Monday, October 31, 2016

Book Blast: Dowsing and Ley Lines by Gerald Chatfield

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Inside the Book:

dowsing-and-ley-lines
Title: Dowing and Ley Lines 
Author: Gerald Chatfield 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Reference 
Format: Ebook

This book contains information on dowsing for beginners and advanced alike. It provides information on how to find and follow more than five hundred ley marks across the south of the British Isles. It also contains unique insight on how shadow ley lines are connected to time as we measure it in minutes and hours. Also answers as to why the legendary figure of the Long Man of Wilmington is positioned where he is on the South Downs. There is also information on both Woodhenge and Stonehenge.

Giveaway

Gerald is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins October 24 and ends on November 4.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on November 5.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Feature: Nearest and Dearest by Caroline Jolly



 

Inside the Book:


Title: Nearest and Dearest 
Author: Caroline Jolly 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Humorous 
Format: Ebook

Effie McIver has been living quietly on her own since the break up of her marriage to Jack who left her for her best friend. A visit to the doctor leaves her feeling restless and she experiences further disturbance during a visit to her daughter's house. These events lead her to conclude that something must be done to change her life. With the help of her friend Susie she decides to venture into the uncertain world of dating. Here she encounters a variety of people and situations, hilarious or humiliating, in her search for a new partner. The search takes place against the backdrop of her increasingly complex relationship to her daughter Cathy and her family. Meanwhile, on the dating front, she meets Oliver, a widower and a 'no hoper' who through persistence and a degree of change enters Effie's social life. A cluster of circumstances precipitate her into a shocking crisis within the family which slowly evolves, with the help of friend Susie and the keeping of a diary, towards a resolution. The mood of the story is essentially light, compassionate and humorous, as Effie explores her strengths and obvious weaknesses both as an older woman negotiating the choppy waters of dating and also as a parent managing her relationship to grown up children.

Meet the Author:
Caroline Jolly was brought up in Scotland, studied in London and East Africa, and works as a psychotherapist in private practice in London where she now lives.  

Giveaway

Caroline is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins October 24  and ends on November 4.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on November 5.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

October 24
October 25
October 26
October 27
October 28
October 31
November 1
November 2
November 3
November 4

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Book Blast: Spaces Between Notes by Kristina M. Sanchez



Inside the Book


Title: Spaces Between Notes 
Author: Kristina M. Sanchez 
Publisher: Amazon 
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Nikolai Amorosa is one of those men’s men. You know the type—allergic to feelings, couldn’t have a heartfelt discussion if he tried, which he never did. Then, he lost his voice, and any chance of communication went out the window.

Unable to speak or otherwise interact with anyone, Niko’s anger was off the charts. It could’ve been worse; he could’ve been in jail. Instead, he found himself doing construction on Carys Harper’s house. Carys talked—a lot—both with her voice and her hands. She was also at the beck and call of her deaf little brother, Benny, which drove Niko nine kinds of crazy. Not that he would’ve said anything, even if he could.

Something else that drove him crazy? Carys was stubborn. She wouldn’t let him wallow. More than that, she seemed to hear all the things he couldn’t say. She understood him like she understood music. She heard what existed in the spaces between notes. She knew that sometimes silence screams the loudest.
buying-links

Amazon

Meet the Author


Kristina Sanchez is a lifelong insomniac whose creative career began when she used to make up stories about Bugs Bunny in her head while the rest of the house slept. She’s a Southern California native who can frequently be found at Disneyland because it’s easier to park there than go to the beach, sadly. Although writing is her first passion and only love, she finds fulfillment working in social services with the county of Orange. Currently, Kristina is the mother of a grumpy old man-cat named Mutt and a strange flight risk named Sirus Blackcat, who is, indeed, a black cat.

You can find Kristina easily enough on most social media platforms, where she will share her viewpoint on all the taboo subjects: religion, politics, and Supernatural, with the odd cat video thrown in for flavor. Prolific. Opinionated. Nerdy as all get out. Have fun, because you can bet she will.
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WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

_______________________

Participants

In the Spotlight: Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson by William Hazelgrove



We're pleased to bring you William Hazelgrove and his new book, MADAM PRESIDENT: THE SECRET PRESIDENCY OF EDITH WILSON!  Please leave a comment to let him know you stopped by!




Title: Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson
Author: William Hazelgrove
Publisher: Regnery
Pages: 352
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction

After President Woodrow Wilson suffered a paralyzing stroke in the fall of 1919, his wife, First Lady Edith Wilson, began to handle the day-to-day responsibilities of the Executive Office. Mrs. Wilson had had little formal education and had only been married to President Wilson for four years; yet, in the tenuous peace following the end of World War I, Mrs. Wilson dedicated herself to managing the office of the President, reading all correspondence intended for her bedridden husband. Though her Oval Office authority was acknowledged in Washington, D.C. circles at the time--one senator called her "the Presidentress who had fulfilled the dream of suffragettes by changing her title from First Lady to Acting First Man"--her legacy as "First Woman President" is now largely forgotten.

William Hazelgrove's Madam President is a vivid, engaging portrait of the woman who became the acting President of the
United States in 1919, months before women officially won the right to vote. Movie Rights Optioned by Storyline Entertainment.

For More Information

  • Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson is available at Amazon.
  • Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:
She was from the South and had two years of formal schooling and wrote like a child.  She married a quiet man from Washington and her baby died after three months. Her husband then died and left her with a failing jewelry company that was severely in debt. She turned the company around while taking almost no salary. She bought an electric car and was issued the first driver’s license given to a woman in the District of Columbia.  She married a President who had been recently widowed. In four years, the President would have a severe stroke, and leave her to run the Unites States Government and negotiate the end of World War I.
 She was our First Woman President.
About the Author

William Elliott Hazelgrove is the best-selling author of thirteen novels, Ripples, Tobacco Sticks, Mica Highways, Rocket Man, The Pitcher, Real Santa, Jackpine and The Pitcher 2. His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly and Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway's birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications. He has been the subject of interviews in NPR's All Things Considered along with features in The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, USA Today, People, Channel 11, NBC, WBEZ, WGN. The Pitcher is a Junior Library Guild Selection and was chosen Book of the Year by Books and Authors. net. His next book Jackpine will be out Spring 2014 with Koehler Books. A follow up novel Real Santa will be out fall of 2014. Madam President The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson will be out Fall 2016. Storyline optioned the movie rights. Forging a President How the West Created Teddy Roosevelt will be out May 2017.

He runs a political cultural blog, The View From Hemingway's Attic.

For More Information

Monday, October 24, 2016

Interview with Ember Raine Winters, author of BORN TO RESIST



Ember Raine Winters is a single mother of 2. Living in Bakersfield California. She has an Associate’s Degree in Political Science and Philosophy from the Local Junior College and she loves to read. Anything she can get her hands on, but mostly Science Fiction and Fantasy. She self-published her first book in March and hopes to publish many more in the future.


About the Book:

“I never thought one moment could change my life forever. In an instant life as I knew it was over. My new life was the stuff of legends. I just hoped I was strong enough to survive it.” 
A series of what were called The Immigration Wars changed the way of life for the former United States. It was thrown into chaos and a dictator came into power. 
On the eve of Alexa's sixteenth birthday her world changes forever. Her father is arrested for treason and she finds out her mother is really alive. She and her best friend Jacob must travel across country to meet her so they can free her father from the tyrannical leader of the government. Everything is not as it seems in the resistance and secrets and lies will be revealed along the way. 
They must rely on each other and their new friends to be successful. But, trust isn't easily given in the resistance and Alexa must find a way to save her father and keep her friends safe while on the run from both the government and the resistance. 

Pick up your copy at

Thanks for this interview, Ember. Can we begin by having you tell us about yourself from a writer’s standpoint?
            I self-published Born To Resist last March.  The second in the series is set to release on Kindle on October 25th. They are both dystopian novels set in a near future where political policies caused the US to fall to a dictator. I like to write about things that mean something, whether it’s political or something else that is close to my heart. I like to put my own feelings and values into my work. I think it makes for better writing.

When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?
            I love to read! Mainly Science Fiction and Fantasy, but recently I have gotten into Romance. I love a good romance. Fantasy and Sci-Fi romance is even better. I am a huge football fan. Don't judge me, but I love the Oakland Raiders and living in California I go to a game every chance I get. I love helping out with my daughters Girl Scout troop and just snuggling and watching cartoons with my son.

Congratulations on your new book! Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?

CHAPTER ONE
“Alexa, where are you going?” Dad asked as I picked up my crossbow and strapped my hunting knife to my thigh.
“Hunting, be back before dinner,” I replied just before the large mahogany door slammed behind me.
I went hunting every day and my dad knew that, but he always asked where I was going. I thought it was just him being overprotective. Clearly, there was a reason behind everything he did.
He was my confidant, my teacher, and my friend. In the world we lived in there weren’t any schools like in the old world, so my dad had to teach me everything. He was ex-military before the Immigration wars and taught my best friend Jacob and me everything we needed to know to not only survive, but also defend ourselves. I never understood why we would need to know how to be the perfect soldiers living in our little town in back woods Texas, but I didn’t complain. I loved hunting and shooting. Plus, I was good at it.
Walking through the forest on a hunt has always been somewhat therapeutic for me. I walked through the forest quietly. I always found the sights and sounds intoxicating. The bright yellow sun peeking through the canopy of dense pines. The smell of pine and the sounds of blue jays singing made it feel like home. I walked for miles in the dense underbrush listening intently for any quail, turkeys, or even a rabbit to hunt.

Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing?  Can you tell us about your journey?
            It has definitely been a rocky road. When I started writing Born To Resist, two years ago, it was my first and I had no idea what it would be like. I had an idea and at first it had seemed like a great idea. After a while I started thinking that I needed a complete re-write because of tense. I found out after I had the book almost finished that publishers and agents weren't accepting novels in the Sci-fi dystopian genre and that I was going to have to self-publish. I had heard horror stories and always thought that self-pub equaled suicide for a writer, but the more self-published books I read I realized that it wasn't what I thought it would be. It is rough though. I decided to pay a company for promotions and it ended up being a scam. Thank goodness for PayPal I was able to get my money back! Then I found Pump Up your book services and I have to say so far I am happy with the service.

If you had to summarize your book in one sentence, what would that be?
An action packed story about a young girl, put in a horrible situation, just trying to survive and do the right thing.
What makes your book stand out from the rest?
            It's a dystopian but within the genre there are so many post-apocalyptic and zombie books flooding the dystopian market I think that's one way my book stands out. Another way is that my book tells the reader a possible near future if the current system doesn't change. Most Dystopians are either set far in the future or on another planet entirely. I don't know of many that are set so soon in the near future.

If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?
            I would have to say 4th of July. It's about America and the fact that many take our freedoms for granted. What if, one day we woke up and all of our freedoms were gone? The characters in Born To Resist wake-up every day in an America where they have no freedom. They can't be out after dark or express themselves. There is no music, movies, or sports because the government doesn't want heroes who stand up for the people. They want control. The 4th of July is the day we celebrate our freedoms. The characters in my book do whatever they can to restore the freedoms we as a nation take for granted.

Would you consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done?
Born To Resist is the first in a three part series so far. I have toyed with the idea of going back to the parents’ days in the US military and the original Immigration Wars. How the evil Dictator came in to power. But, that's just an idea I had.
What’s next for you?
            The 2nd book in the Born series getting ready to release tomorrow on Amazon. It is called Born For War and continues the story of Alexa and her friends. I am currently writing a contemporary romance about living with PTSD that I hope to release in the new year. The story of Alexa and her friends isn’t quite complete and there will be a third installment in The Born Series coming soon as well. I have several more ideas for some Sci-fi and Fantasy titles that I hope I can release in the coming years.


Author Interview: John Sibley Williams, author of 'Disinheritance'



John Sibley Williams is the editor of two Northwest poetry anthologies and the author of nine collections, including Controlled Hallucinations (2013) and Disinheritance (2016). A five-time Pushcart nominee and winner of the Philip Booth Award, American Literary Review Poetry Contest, Nancy D. Hargrove Editors' Prize, and Vallum Award for Poetry, John serves as editor of The Inflectionist Review and works as a literary agent. Previous publishing credits include: The Midwest Quarterly, december, Third Coast, Baltimore Review, Nimrod International Journal, Hotel Amerika, Rio Grande Review, Inkwell, Cider Press Review, Bryant Literary Review, RHINO, and various anthologies. He lives in Portland, Oregon. 

For More Information
About the Book:

A lyrical, philosophical, and tender exploration of the various voices of grief, including those of the broken, the healing, the son-become-father, and the dead, Disinheritance acknowledges loss while celebrating the uncertainty of a world in constant revision. From the concrete consequences of each human gesture to soulful interrogations into “this amalgam of real / and fabled light,” these poems inhabit an unsteady betweenness, where ghosts can be more real than the flesh and blood of one’s own hands.

For More Information

  • Disinheritance is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Thanks for this interview, John. Can we begin by having you tell us about yourself from a writer’s standpoint?

I’m lucky to have been passionate about books since childhood. Perhaps it’s in part due to my mother reading novel after novel over her pregnant belly every day. Perhaps it’s in part due to my own restlessness, my need to make things, and my love of words. But I began writing short stories in middle school, and I continued in that genre until my early twenties. A handful of those stories found publication in literary magazines, which was eye-opening and oddly humbling.

I was 21 when I wrote my first poem. Before that, I had never enjoyed reading poetry and had certainly never considered writing one. It was summer in New York and I was sitting by a lake with my feet dragging through the current caused by small boats when suddenly, without my knowing what I was doing, I began writing something that obviously wasn’t a story. What was it? Impressions. Colors. Emotions. Strange images. I didn’t have any paper, so I used a marker to write a series of phrases on my arm. Then they poured onto my leg. Then I realized I needed paper. I ran back to the car, took out a little notebook, and spent hours emptying myself of visions and fears and joys I don’t think I even knew I had. That was 17 years ago. Since that surreal and confusing moment by that little city lake, I’ve written poetry almost every day.


When not writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?

I sort of feel like I’m always writing. Even when at work, when driving, hiking, reading, listening to music. Inspiration can come from anything, so wherever I go I carry a pocket notebook and pen, just in case. But apart from writing, most of my time these days is spent raising my wife and I’s newborn twins. Fatherhood is a full time job, as is writing, so my various other passions have taken a back seat for the time being. Before that, I spent most of my non-writing time reading, watching films, exploring the gorgeous mountains and rivers and deserts of Oregon, and supporting my local literary scene by attending various readings and literary conferences.


Congratulations on your new book! Can you give us the very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?

Bone River (i)

Our child experiments with her
limbs, displacing air and
waiting for the vacancy to fill.
Such a raw gesture—
raw and enigmatic remorse.
What is it here I have done
and am waiting for?

For what it’s worth, love,
a stone asks the same
question of the river.

Have I broken you yet?


Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing?  Can you tell us about your journey?

In terms of their composition, the poems in Disinheritance were written over a nine to twelve month period. Then it took me about a month to weed out the weaker poems, find a fluid order for the stronger ones, and edit each piece to fit the overall theme of the collection. I’m not sure if you’d call that “smooth sailing”, but it did feel organic and always worthwhile.

After I completed the manuscript and ran it by a few trusted peers whose critiques I trust, I began querying various poetry publishers whose books I admire and whose editorial visions seemed a good fit with my work. Luckily, it only took a few months before Apprentice House Press, out of Loyola University, accepted it. I adore small presses and university publishers. Often staffed by volunteers and students, they are so passionate and supportive of their authors, and I was excited to join AHP’s 2016 list. The publishing aspect could hardly have been easier.


If you had to summarize your book in one sentence, what would that be?

Oh boy, what a question! The really small elevator pitch? I guess it would be something like:

A lyrical, philosophical, and tender poetic exploration of the various raw voices of grief and human connection.


What makes your book stand out from the rest?

Well, I suppose every book is one of a kind. No two authors’ voices are the same. But in my case, Disinheritance is a bit different than my previous collections. Most of my work is not overly narrative or overly personal, so it was an exciting challenge to write from a part of my heart still raw and healing.

Disinheritance is a collection of tender, lyrical poems exploring the various voices of grief, including those of the broken, the healing, the son-become-father, and the dead. These poems acknowledge loss while celebrating the uncertainty of a world in constant revision. Though many are based on personal experiences, the poems speak to larger, universal human concerns about how to approach mortality and what role we play in each other’s’ lives.

Although I’m sure countless other poets have written on similar themes, Disinheritance is definitely unique to my own body of work.


If your book was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and why?

Though most holidays are family-focused, so each would fit the book’s themes well, I think Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are most fitting, as Disinheritance deals quite a bit with a mother’s passing and a father’s influence on a child’s upbringing.


What’s next for you?

I have just completed a new book, Skin Memory, which I’m currently pitching to publishers and submitting to book awards. Skin Memory is a collection of free verse and prose poems that tackle some of the same themes in Disinheritance, including family, grief, and American culture, while adding a slightly harder edge, risking a bit more personally and creatively, and exploring in a deeper way those fears and joys that haunt me.


Monday Book Feature: For the Love of Meat by Jenny Jaeckel



We're thrilled to be hosting Jenny Jaeckel's FOR THE LOVE OF MEAT blog tour today! Please leave a comment to let her know you stopped by!




Title: For the Love of Meat
Author: Jenny Jaekel
Publisher: Raincloud Press
Pages: 162
Genre: Short Stories/Light Romance/Historical

For the Love of Meat combines whimsical and surreal illustrations with engaging, intimate encounters that explore the depths of human experience. Unique and diverse in setting, and with touches of magical-realism, these nine stories will tug at the strings of the wandering, romantic heart, setting it delightfully ablaze.

In Wander the Desert, Sister Aurelia, a nun from the early 20th century, finds herself stranded in the Mexican desert with nothing but a few cobs of corn and a stray horse who becomes her faithful companion. In Stumble and Fall, we meet Dara, a young Londoner hungry for adventure who, unwilling to settle for the safety and comfort of home, travels to Vancouver, city of immigrants, where a handsome stranger entices her to take a leap into the unknown. The Two explores the tender bond between two young growing up in 1940s Philadelphia, who are as inseparable as light and shadow. As one of the girls tragically becomes ill, the impact on the other shows how true connections of heart and spirit are not bound to time and place. And Mémé, set in Haiti in the 1800s, is told from the stunning perspective of a slave who, as a child, witnesses the brutal murder of her mother, and survives through her connection to her brother and the natural world.

Jenny Jaeckel’s compelling storytelling takes us across the world and through the ages, with remarkable insight and soul-moving moments, when paths cross and time unfolds. Her language, imagery and attention to detail plunge the reader into these memorable lives, soaking us in tales of adventure, courage, love, loss, longing and all the hope in between. 

Purchase Information:

Amazon | B&N

Book Excerpt:
From the short story Stumble and Fall:

She’d been in the city six months. Her sojourn in the Colonies.

“Why do you want to go there?” her friend Elsie demanded when they met at the coffee shop round the corner from her North London flat. “It’s going to be decidedly provincial.”  Elsie never liked it when Dara went away.
Dara had been abroad several times. The first, not counting two family holidays in France, was a student exchange in Rio at age sixteen, which had shocked her every sensibility and every relative at home. Members of the family went off to Israel and often stayed forever, but that was a religious imperative. Rio was not the Holy Land; it was a riot. By the time her classmates finally succeeded in teaching her a cumbia, one night at a party, something staid in her had been made loose. When she returned home at the end of that year she had a bag stuffed with bootlegged cassette tapes and a secret restlessness in her heart. 
Lisbon had been her last adventure. She taught English for a year at a grammar school there and that was now five years ago. Coming back to London that time felt grey. Things hadn’t taken off in Portugal the way she’d thought they might. She’d kept up her Portuguese via a group on Tuesday nights, which was how she met Jeremy.
He had a samba collection, she had a samba collection. They fell into a kind of love, moved in together and developed a premarital routine that in three years’ time had begun to grow stale. Dara loved him, or she loved them, and she grieved when the thing began to die. The relationship survived their artificial resuscitations, nominally, for a time, until it was like a body neither of them could any longer pretend was alive.
She lay on the burial mound for a week, every surface rubbed raw. A month passed, two. Her grief shrank to a stone she carried in her chest. It had a way of rolling and rattling like a bottle on the floor of a car. It could disappear and then come clunking out of nowhere. She missed the comfort of Jeremy’s familiar smile and sandy hair and the way he wrapped her up in his arms at night. Then again, she didn’t miss his stupid laugh, or his long silences, or his constant consumption of cinnamon buns. Sometimes she thought if she ever had to open the cupboard and see cinnamon buns one more time she’d leap straight out the window.
Then one morning, alone in her bed, she awoke to a fresh rain slashing at the window, a rogue beam of sunlight spotting the corner of the curtain, and she knew it was time to go.


About the Author

Jenny Jaeckel grew up in Berkeley and Ukiah of Northern California, has lived in Mexico, Spain and currently lives in British Columbia with her husband and daughter.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from The Evergreen State College, a Master of Arts in Hispanic Literatures from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is a certified interpreter and translator, and has taught Spanish at three universities. She is the author and illustrator of three graphic memoirs. For the Love of Meat is her first book of fiction.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS

 

Friday, October 21, 2016

Cover Reveal: Guarded by the Warrior by Eliza Knight

 

Inside the Book:




Title: Guarded by the Warrior
Author: Eliza Knight
Release Date: November 29, 2016
Publisher: Knight Media LLC
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: Ebook

A lady in need of protection...

Suffering through a short marriage to an enemy of Scotland, Lady Emilia MacCulloch manages to escape just before her husband dies. But the Ross clan will stop at nothing to get her back, for she plays a big part in their plans to thwart Robert the Bruce. She fears for her own family being labeled traitors and for her life. Placed by her king as a governess in the household of a devastatingly handsome warrior, Emilia finds herself drawn to the man, when she had previously sworn off love all together. His passion, charisma, loyalty and strength shake the very foundation she's built around her heart.

A warrior in need of saving...

Ian Matheson has spent his entire life trying to prove himself. To belong. When his father passes away and his mother takes her vows at a nearby abbey, he is suddenly left in a position he was wholly unprepared for. And then his father's dozen illegitimate children arrive on his doorstep in need of a father figure of their own. They are adorable and reckless, and he's certain they'll drive him mad. Just when he thinks he might actually need to find a wife to help him, Lady Emilia is presented to him by the king. She needs his protection, and he needs her help with the bairns. Ian is tempted by her angelic face, her fiery tongue, and the secrets that surround her. He must resist the growing desire that's laying claim within him. He must prove to his clan that he is a worthy leader. But maybe, just maybe, he can have the respect of his people, and Emilia, too.


Meet the Author:


Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a princess…

Growing up, I was a proficient story teller, with most of my plots encompassing princesses and princes and dreams coming true. Now as an author, some of my stories are still about royalty, knights, duels, ladies, intrigue, betrayal. History fascinates me and I try to bring history back to life in each of my stories.

My favorite time periods are medieval, renaissance and Regency eras of Europe. Growing up, I was lucky to have grandparents who lived in Paris, so many a summer was spent exploring medieval ruins and historical sites.

One of my all time favorite books is Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, and I am of course Jane Austen fan, my two favorites being Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. I love the in-depth, emotionally riveting and intriguing works of historical author, Ken Follett. I am also a fan of Shakespeare, and you will find in a lot of my writing reference to the literary God and his work. Not only Shakespeare, but other period poets and literary notables of history are on my keeper shelf. My love affair with the romance genre started young. I picked up my first romance novel, The Bride, by Julie Garwood when I was in high school, and I haven’t been able to stop reading or writing romance since.

When I’m not reading or writing I am usually doing research for fun. If you love history, come visit me at History Undressed, where we discuss all the wildly fascinating and titillating facts of history! Recently I’ve started to post reviews of historical fiction and romance novels as well.


You can visit her website at http://eknightauthor.com





In The Spotlight: Rejoicing Through The Tears by Brenda George



Inside the Book




Title: Rejoicing Through The Tears
Author: Brenda George
Publisher: WestBow Press
Pages: 240
Genre: Inspirational


Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with cancer? Rejoicing through the Tears has been written with you in mind. You can learn not only to survive, but to thrive. You can come through your wilderness journey of cancer and let God turn your mourning into dancing. No matter what challenges you may be facing, you can learn to embrace the hand of a loving God. He will walk with you whether you are up on the mountaintop or down in the valley; you will learn to rejoice wherever you are, because what you are rejoicing with is heartfelt joy from deep within. Your faith will be ignited, and you will be encouraged. You will learn to live each day with passion and enthusiasm. Let the God who flung the stars into space walk into your storm, refresh your soul, and bring you streams in the desert.


Book Excerpt:


Chapter Five

The Diagnosis

After we returned home from Mackinac Island, I reluctantly made an appointment for the biopsy. I still did not think there was anything to be concerned about, because I felt too good. Sick people were the ones who had something wrong, I thought. I went to the hospital bright and early the next Monday morning, following my return home from vacation for a fine-needle biopsy in my neck. I was dragging my feet all the way to the hospital. I just couldn’t stand to hear any more bad news. As I was lying flat on my back on the table, the tears rolled down both sides of my face and dripped onto the examination table. I couldn’t explain it, but somewhere deep down inside, I sensed the worst. The doctor doing the biopsy told me that thyroid nodules are fairly common. Ninety-five percent of them are benign, leaving only five percent as malignant. That was reassuring to hear. While your medical history, examination by a physician, lab tests, and ultrasound are important, the only test that can distinguish whether thyroid nodules are benign or malignant is through a fine-needle biopsy. After numbing the area, the doctor sticks a very fine needle into the nodules to remove cells for microscopic examination, which are sent to pathology. A bandage is put on your neck, and you are sent home. The biopsy wasn’t too painful, but I would describe it as uncomfortable. Every day of the rest of that week seemed to be an eternity as I waited for that phone call with the biopsy results. Finally, the nurse called three days later. She hesitated for a few minutes on the other end of the line before she reluctantly said that it was urgent that I make an appointment as soon as possible. What more can I say except that it was a long weekend! Monday finally rolled around. I was in a daze as I walked into the doctor’s office early that morning. The doctor sat down in his chair and looked me straight in the eye with apprehension. If I didn’t know better, I would have sworn I saw a single tear in his eye when he gave me the news that I was dreading to hear with all my heart—that I had papillary thyroid cancer—but my eyes were so welled up with tears, I wasn’t sure, I was not prepared to hear those heart-wrenching words that would pierce my heart forever. They cut like a knife. It was the worst shock of my life, and I was completely numb inside. The true meaning of those words hadn’t sunk in yet. They were just too final. I came out of the doctor’s office and into the waiting room where my mom was waiting for me. I tried to smile, but it was forced. I wanted to act like everything was normal for as long as I could and put off telling her the news that had just turned my own world upside down. As we walked out of the hospital, my legs felt like lead. Each step became more impossible. Finally, when I fell into my car that was it. There was no holding back. I completely broke down. The tears started and went on for at least a week, almost nonstop. I remember eating my bowl of cereal that next morning before work and crying the entire time. I didn’t know my body was capable of producing so many tears. Finally, there were no more tears left to cry. But I still felt completely hopeless. Papillary thyroid cancer is a very treatable kind of cancer. The prognosis is usually good if it is caught in time, which it usually is, and receives the proper treatment. There are many more cases being diagnosed each year, mainly because technology is now so much more advanced. If mine hadn’t been diagnosed when it was, it would have probably become terminal. I was thankful that the outlook was encouraging, but I didn’t like hearing anyone pass it off as the good cancer. There is no good cancer. Cancer can kill. It may be slow, depending on what type it is and the stage it’s in, but left untreated, death is almost inevitable. The C word is one that nobody ever wants to hear. That very word meant death to me. If I was fortunate enough to survive, my life would be forever changed and would require lifelong monitoring.



Praise for Rejoicing Through The Tears:

By HCTexas on October 5, 2014

In her book, Rejoicing through the Tears: Embracing God's Hand in Cancer, Brenda George shares not only the story of her journey through surviving Thyroid cancer but also some practical information that could be very helpful for anyone faced with a cancer diagnosis. We know that God does not heal everyone as He did Brenda but what she shares in this book will give everyone the opportunity to know there is hope and there will be victory if you put your faith and strength in our Lord, Jesus.

Though at first glance this cover may look a bit whimsical (take a closer look) the content is anything but. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Everyone knows someone that has been affected by the diagnosis of cancer; if not you then a family member, friend or friend of a friend. Please read this book it can only help.

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Meet the Author

brenda-george


Brenda George is the author of "Rejoicing Through The Tears: Embracing God's Hand In Cancer." She is a thyroid cancer survivor and a speaker for The American Cancer Society as a “Voice of Hope.” She has also spoken at other events, including Aglow International. She is passionate about raising awareness and reaching out to others to inspire people from all walks of life to never give up hope! She is enthusiastic about life and teaches others that they can not only survive, but thrive. Whatever challenges, they may be facing, they will learn to embrace the hand of a loving God - He will turn their mourning into dancing. Brenda resides in Marysville, Ohio, with her husband, Mark and their adorable Old English Sheepdog, named Maggie. She is the mother of three grown children and grandmother to seven.

Connect with Brenda on Author WebsiteAuthor BlogFacebookFacebook Book PageTwitter, and Goodreads.