Rhiandra is determined to scheme her way into a crown, even if it means risking the deadly punishment for unsanctioned magic use. But Draven is playing a bigger game, and she is just one piece on the board.

Can she keep her wits about her long enough to uncover his secrets, or will he lure her down a path she will come to regret?

Her Dark Reflection is the first book in a new dark romantic fantasy series perfect for fans of Raven Kennedy, Jennifer Armentrout and Sarah A. Parker. If you like cunning, ambitious heroines, morally ambiguous men and romance that toes the line between love and hate, then you’ll love Hailey Jade’s dark reimagining of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Goodreads / Amazon.com / Amazon UK

—

EXCERPT:

‘After today, you’ll be living in the palace,’ he said, eating up that sensible distance I had just erected with a few steps. ‘Are you ready?’

I turned to him, looking up at him from under my lashes. By the time he had knocked on my door an hour earlier, his arms full of boxes of clothes, I had long since made up my mind to seduce him. I had flushed as I’d pulled on the clocked stockings and white chemise that I sported beneath the gown I now wore, wondering if he’d imagined what I would look like in them.

I traded in desire, but usually not my own. I had felt it before, of course, but this was disconcertingly intense. I felt like there was too much blood in my body, keeping my skin perpetually flushed and sensitive. It was inconvenient, especially since everything about him suggested that I needed to be on my guard. Fortunately, the solution to lust was usually a tumble between the sheets, and once my curiosity was sated, the desire went with it. I would have him, and then my head would clear.

He held my gaze and leaned forwards a little. I tilted my head, my breath coming faster. The smell of him was heady, rattling my senses like a stiff drink.

Then, he smirked. ‘Get your head on straight. Enchantment or no, you’re about to enter a den of vipers. Your wits need to be sharp.’

I let out my breath in a huff, flushing scarlet as I stormed away from him, heading straight for the door, mentally chastising myself as I did. Stupid little idiot. I wasn’t some maiden, to be played by a cunning knave.

‘Rhiandra,’ he called as I placed my hand on the doorknob, and I looked back at him, schooling my expression into one of blasé detachment.

‘Yes?’

‘Have you forgotten something?’ He gestured at the mirror over the fireplace and I scowled at it for a few moments, hating it, before slowly walking over to it. I gritted my teeth and braced myself as I stepped before the glass.

The beautiful girl in the small mirror on the dressing table was not the one that greeted me now. Staring back at me was my ruined face, the one that haunted my nightmares. All I wanted to do was get away from the sight, to run from this heinous reminder of what had happened to me, but I stood waiting. The feeling of phantom fingers brushed over me, over my scars, and my skin went strangely numb, then flushed ice cold. As soon as the sensation of cold had faded, I backed away from the fireplace, glancing at the regular mirror on the dressing table to make sure I was still whole and gleaming there. It seemed a particular kind of cruelty that the enchantment now woven into my mother’s mirror revealed my true face even as it hid it. I would be forced to look on my scars whenever I refreshed the glamour, and I wondered whether it was an intentional cruelty.

‘You can’t forget while you’re in the palace.’ Draven was still, his gaze sharp as he watched me.  ‘Don’t wait until your time is almost up before you refresh the glamour.’

‘My, how lucky I am to have your sage wisdom supplementing my poor feminine brain,’ I snapped, my lip curled with sarcasm, begging for a rise, but he remained as impassive as a stone wall. ‘What happens if I meet a druthi? Won’t they see the glamour?’

‘You’ve nothing to fear from druthi. You could crack one over the head with your mirror and he wouldn’t understand what it is. A bunch of incompetent parasites.’ There was something in the way he said this, a simmering anger that drew my attention.

‘How can you be sure?’ I said. ‘They burn people every month for unsanctioned magic use. If they catch me—’

‘They won’t.’ He sounded irritated now. ‘Trust me, Rhiandra.’

‘I don’t trust you.’

He tilted his head and offered a vicious smile. ‘And yet, here you are.’

I sighed with frustration and turned for the door again. He was taking up too much space in this too-small room and I was ready to be out of it.

Author Bio:

Hailey Jade is an Australian who has the audacity to think she might be able to hack it as a writer. Whether this is true or not, she is hoping giving it a red hot go will make the characters who live in her head pipe down long enough for her to get some sleep. She likes creating complicated antiheros, pairing them with heroines who wont be pushed around by any man, sex appeal be damned, and planting them both in worlds touched with magic.

Website / Goodreads / Newsletter / Instagram

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Win a $25 Amazon gift card. Open intl until the 30th June.

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Just Enough: Lessons from Japan for Sustainable Living, Architecture, and Design by Azby Brown

Just Enough: Lessons from Japan for Sustainable Living, Architecture, and Design by Azby Brown

First published by Kodansha America, Inc in February 2010. Revised third edition published by Stone Bridge Press on the 28th June 2022.

How I got this book:

Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amazon UK / Amazon.com

The Book Depository / Waterstones

If we want to live sustainably, how should we feel about nature? About waste? About our forests and rivers? About food? Just Enough is a book of stories and sketches that give valuable insight into what it is like to live in a sustainable society by describing life in Japan some two hundred years ago, during the late Edo period, when cities and villages faced many of the same environmental challenges we do today and met them beautifully and inventively.

Just Enough by Azby Brown is an amazing book which, by discussing how people lived in Edo, the city which would become Tokyo, and its environs in the 1700s and 1800s, gives us a blueprint for making our own 21st century towns and cities truly sustainable. Edo was probably the biggest city in the world at the height of the Edo period and it was far more advanced in a number of ways than its European counterparts, mainly due to the Japanese people having different priorities. A large population living in an isolated nation needed to become self-sufficient in everything they needed and Just Enough brilliantly demonstrates how they did so.

Azby Brown explores many aspects of Edo life from minimalist fuel usage to sympathetic architectural design, circular manufacturing systems which prioritised reuse and repair, how eschewing animal agriculture left all the farming land for human food production, and the amazing 'nightsoil' system which kept Edo's water and sewage networks completely separate resulting in a healthier city (and absolutely no sewage emptied into their streams and rivers - an alien concept in today's dirty Britain!) I love the copious hand-drawn illustrations which made even complex concepts - like airflow through buildings or the practicalities of wooden water piping - easy for me understand. Brown's approach of imagining us walking into Edo, meeting its people and visiting their homes, is an inspired device. I felt it allowed me to relate to Just Enough on an emotional level, as though I were reading historical fiction, even though this is a deeply researched history.

The strongest lesson I think I came away from Just Enough with is how attitude is everything when it comes to truly sustainable living. We can't even approach genuine sustainability at our current Western levels of consumption and our ideas about what we 'need', as opposed to what we just 'want', must be radically overhauled. I was shocked to realise that Just Enough is already onto its third edition and I had never even heard of this book before. It brings together threads of ideas that I had gleaned from other reading and presents its concepts so clearly that I found it an inspirational read. If we are to have any kind of future as a species on this planet, I would suggest Just Enough is essential reading!

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Shadows In The Aftermath by Marianne Scott + Giveaway

Book Details:

​Book Title:  Shadows in the Aftermath by Marianne Scott
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+),  330 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher:  Friesen Press
Release date:  June 2022
Content Rating:  PG-13 +M. Occasional Profanity

 

Book Description:

Ruby Draker has found new strength and is ready to move on after Felix Szabo devastated the Draker estate in Nice, France. Three Drakers are dead leaving Ruby in grief and with thoughts of revenge. The Drakers are a family built of survivors; each rescued from Felix Szabo, a psychopath, who sought to murder his former agents at the CIA whom he believed betrayed him. The Drakers’ sole mission is to stop Szabo from adding more victims to his list, and although he also perished during the invasion, his legacy continues to haunt them. When the Drakers learn that Robert Draker, presumed dead since the shoot-out at Robert’s farmhouse, may be alive and at a rehab clinic in Portland, Maine, the Drakers know it could be a setup, but they have no choice but to try to find him and bring Robert home.

​Shocked that Robert may be alive, the family head from France to America to find him. It’s only when they arrive in the west that they realize finding Robert won’t be as easy as they thought. Szabo has found a way to terrorize the Draker family, even after death. His outstanding debt with a Corsican crime family means the Drakers must now find and deliver a shipment of plutonium, which will likely be used by terrorists to create a nuclear bomb, to get Robert back. As Ruby struggles with the decision to save her brother or North America, she must also evade the CIA, who are trying to stop the Drakers from delivering the plutonium.

 

BUY THE BOOK:
Friesen Press Bookstore
Amazon UK ~ Amazon.com

The Book Depository

 

Shadows In The Aftermath is the sequel to Finding Ruby Draker, a thriller series about a jetsetting group who, having each lost their own families, seek to redraw familial bonds with each other. Shadows In The Aftermath's timescale starts about half a year after Finding Ruby Draker's exciting climax and, while I think it would probably be best to read the two novels in the correct order, the sequel's early chapters do include a lot of detailed recaps so sense could be made of the overarching storylines that flow through both books. The Draker family is in mourning for two of the members they lost, Rosalind and Rose, although strangely an empty chair isn't being kept for Robert - almost as if they subconsciously know he might not be as dead as they had assumed!

For me, Shadows In The Aftermath didn't have such a strong narrative drive as its predecessor. It is still a diverting read, but I felt the pace was slowed by too many hotel and meal diversions. There's a lot of characters traipsing around together too so, other than Ruby herself, who is our narrator, and young Roscoe, I didn't get such a strong sense of individual personalities in the dialogues or action sequences. Ruby's cerebral connection with Rosalind was a nice touch though and I appreciated seeing how Ruby understood her personal growth from her former suburban life as Kathleen. The idea of a made-up family potentially being as strong as a blood family is an interesting idea to explore, particularly within the thriller genre where emotional ties aren't generally put to the forefront of the stories. Ultimately, Shadows In The Aftermath provides a satisfying sense of closure to Finding Ruby Draker.

Meet the Author:
Marianne Scott is the Canadian author of four mystery thrillers and is currently finishing an edit on her fourth novel, a murder mystery. She has a BA and a Diploma in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, CA. She studied creative writing through Conestoga College and Humber College. She enjoys writing workshops such as those offered by Brian Henry, publisher of the blog, Quick Brown Fox, and One Lit Place, a writers’ hub by creator/editor Jenna Kalinsky. She has an author’s website and blog is the president of The Cambridge Writers’ Collective and is a member of the Guelph Genre Writers. In September of 2018, she completed a fourth-year course in Writing Fiction at the University of Guelph under the expert teaching of Lawrence Hill. Her novels, Finding Ruby Draker and Shadows in the Aftermath are self-published. She is actively seeking representation to break into the traditional publishing world with her third and fourth novels.  

connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ twitter ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ 

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Tour Schedule:

June 6 – Mystery Review Crew – book spotlight of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / author interview / giveaway
June 6 - Rockin' Book Reviews – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / guest post / giveaway
June 7 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book series spotlight / giveaway
June 7 - She Just Loves Books – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 8 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / guest post / giveaway
June 8 - @booking.with.janelle – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER
June 9 – Celticlady's Reviews – book series spotlight / giveaway
June 9 - Kam's Place – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER
June 10 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 13 – My Fictional Oasis – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 14 – Literary Flits – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 14 - Amy's Booket List – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 15 – Novels Alive – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER
June 15 – Novels Alive – book series spotlight / giveaway
June 16 – Bigreadersite – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 16 - The Momma Spot – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 17 – Novels Alive – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH
June 20 - Kam's Place – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH
June 21 – Mystery Review Crew – book spotlight of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / guest post / giveaway
June 21 – fundinmental – book series spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 22 – Literary Flits – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / giveaway
June 22- Amy's Booket List – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / giveaway
June 23 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 23 – My Fictional Oasis – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / giveaway
June 24 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / giveaway
June 24 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / giveaway
June 27 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / author interview / giveaway
June 28 –The Page Ladies – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH
June 28 - She Just Loves Books – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / giveaway
June 29 - @booking.with.janelle – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH
June 30 – StoreyBook Reviews – book review of FINDING RUBY DRAKER / giveaway
June 30 - The Momma Spot – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / giveaway
July 1 – Bigreadersite – book review of SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH / giveaway
July 1 - Books for Books - Book Series Spotlight

 

Enter the Giveaway:

Win paperback copies of both FINDING RUBY DRAKER and SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH (4 winners) (USA only) (ends July 8) 

FINDING RUBY DRAKER/SHADOWS IN THE AFTERMATH Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

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	Donuts Coffee Mug Set by Chantelle Allen Art Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Books by Marianne Scott / Thrillers / Books from Canada

Dr. Marsha and the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians by Dr. Rachel Wellner + Giveaway

Join Us for this Tour:  June 6 to June 24

Book Details:

Book Title:  Doctoroo and the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians by
Rachel B. Wellner
Category:  Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7), 44 pages
Genre: Children's Book
Publisher: Wellner Media
Release Date: March 2022
Formats Available for Review: print- Softback (USA only), e-book (Gifted KINDLE, EPUB, PDF)
Tour dates: June 6 to June 24
Content Rating:  G - (No bad language, story suitable for children ages 3-7.)

 

Book Description:

Doctoroo (also known as Dr. Marsha Roo) and her team―Kirby Koala, Louie Llama, and Terence Toad― may live in Australia, but they travel all over the world solving medical mysteries. In Doctoroo & the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians, they fly to The Big Island of Hawaii, where red, hot and very itchy hula dancers are in danger of missing their Big Dance Festival. Will they have to skip the Festival, or will Doctoroo help them in time?

Buy the Book
Amazon.com / Amazon UK

 

Meet the Author:

Dr. Rachel Wellner MD, MPH, FACS, BACS, is a novelist, comedian, and breast cancer doctor dedicated to making the world a better place for her readers, audience, and patients.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

 

 

 

Tour Schedule:
 

June 6 – Rockin' Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
June 6 - Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
June 7 – Character Madness and Musings – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 7 - Kam's Place – book review
June 8 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / giveaway
June 9 – icefairy's Treasure Chest – book review / giveaway
June 10 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
June 10 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
June 10 - Gina Rae Mitchell - book review / guest post / giveaway
June 14 – Sandra's Book Club – book review / giveaway
June 15 – Library Lady's Kid Lit – book review / guest post / giveaway
June 16 – Because I said so -- and other adventures in Parenting – book review / guest post / giveaway
June 17 – Writer with Wanderlust – book review / giveaway
June 20 –Reading is My Passion – book review / giveaway
June 21 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway
June 22 – My Reading Getaway – book review / author interview / giveaway
June 23 – The Phantom Paragrapher – book review / giveaway
June 24 – Faith And Books – book review / author interview / giveaway
June 24 - Lisa's Reading – book review / giveaway  

 

Enter the Giveaway:

Win a $50 Sephora Gift Card courtesy of the author of Doctoroo & the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians (one winner) (USA only) (ends July 1)

Doctoroo & the Case of the Red-Hot Hawaiians Book Tour Giveaway

 

 

Click here to see all my current 

Giveaways & Free Books!

Bookishly Inspired Find!
	Hawaiian Dance Skirt by Ninth Isle Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Books by Dr Rachel Wellner / Children's books / Books from America

The Starburst Effect by Kelly Oram + Giveaway + Excerpt

The Starburst Effect
Kelly Oram
Publication date: June 20th 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Lily Rosemont lives next door to the biggest jerk in high school. Noah Trask has bullied Lily for years, and now he’s ruined her senior year by making her a target and turning the whole school against her. On top of that, her parents are getting divorced, and her world is falling apart around her.

After an accident on the football field leaves Noah with a traumatic brain injury, shattering his life as he knew it and leaving him with a whole heap of new disabilities, he’s no longer at the top of the high school food chain. In fact, he’s right down at the bottom with Lily.

In a cruel twist of fate, if Noah wants to graduate high school on time, he needs Lily’s help to complete a project—a book he wants to write about his experience. Lily’s not sure she can put aside her anger and hate for the boy who destroyed her senior year, but she desperately needs this project to get a scholarship to college.

It doesn’t take long for Lily to realize that the Noah who got injured is not the same Noah who survived the accident. He’s different. Way different. Slowly, Lily softens to this new Noah, but can she find it in her heart to forgive him? Can the two most unlikely people find friendship in adversity and help each other pick up the pieces of their broken lives?

Goodreads / Amazon.com / Amazon UK

—

EXCERPT:

Authors Note: Noah suffers from a Traumatic Brain Injury which affects a lot of his speech abilities. He often mixes up words or can’t get them out correctly. If you see a wrong word in his dialogue, it’s not a typo, I promise. You’ll have to read the book to see how it all comes together!

Noah falls to his bed, lies back, and puts his hands behind his head, looking up at the faded glow-in-the-dark stars that have probably been on his ceiling since he was a little boy. “I like music,” he admits. “Can’t really follow lyrics anymore, but…” He struggles for a moment, then sighs.

“But you can still enjoy the music?” I guess.

“Yeah.”

There’s a hint of melancholy in his voice that makes me sad. How many things in his life have been affected, or even taken from him, because of his injury? His inability to follow a fast conversation or stay focused for long periods of time must make him miss out on so much.

Wanting to take his mind off of whatever’s got him down, I cross the room and push his arm, forcing him to make room for me on the bed. He scoots over, and it feels natural to lie down beside him as if we’re just two friends hanging out for the millionth time. “What else do you do?” I ask, staring up at the stars with him. “What are your hobbies now, besides listening to awesome music?”

He opens his mouth, then shuts it again. His brow furrows. Whatever he wants to say, he can’t come up with the answer. “I can’t remember the name,” he says with a grunt of frustration.

He leans up and reaches over me to grab a TV remote off his nightstand. My breath catches. I don’t think he meant to practically lay on top of me, but my body seems to come alive from his nearness. And have I mentioned before how good he smells? I need to find out what cologne he uses and then spray my pillow with it or something.

Oblivious to the chaos he’s just put my body through, he sits back, placing his pillow up against the headboard. I sit up with him, attempting to get my heart rate back to normal, while he finds whatever it is he’s looking for. Once the TV and a Netflix menu comes up, things seem to click back in place for Noah. “There it is.” He finds what he’s looking for in his Continue Watching list.

I grin at the show he pulls up. “You watch Bob Ross?”

He acts offended by the teasing tone in my voice. “Bob Rock is cool.”

I hold my hands up. “I don’t disagree. I just didn’t figure you for the type.”

He shrugs. “I like art. Plus, he talks slow enough, and it’s not over…over…”

“Overstimulating?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t hurt my head.”

It makes sense. Bob Ross is very slow and soothing. I’m sure it’s one of the few shows he can follow fairly well. He clicks on an episode and leaves the show on mute. For a minute, we watch Bob Ross paint the beginnings of a mountain landscape while The Mad Hatters jam out softly in the room. It’s nice. “You ever painted along with him?” I ask, pointing at the screen. “I’ve always wanted to try it. I bet you could follow along. Or at least you could pause and rewind as much as you needed.”

His eyebrows climb his forehead. He watches the screen, and after a few seconds, nods his head. “Maybe.”

“Could be fun.”

He perks up the tiniest bit, and there’s a touch of excitement in his voice when he says, “Let’s tire it. My mom will get us the…the…” He mimes painting. “She always wants me to try new things.”

“Sounds good. You, me, and Bob Ross.”

Noah nudges my shoulder with his. “Next weekend. It’s a date.”

I smile to myself. Painting with Noah sounds fun. I could play it off as a “friends” thing, but something stops me. Taking a breath, I force myself to take a chance on something that might be strange but could also be amazing. “It’s a date,” I agree.

Author Bio:

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!

Win a signed copy of Cinder & Ella plus swag (postcard, magnet, keychain and bookmark). Open to the USA only until the 30th June.

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	Handmade Watercolour  Paints Set by Galaxy Colours Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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