Friday, September 30, 2016

Touching Death by Becky Johnson




Title: Touching Death
Author: Becky Johnson
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 209
Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Rachel Angeletti knows things. She always has. With one touch she sees secrets, emotions, lies. Her gift helps her to be the best museum curator in Chicago. It also makes her personal relationships difficult.
Her life is complicated enough when a run in with her ex and an unanticipated vision sends her reeling. One touch and she sees death. One touch and she is thrown into the midst of killer’s dark fantasy. Now Rachel is in a fight for her life against a killer she knows too little about.

With danger stalking her around every turn Rachel is in a thrilling race against the clock. Can she catch a killer before he catches her?

Touching Death will take you on a riveting, page-turning, journey into the mind of a killer and the heart of a survivor.

For More Information

  • Touching Death is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Becky Talks Book Covers

Isn’t this cover great? It was done by Lori Follett at Wicked Book Covers.
Cover design is so important, and one of those lessons I learned after I published my first book. (The current cover on my first book is cover number 3. It took some time, but I learned!) I knew right away what I wanted the cover to look like. I wanted the hand reaching, and I wanted it to be red. I wanted something that related to the story and gave the right feel. My goal was to focus on the touch aspect (since that is the theme for the series) and I wanted it feel mysterious. Also, my other series has a blue color theme and I wanted a different look. And red is absolutely Rachel Angeletti’s color!

It took several tries in order to get to the final cover. First we had the hand and the red background, but the hand wasn’t quite right. I wanted it to be reaching out of the cover like the person behind the hand had just touched something or was about to touch something. Once we got the hand right then next task was to get the smoky look. It was too smoky then it wasn’t smoky enough. I think I drove Lori crazy! Mostly because I’m not so great at describing what I want when it comes to cover design! It took some time but I think the final product is perfect. It’s exactly what I wanted. I wanted the book cover to tell the story. I wanted it make people think, to wonder what the hand was reaching toward, and who the person attached to the hand was. I think it does a fantastic job of doing just that.

About the Author

Books are Becky Johnson's passion and always have been. She used to get in trouble in school for reading during class!

Becky has Master's degrees in social work and history, and for her day job she is a social worker. In her writing she tries to answer a question that is important to both social work and history: Why? She always wants to know why people do the things they do or feel the way they feel.

When not reading or writing she enjoys yoga, photography, cooking, and makes a pretty mean chili!

Her latest book is the mystery/suspense, Touching Death.
For More Information

Cover Reveal: Murder at the Fortune Teller's Table by Janet Finsilver


Inside the Book:

murder-at-the-fortune-tellers-table
Title: Murder at the Fortune Teller's Table
Author: Janet Finsilver
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Format: Ecopy 
Poisons, prophecies—and a peculiar past . . .

When a local woman begins searching for a couple she hasn’t seen since the 1960s, Redwood Cove Bed and Breakfast manager Kelly Jackson and the crime-solving group, the “Silver Sentinels,” are quick to help out. They’re also quick to guess that they’re in over their heads after the woman is found dead beside the body of a Greek fortune teller—and a fellow Sentinel gets attackeds. As Kelly juggles work and her responsibilities at a food and wine festival in town, she and her sleuthing posse must confront a killer obsessed with old secrets . . . and solve a murder mystery more than fifty years in the making . . .

   amazon

MEET THE AUTHOR

janet-finsilver 

 Janet Finsilver and her husband reside in the San Francisco Bay Area. She worked in education for many years as a teacher, a program administrator, and a workshop presenter. Janet loves animals and has two dogs—Kylie and Ellie. She’s been involved in many activities during her life. Janet has ridden western style since she was a child and was a member of the National Ski Patrol. She’s traveled extensively. One of the highlights of her life was touching whales in the San Ignacio Lagoon. She enjoys cooking, and a recent attempt to reduce the number of cookbooks in the cupboard wasn’t very successful. She’s an avid reader—of course!   She’s currently working on the next book in her series scheduled for release in June 2016.

For More Information

Visit Janet’s website.    

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Cover Reveal: Chasing Love by Melissa West

 

Inside the Book:


Title: Chasing Love
Author: Melissa West
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Genre: Women's Fiction
Format: Ecopy 
Farming family land on sunny Crestler’s Key, the sweet, sexy Littleton brothers are notorious bachelors. But all that will change when the right woman comes along . . .

There aren’t many things Charlie Littleton values more than his lifelong friendship with his buddy Lucas, currently home from a tour in Iraq. But when he discovers that Lucas’s younger sister, Lila, is back to assist the town’s overburdened veterinarian, Charlie is torn. She’s no longer the skinny, awkward kid he remembers, but a gorgeous woman—one Lucas would never approve of him dating. When Lucas asks him to watch out for Lila when he’s called to duty again, Charlie can’t say no—but he can’t pretend it’s easy to ignore his feelings either.

As a teen, Lila crushed on Charlie—hard—and the man he’s grown up to be is even more wonderful than she dreamed. Relationships are a tricky business, though, and too much history is at stake to risk one now. But every moment they’re together is heated by their simmering attraction—and one day an impulsive kiss leads to much more. What’s tangled in a matter of loyalty soon becomes a question of the kind of love worth chasing .

  amazon

MEET THE AUTHOR

Melissa West writes heartfelt Southern romance and teen sci-fi romance, all with lots of kissing. Because who doesn’t like kissing? She lives outside of Atlanta, GA, with her husband and two daughters and spends most of her time writing, reading, or fueling her coffee addiction.

Connect with Melissa at www.melissawestauthor.com or on Twitter @MB_West  

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Cover Reveal: Uniformly Dead by Greta McKennan


Inside the Book:

uniformly-dead-1
Title: Uniformly Dead
Author: Greta McKennan
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Format: Ecopy 

Historical seamstress Daria Dembrowski has her work cut out for her as she searches for a killer's pattern . . .

Daria has come up with a brilliant new plan to expand her seamstress business beyond stitching wedding gowns—historical sewing. And with Civil War re-enactors setting up camp in her hometown of Laurel Springs, Pennsylvania, she has plenty of opportunities, including one client playing a Confederate colonel who's a particular stickler for authenticity.

But soon the small-town peace starts coming apart at the seams as an antique doll is stolen from a Civil War exhibit and the cranky colonel is found impaled by his own bayonet. When Daria's brother is suspected of the theft and a bridal client's fiancé is accused of the murder, Daria is determined to untangle the clues to prove their innocence. She needs to get this case sewn up fast, though, before the murderer re-enacts the crime and makes her history.
  amazon  

Friday, September 23, 2016

Cover Reveal: Dusk Until Dawn by Andie J. Christopher

 


Inside the Book:


Title: Dusk Until Dawn
Author: Andie J. Christopher
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Genre: Women's Fiction
Format: Ecopy 

No boundaries.

Bartender and aspiring painter Maya Pascual loves turning up the heat. And dumping a vodka-and-karma chaser on the man who broke her heart is perfect Bronx girl payback. But how can she resist when Miami playboy prince Javier Hernandez begs to make it up to her. . .

No regrets.

Between his disastrous personal life and his wealthy family’s meddling, Javi needs to get back on track. The only thing that’s certain is his passion for Maya. If she’ll just let him show her how sorry he is, maybe he can move on and start fresh. But one look in her gorgeous eyes and he knows letting her go will be easier said than done.

No rules.

Maya agrees to one dinner with Javi. But as their attraction threatens to combust, she wonders if a night of no strings, no repeats surrender is the only way burn off their desire once and for all. . . Unless the light of day reveals it’s impossible to let go.

   amazon  

MEET THE AUTHOR

I’m Andie J. Christopher and I write edgy, funny, sexy contemporary romance. I grew up in a family of voracious readers, and I picked up my first Harlequin Romance novel at age twelve when I’d finished reading everything else in my grandmother’s house. It was love at first read. It wasn’t too long before I started writing my own stories — my first heroine drank Campari and wore a lot of Esprit.

Although, I set aside writing fiction for a while, my love of reading romance novels stayed with me through college, law school, and multiple cross-country moves. During one long East Coast winter, I decided writing a book would be a good excuse to avoid braving the elements. It was love at first write. My heroes are dirty-talking alphas, and my heroines traded Esprit for Free People. (None of them would turn down a Campari, though.)

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

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Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Book Blast: The Rise of Gideon by Stan Matthews

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Inside the Book:

the-rise-of-gideon
Title: The Rise of Gideon 
Author: Stan Matthews 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Historical Fiction 
Format: Ebook

It is the early 1960s when journalism student Art James first meets Professor Gideon Pratt at a Midwestern university. When Art secures a reporter job after graduation, Gideon summons him, reveals that the university is harboring a Communist cell, and asks Art to write a story about it. Art, driven by his desire to earn accolades, writes the article. But when Gideon’s name is slashed from the story, Art angrily resigns.

Years later, Art lands a job with the New York Dispatch, with help from Gideon who is busy defending an educational foundation from attacks by a little known organization, the Cotterites. After Art reconnects with Gideon and his beautiful colleague/ love interest, Jo Davis, he discovers that feared anti-Communist Harry Cotter once wrote a thesis in praise of Communism—a fact that his former professor Silenus Stoddard eventually verifies. Many stories later that include an interview with Cotter himself, Art learns that Cotter is planning a rally in Madison Square Garden. While Art falls for Jo, an infuriated Gideon who blames Silenus for an embarrassing failure prepares to reveal his true self.

The Rise of Gideon shares the tale of a public relations guru and an ambitious New York reporter as they work together to expose a vicious society of extremists.

Meet the Author:
Stan Matthews is a veteran investigative reporter who has worked for both Canadian and American newspapers, and served as a fund raiser for many institutions, including churches, colleges, hospitals, American Cancer Society, Easter Seals and PBS. He is the author of several books and lives in Florida with his wife, Mary Jane.

Giveaway

Stan 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 September 19  and ends on September 30.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on October 1.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

September 19
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 23
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30

On the Spotlight: The Gail Force, by Robert Lane



Mason Alley Publishing – Release date: September 20th 2106

Available in trade paper (ISBN: 978-0692670446, $14.95) and eBook ($4.99) editions
 "a consistently entertaining crime thriller…The plot crackles with energy and suspense. The writing is crisp...clever.” –Kirkus

"Charm and humor permeate the pages of the surprising thriller. There's little chance that anyone will turn the last page before developing a craving for the next installment." –ForeWord Reviews

Award-winning novelist Robert Lane, who has drawn comparisons to John D. MacDonald, has created one of the most compelling characters in mystery today.  PI Jake Travis is tough, smart, wise and wisecracking. He’s hailed as “a winning hero”—and this time, Jake has an elaborate knot to untangle.

While trying to expose a corrupt Miami art dealer, Jake goes undercover for the FBI. The gallery's owner, Phillip Agatha, is more enchanted with murder than he is with art. Aboard Agatha's luxury yacht, the Gail Force, Jake is taken with Agatha's hospitality—and with his alluring assistant, Christina, a woman who harbors her own secrets. Unknowingly, Jake plays into Agatha's hands and initiates actions that could cause an innocent girl to die.

As Jake struggles to save the girl, unearth a rogue FBI agent, and bring Agatha to justice, his greatest challenge is to stay loyal to his girlfriend Kathleen—and to withstand the Gail Force.  As Jake himself observes, “After all, everything’s a game. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you don’t know what game you’re playing.”  This game is on…

The Gail Force is crime fiction writing at its finest.  With a storyline that races from the opening page, characters that stay with readers long after the final page is turned, and the wit, wisdom, lust for life, and cynicism of Jake Travis, The Gail Force will leave readers breathless.  



Robert Lane resides on Florida’s west coast. His debut Jake Travis novel, The Second Letter, was received with critical acclaim and was awarded the Gold Medal in the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) 2015 Benjamin Franklin Award for Best New Voice: Fiction.  His other novels in the stand alone series are Cooler Than Blood, and The Cardinal’s Sin. 

Cover Reveal: A Bolt From the Blue by Maggie Wells


Inside the Book:


Title: A Bolt From the Blue
Author: Maggie Wells
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Ecopy 

True love, like lightning, never strikes twice—or does it?

As a free-spirited young woman, Hope Elliot was desperate to escape her snobbish high society family. So she ran off to Paris, where she lived for twenty-five years. Now widowed, she’s come home to settle her family’s massive lakefront estate. But before she can put her mother’s house on the market, it needs a major renovation. Enter master electrician Mick McInnes, a traditional guy who’s about to turn her life upside down . . .

Aside from the fact that Mick is hopelessly attracted to his latest client, Hope represents everything he doesn’t want in a woman. She’s ridiculously rich and adventurous, yet she doesn’t seem to know much about the real world. Besides, his policy is to never get involved with clients. But he can’t seem to resist the Chicago heiress’s sizzling advances—and soon enough finds himself in her bed, feeling like a teenager once again. And like teenagers, the two of them will just have to convince their families that opposites can not only attract, but they can also make the perfect match . . .

  amazon  

MEET THE AUTHOR

Maggie Wells is a deep-­‐down dirty girl with a weakness for hot heroes and happy endings. By day she is buried in spreadsheets, but at night she pens tales of people tangling up the sheets. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, this mild-­‐mannered married lady has a naughty streak a mile wide.

Fueled by supertankers of Diet Coke, Maggie juggles fictional romance and the real deal by keeping her slow-­‐talking Southern gentleman constantly amused and their two grown children mildly embarrassed.

For More Information
Visit Maggie’s website

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Book Feature: Life-Changing ABC Scriptures with Stories by Katherine Dye

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Inside the Book:

life-changing-abc-scriptures

Title: Life-Changing ABC Scriptures with Stories 
Author: Katherine Dye 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Religion/Spirituality 
Format: Ebook

Life Changing— In the beautiful collection of fictional southern style short stories, set in her hometown, Katherine Dye highlights many nooks and crannies of New Albany, Mississippi, and if you are a native, you will delight in reading about the places you often see. If not … well, you will want to visit this lovely little artisan town and see for yourself the wonders of the pleasant and less complex southern way of life as depicted in Katherine's stories, paintings, and sketches.

The beauty of her short stories is their attraction to the Word of God. Katherine, from a child, was encouraged to memorize scripture verses; and those that became a “lamp unto her feet and a light unto her path” are the ones she has cleverly included. There is a verse for each letter of the alphabet, and she makes clear the need for a two-way conversation between God and his children, the grand and glorious balance of prayer and reading of the scriptures.

The stories are designed for young teens, but if you are a bit older now, you may find yourself slipping back to childhood and teenage years, reminiscent of the days of The Old South. Many of the scriptures Katherine features are those we memorized as children.

We are never too old to learn, but as Katherine explains in the story of Grandy and Jamie, it is much easier when we are youthful and our minds are clear and sharp, unencumbered by years of living and working and loving and playing. It feels good to slip back to those times when our ability to memorize was heightened by virtue of our youth, and the verses we so cherish are those we best remember from childhood.

This collection of stories is timeless. Read and relish youthful thoughts.

Meet the Author:

Katherine Dye was born in Blue Mountain, Mississippi, during the Great Depression. She earned a Bachelor's degree in Art and English from Blue Mountain College and a Master's Degree in Art Education from the University of Mississippi in Oxford. She taught art and remedial reading for many years in the New Albany school system. Katherine is a gifted artist, having illustrated three published children's books. Her art is prominently displayed in her hometown of New Albany where she has lived for many years. In 1979 and ‘80, after researching and mastering the history of her town, Katherine sketched or painted and signed limited edititon prints of the two historical depots, the grand old courthouse, the birthplace of William Faulkner, and other local points of interest. She is affectionately known as “The New Albany Historian.”

Her fictional characters, Grandy and Jamie, are examples of those hometown people who believe it will be an adventure, even an experiment, as Jamie says, “to hold Jesus' hand to see where he might take us next. From my youthful experience, I've concluded that God's way is the best way!”

Giveaway

Katherine 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 September 19  and ends on September 30.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on October 1.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

September 19
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 23
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30

Book Blast: I Asked My Father by Dorothy Rice, R.N.

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Inside the Book:

i-asked-my-father

Title: I Asked My Father 
Author: Dorothy Rice, R.N. 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Religion 
Format: Ebook

This is a small book of poetry. It was written while the author was close to death from Lupus. Why, then, does pain inspire, and inspiration produce fruits to uplift and comfort. God only knows. But there is knowing here and insights only the heart knows through suffering. If you are suffering, or know someone who is, you may find these poems a salve and solution to why good people have to suffer. For, as the author once said, "The question is not why bad things happen to good people, but why good things happen to bad people; namely, why did Jesus came for me?"

Meet the Author:
Dr. Charles Rice is the husband of Dorothy Rice, R.N. He is a clinical psychologist and Dorothy still helps him in helping couples and families. She is the author of this, small, book of poetry which she wrote when very ill with Lupus before God healed her.

Dorothy and I have two grown daughters and one grandson all living near us in Boise, Idaho.  

Giveaway

Dorothy 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 September 19  and ends on September 30.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on October 1.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

September 19
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 23
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30

Book Blast: True Success by Arnold S. Judson - Win a $25 Gift Card

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Inside the Book:

true-success

Title: True Success 
Author: Arnold S. Judson 
Publisher: iUniverse 
Genre: Business & Economics 
Format: Ebook

Whether you work for a business, nonprofit or governmental organization, you’ll find ways to boost organizational performance with this guide that reveals fundamental but often uncomfortable truths about the forces that impact any organization’s performance, and how this can be improved.

Arnold S. Judson, who has been helping organizations of all types for almost seventy years, reveals what makes an organization truly successful.

He describes how to:
 • define what success means for any organization;
 • identify and assess attractive opportunities;
 • generate and implement creative ideas; and
• recognize and address limits on internal capabilities.

You’ll also learn the four key drivers that can cause an organization to be truly successful. Charts and figures are included to make it easier to formulate and execute successful plans. Empower yourself, fellow employees and your organization as a whole to be more effective and boost results with the ideas, tips and strategies in True Success. “Most management books are like instant oatmeal: hot for a minute and ultimately bland and boring. Arnold Judson has found a way to provide plenty of meat, encapsulating his diverse consulting experiences in a thoughtful and thought-provoking set of ideas that any senior manager could use.”—Allen R. Cohen, Distinguished Professor of Global Leadership, Babson College
Meet the Author:
Since 1948, Arnold S. Judson has been helping governmental, business and nonprofit organizations formulate and execute strategies in North America, Europe and the Middle East. He’s also conducted public seminars to help organizations move in new, productive directions. He now lives in Boston, Massachusetts, where he continues to work with nonprofit organizations.

Giveaway

Arnold 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 September 19  and ends on September 30.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on October 1.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

September 19
September 20
September 21
September 22
September 23
September 26
September 27
September 28
September 29
September 30

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Cover Reveal: Puppy Love by Kelly Moran

 

Inside the Book:


Title: Puppy Love
Author: Kelly Moran
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Genre: Women's Fiction
Format: Ecopy 

This playboy has met his match, and she's organized...
 
After a passionless marriage under the scrutiny of high society, Avery Stowe is taking back her life. All she wants is a little privacy and a quiet place to raise her autistic daughter, Hailey. Redwood Ridge, Oregon, seems to offer all the right ingredients. Except for the problem of the local sexy veterinarian. The last thing she needs in her life is to fall for his irresistible allure, even if he is a nice guy who keeps doing her favors. But the well-meaning patrons of her new hometown have other ideas, and it appears playing Cupid is one of them.

Cade O'Grady has never met a woman he couldn't handle, but when Avery Stowe walks into his office late one night cradling an injured puppy, he's struck stupid. Which might explain her total lack of interest in him. But now that she's working for his family's clinic, he doesn't have to lust from a distance. He might just have a chance at convincing Avery--and her too-guarded heart--that falling for the right man isn't a mistake . . .

amazon
   

MEET THE AUTHOR

kelly-moran
Kelly's been known to say that she gets her ideas from everyone and everything around her and there's always a book playing out in her head. No one who knows her bats an eyelash when she talks to herself.

Kelly is a Catherine Award-Winner, Readers Choice Finalist, and earned one of the 10 Best Reads of 2013 by USA TODAY's HEA. She is a proud Romance Writers of America member.

Kelly's interests include: sappy movies, MLB, NFL, driving others insane, and sleeping when she can. She is a closet caffeine junkie and chocoholic, but don't tell anyone. She resides in Wisconsin with her husband, three sons, and her black lab. Most of her family lives in the Carolinas, so she spends a lot of time there as well.

For More Information

 Visit Kelly’s website

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Monday, September 19, 2016

Cover Reveal: To the Studs by Roxanne Smith

 

Inside the Book:


Title: To the Studs
Author: Roxanne Smith
Publisher: Lyrical Shine
Genre: Romance
Format: Ecopy 
Designed for love…

No one says no to fiery but talented home designer Neve Harper—which is how she convinces her elusive neighbor, Duke Kennicot, to help out with her latest renovation job. Not only is Duke a design aficionado, he’s got the inside scoop on the cabin’s owner. And since Neve’s ulterior motive is a romance with the boss, Duke is her ideal wingman. Except from the moment they’re alone in the remote Ozark mountain location, Neve discovers Duke is just as headstrong—and a whole lot sexier—than she ever realized. Duke has always made it clear she’s not his type. Yet the simmering tension between them says otherwise….

Duke had been warned to steer clear of hot-tempered Neve, but his resolve is lessening with every heated exchange—and every smoldering touch. By the time Neve unearths a dangerous, age-old mystery buried on the property, Duke is ready to do just about anything to keep the brazen beauty safe….

amazon
   

MEET THE AUTHOR

Men Like This, is my debut novel, the first story in a series of three I’ve decided to call Long Shot Romance–long odds and stubborn hearts make love a thing to fight for. I’ve always loved characters who surprise me and make me laugh, with just a tad of the dramatic tossed in, and I hope that’s something I’ve been able to do for my readers. So much of what inspires me comes from the unexpected; the fork in the road you might trip over. Life takes funny turns and there’s not much you can do but hang on.

Most of us pick up a pen with the understanding that the odds are against us. It’s a dream. I decided in my early twenties to take writing seriously and try. With trying came falling flat on my face more times than I can count, but there’s always something to be gained from effort, and I took that and ran with it like I was a wide receiver gunning for the end zone at the bottom of the fourth on Superbowl Sunday. Lots of revising, rewriting, and tears between then and now, and a whole stack of friends and family at my back.

I’m a mom and wife before I’m an author, which is just as well. You can’t leave the little people behind once you’ve ascended to greatness. Remember where you came from. My kids are my two favorite people. They’re weird and hilarious. They’re at that age where they’re forming into something unique and apart from everyone else. They’re developing self. It’s probably one of the most rewarding things I’ve experienced as a parent so far, right up there with teaching them bathroom independence. A teen parent twice over, I’ve done just as much growing as they have in the last decade, and I’ve done it with the perfect partner–married 11 years and still arguing over who gets to drive the hypothetical Corvette.

For More Information

Visit Roxanne’s website

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Guest post by Sam Newsome, Author of 'Joe Peas'

Sam Newsome was raised on a farm in rural King, North Carolina. During his childhood on the farm, he learned to appreciate nature and family. He developed the work ethic that continues to benefit him.
He received a bachelor of arts in American history with pre­medical courses from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1971. He received his Medical degree from Bowman Gray School of Medicine (now Wake Forest University Medical School) in 1975. He completed his family practice residency and board certification in 1978 and geriatrics certification in 1992. The patience and perseverance learned from his parents during his youth on the farm were valuable contributions to Dr. Newsome’s educational success.
In 1978 Dr. Newsome returned to his hometown to establish his medical practice and fill gaps in the medical care. During the last thirty­eight years of medical practice, he has staffed the local hospital, Stokes County Health Department, Jail health services, and the local nursing homes. He has served as a county medical examiner since 1978.
He married his childhood sweetheart, Betty Jo, in 1971 and they have resided in King since 1978. They have two children. Carlton lives in Raleigh and shares a love of words, while Justin, an engineer at B/E Aerospace, resides in Winston­Salem.
His first novel, Jackie, explores the miraculous life of a disadvantaged youth with autism spectrum who is destined for heroism.
His new novel explores Joe Peas’ and his local doctor’s similar quests to remain individuals in a world that increasingly rewards conformity. It celebrates family, friendship, faith and healing. It also gives Dr. Newsome an opportunity to entertain and educate his readers about long term care and good health habits.
GUEST POST
The prologue of my book, Joe Peas, introduces the main character and explains how he got his name. It occurs during the Battle of Monte Cassino in World War II. An orphan child was found on the battlefield. The homesick G.I.s virtually adopted the child and kept him as long as possible. He had no name or was too shell shocked to remember it. He eventually called himself Joe (every shoulder was G. I. Joe). When the G.I.s had to move on, they were forced to turn the young boy over to authorities. They were OK with the first name of Joe, but needed a last name for the record. Joe could not remember his last name but he did see a can of Peas on the table. Since his recovery, the peas had been his favorite food. So he became Joe Peas.
Joe Peas is the central figure in the book. In the present an itinerant Italian house painter, Joe Peas, inserts himself into the fabric of a small rural North Carolina town and interacts with the local doctor and eventually becomes his patient in long-term care.
The cover idea was fully mine. The rather simple cover had no stock images available, so I did a simple ink drawing and sent it into Lulu Publishing. They had an illustration team formalize the picture and color it. One interesting flaw was that the first illustration proof has the Italian flag red white and green, rather than green white and red. Other than that, changing the tint of the cover and adding a short text on the bottom the front cover was finished.
On the back cover, I wanted to have a muted impression of a grandfather clock visible behind the text. The team at Lulu took a couple tries to get the positioning of the clock correct. The construction of a special heritage clock plays an important part in the story so I wanted to emphasize the significance of the clock on the back cover.