Book Blast & Giveaway: In Search of Recognition by Jim McAllister

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jim McAllister will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In Search of Recognition: The Story of Search and Rescue in British Columbia provides background on why and how organized volunteer search and rescue became a reality in the province, and how search and rescue evolved over many years to meet the increasing demands of finding lost people and rescuing those injured outdoors. The primary focus of the thousands of volunteers is to save the lives of persons lost or injured outdoors; training and fundraising for equipment and other costs also require time and energy. Through personal involvement and references, the author provides insights into how funding and other support for the volunteer service was achieved, through government, responsible agencies, organizations and individuals working together to find ways to assist those who strive "so others may live."

Read an Excerpt

Civil defence continued to be the focus of all levels of government in BC during the 1960s. The cold war standoff between the Soviet Union and the United States and its allies continued to escalate as nuclear capabilities grew. Air raid siren tests were common along with drills in schools in BC. Citizens in Comox were treated to the sights and sounds of Voodoo fighter jets launching to intercept Russian long-distance bombers. The RCAF remained the lead for air and marine search and rescue, from their base on Sea Island. Searches for missing aircraft and vessels in distress were numerous, as technology such as tracking and alerting systems were yet to be developed or in their infancy.

About the Author: Jim McAllister has been involved in search and rescue for over 45 years, starting as a volunteer member in the Rocky Mountains in 1977 with Golden and District SAR and then Cranbrook SAR. He became the SAR specialist for the Province of B.C. in 2002. In 2008, Jim retired from the provincial government as a director with Emergency Management British Columbia and became a volunteer director for special projects with the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association. Jim has been involved with many major projects: the establishment of Avalanche Canada, the updating of volunteer reimbursement rates, the establishment of health and safety guidelines, the formation of a joint health and safety committee, Swiftwater Rescue standards, sustainable funding for search and rescue and the establishment of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Volunteer Memorial. Jim wrote a book on the last project, titled A Monument to Remember, and one on incidents, titled One Week in August: Stories from Search and Rescue in British Columbia.

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1779627394
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/519145.Jim_McAllister

Jim McAllister will be awarding a

$10 Amazon/BN gift card to

a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: Love Letters to Me, Myself and Him by Rayan Khamis

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Rayan Khamis will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

"No two souls meet by accident"

Have you ever felt like you've missed someone you've never met? Like your soul is yearning to meet another soul that fate has destined for you to meet? As I tackle the challenges of everyday life I come to realization that there's a higher power guiding me to my soulmate. These love letters have become my anchor and devotion towards my soulmate though we've never locked eyes. Come on a journey of self- discovery, self- reflection, faith, destiny and hope. Unwind to my truth of what love, guidance and faithfulness means to me.

Read an Excerpt

Dear Rayan

You're going to inspire so many people soon. You will be surprised when you find out how many people want to hear you talk. You’re an artist in so many ways. You’ll be remembered by the things you left behind. You’re going to do so many wonderful things, my love. First and foremost, don’t ever be afraid of crying. No matter where you are, if you need to cry a river, do so. If you don’t like crying alone, make sure you have a trusted friend by your side for comfort; and say, for example, you’re at dinner and something you saw or heard triggers you, go to a quiet area and let it rain. Don’t mix up fear with crying because then you’ll always be afraid. Crying can be therapeutic as well, especially if it’s tears held back from a young age. I have a lot of love for a lot of people and things. I had to grow up and, unfortunately, realize that not everything you love loves you back. I have love for the risk-takers and the hopeless romantic. Sacrifice and love is so beautiful.

About the Author: Rayan, a talented 27-year-old author, hails from Sudan, North Africa. She moved to Canada at the tender age of four, where she has cultivated a unique voice in the literary world. Though she discovered her passion for writing later in life, it was in 2019 that she first picked up a pen to craft love letters, a genre that has since become her signature.

Known for her wit and quiet demeanor around most people, Rayan's true personality shines brightly when she is among her loved ones, where her loud and vibrant nature comes to life. Her writing reflects this duality, blending sharp humour with heartfelt emotion to create deeply resonant works that captivate her readers.

Rayan's journey from Sudan to Canada and her experiences growing up between two cultures provide a rich backdrop for her writing, infusing her love letters with a depth and authenticity that set her apart in the literary scene. As she continues to write and share her stories, Rayan remains a dynamic and compelling voice, one that speaks to the complexities of love, identity, and connection.

Instagram : http://www.instagram.com/rayanroseay
TikTok : http://www.tiktok.com/@aboutusletters

Rayan Khamis will be awarding a

$10 Amazon/BN gift card to a

randomly drawn winner. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast and Giveaway: Only in September by Cynthia Flowers

 

When Jacqueline follows her trusty Labrador Bailey down a hidden path to the beach, she's unaware that her vacation plans on a small island off the New England coast has already taken her life in a new direction. Running into an unassuming local beach comber stirs new thoughts, desires, and a self-determination she never knew she possessed. Jacqueline will need to trust her instincts and make the most of what fate has in store if she wants the future that, until now, she has only dared to dream of. 

Read an Excerpt: 

During their return trip on the trail, they happened upon a series of small cottages. One of them was having exterior repairs done. The sudden screech of a buzz saw gave them a startle. Bailey was off leash and ran over to investigate. Stephen called after her.

The buzz saw suddenly stopped. Then someone from behind the cottage exclaimed, “Hey, I know you.”

The person behind the voice rushed out from behind the cottage and came into view. It was Michael. He looked at Jacqueline. Their eyes locked. She was happy to see him, and he seemed equally pleased to see her. Bailey jumped up on Michael like she had when they first met earlier in the week at the beach.

“Hey, there.” Michael motioned to Jacqueline. His smile was unavoidable.

Jacqueline slowly walked toward him. She didn’t want to seem too eager in front of Stephen.

“Do you two know each other?” Stephen inquired.

“Well, sort of,” Michael said with a chuckle. “We met at the beach the other day. Or, I should say, our dogs met at the beach. We just happened to be tagging along.”

Jacqueline broke her silence and elaborated further about how the pooches got along famously. “I meant to make it to the beach again before setting sail, but the week got away from us.”

“Don’t need to apologize to me. It’s Serendipity you need to square with. But unfortunately, she’s not with me today. Maybe another time,” Michael suggested.

“Considering we’re on the early afternoon ferry tomorrow, I don’t think that’s possible,” Stephen said deliberately and looked at Jacqueline to finish what he started. Instead, she looked down at Bailey to avoid Stephen’s gaze.

“Oh, well, I suspect you’ll be back," Michael shot back. “It’s seldom that someone visits this island only once.”

As they started off, she lingered behind Stephen for a moment to clip Bailey’s collar to the leash and took the opportunity to mouth at Michael, “See you in the morning.”

He acknowledged her invitation with a wink.

PURCHASE FROM AMAZON!

Cynthia Flowers, a recently retired advertising professional, now grant writer, resides with her husband and four-year old Labrador named Eddie, at their “sanctuary” in Upstate New York, Although previously published, this is Cynthia's first book of fiction. Early on in grade school, Cynthia looked forward to creative writing class and enjoyed reading her stories aloud to her eager classmates. 

Cynthia Flowers will be awarding a 

$10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: The Last Door, Ajar by Michael Holly Barrett

 

It is 1945. The infamous Max Smartz, superspy; Eva Braun, wife of Adolf Hitler; Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister; and Otto Klugg, intelligence officer, do not die at the end of World War II, but trick the guards in the Fuhrerbunker tunnels, allowing them to make their escape. Their escape plan is to reach war-neutral Southern Ireland, where Maxwell Smartz has an established base and is familiar with rural south Kerry and its people. They evade capture and eventually reach France. Here, they meet with a good friend and colleague, an undercover agent called Maurice Le Blanc, who asks them to assist him in retrieving some stolen gold bars.

After finding the fortune, the friends attempt to retrieve it in an old Dutch van but are continually thwarted and risk losing everything. To complicate matters, they learn that Max's brother, Victor, has been incarcerated in the notorious Spandau prison and is being tried for Nazi war crimes. They hatch a plot to save him, but is it worth the danger of going back to Berlin and being caught?

Read an Excerpt:

Joseph Goebbels was a German Nazi politician who joined the Nazi party in 1933. He rose to the ranks of Propaganda Minister and Minister of Culture. He was not very tall and had a clubbed foot, which never stopped him thinking big and walking tall. Culture was fine by Goebbels as long as it was German culture, pure Aryan. His henchmen, the Nazis, would gladly kick the shit out of anyone with the slightest notion of foreign culture other than the ‘Only true German culture’. He was responsible for all publicity, films, art, books and newsreels that only showed the best of all that was German. Magda, his wife, was four years younger than him and was an avid supporter of Nazism, and a good friend of both Hitler and his wife, Eva. Eva was quoted as saying, ‘She, Magda, had no compunction about killing her six children, she feared for their safety if they continued to live’. Joseph Goebbels was a brilliant orator; his speeches were full of passion and fire for the Germany he so loved. Hitler loved his friend, Joseph, and his great enthusiasm for rousing the people into action. Now things had changed dramatically — they were losing the war, everything that could go wrong, went wrong The Yanks, English and Russians were all racing towards Berlin looking for scalps, and Joseph, Magda, Hitler and Eva made an unwritten pact not to allow that to happen. They would deny the intruders the pleasure of rolling heads, they were intent on spoiling the party for the allied army.

Purchase Links:

AMAZON.COM: https://amazon.com/dp/177962574X 

AMAZON.CA: https://amazon.ca/dp/177962574X 

BOOKTOPIA: https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=9781779625748 

ABEBOOKS: https://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9781779625748 

BETTERWORLD BOOKS: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/9781779625748 

 

My humble beginnings in a terrace house with an outdoor toilet and indoor rats. The drinking water was got from a public pump in the street. We were all sailing in the Titanic,Third

Class, but we were not aware of anything better. We had so much fun, swimming in the river. As kids we had wonderful imaginations.The only luxuries we ever saw were in the Cinema, usually

 American films, people smoking and drinking alcohol. 

Everyone in the town of County Cork, Ireland seemed to be in the same boat; we made the best of it until the swinging sixties came along and changed everything. In spite of our poverty, I managed to get a College education. But opportunities were as scarce as rich Uncles. The Christian Brothers were brutal, and handy with the cane, in National School. I was lucky like many fellows my own age to get an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic. Soon developed a taste for Alcohol, and got into trouble pretty soon, was lucky again to find A.A. and get my act together in 1978. 

My hero died in 1977, Elvis Presley, the music stopped, the sixties was over, the Beatles were broken up, CCR, too. So getting sober was the best thing to do, under the miserable

 circumstances. I got a job as a Pipe Welder with ASME 1X certificate and began working around Europe, finally settling in warm Spain, Barcelona and met a Catalunya woman. Started writing for the first time, mostly comedies, Peter Sellers style, another hero of mine. 

This is my second published book, I also self published earlier works Like ,'Gorilla Days in Ireland' by Michael Barrett, on Amazon. The Frankie Stein Enigma, and others, I paint oil and acrylic pictures, write mountains of poetry, sing and play the guitar. 

'I do just about everything, that doesn't make any money for me.' But love doing what I do, writing poetry is mind stimulating, energising . 

My favourite actors are William Holden, Warren Oates, Gregory Peck, and favourite detective the great Peter Falk in Columbo, a genius and Clouseau, Peter Sellers, and Peter Ustinov. 

CONNECT WITH Michael Holly Barrett 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100045861996652   

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-barrett-78b686103/

Michael Holly Barrett will be awarding

a $10 Amazon/BN gift card 

to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast and Giveaway: Dishing Love Daily and Other Secret Ingredients by Susanne Clark

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotion. The author will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

 

Dishing Love Daily and Other Secret Ingredients (trademarked in Canada and the US) is more than a cookbook. Chef Suzy shares her collection of cherished recipes that focus on healthy, fresh, easy-to-find ingredients, appealing to both the novice and experienced cook. She will also guide you to and through a revolutionary, adaptable approach to bringing mindfulness and positivity into the kitchen. It's a timely, relevant and original concept in food craft that weaves our energetic imprint into a meal and into the hearts of those who sit at our table. It's a powerful, creative concept in awareness that will transform the everyday endeavour of nourishing our bodies into a life-changing act of nourishing our souls. Come on, let's get dishing!

Read an Excerpt

Choice

At the heart of this cookbook and my life, is one word: choice. It’s also at the heart of yours. This one word has all the power, purpose and potential to create an intention for nourishment and positivity. Ask yourself: What do I bring to the table? What is my purpose? What am I going to cook today? Who am I cooking for? How can I make a difference? Why is this important? Be curious, joyful and open to the inspiration and answers that are on their way. And remember, sweet, beautiful reader, you are an alchemist . . . in your kitchen and beyond. Trust me when I tell you that there is a tangible shift which can be tasted and felt as you learn to trust your power of intention. Honour time, your choices, and their consequences. You are the question and the answer, to what’s cooking in your kitchen and who sits at your table. I’m offering you a new foundation in food-craft that weaves your energetic imprint into the meal and the hearts of those who sit at your table. Come on, let’s dish some love.

Chef Suzy xo

About the Author:

Susanne Clark, a.k.a. Chef Suzy, earned her Red Seal in Culinary Arts in 2009 at SAIT in Calgary, Canada, apprenticing at Hotel Arts under the talented supervision of Duncan Ly and Karine Moulin. Upon graduation, Chef Suzy established Magnifique Cuisine, a successful catering business in the Calgary area. She also worked full time as the in-house executive chef for one of Canada's original Dragons' Den entrepreneurs, W. Brett Wilson, cooking for his Home Office team and a global circle of business and community leaders, artists and celebrities.

Suzy's first and continuing career as a mother of four empowered and vibrant daughters formed her vision of food as an expression of love and a foundation for healing and sustaining our most important relationships. Suzy loves to travel and seeks out every opportunity to enjoy culinary experiences around the world. She has been married to the love of her life, Richard, for 36 years.

Book Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dishing.love.daily
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefsuzyclark
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dishing.love.daily
Twitter: https://x.com/chefsuzyclark
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanne-clark-04a73157

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: Mama Dida by Leonida Teohari

 

After experiencing the second world war tragedies and living through the socio political changes in Romania, grand-pa Aurel and grand-ma Dida for the love of their beloved grandchildren Darius and Anna, decided to leave family, friends and everything they built in Romania and start a new life in Canada. Nadia Comaneci incredible gymnastic success at the Olympic games in Montreal was what they knew at the time about Canada. Grand-pa Aurel and grand-ma Dida’s courage and personal sacrifices were the foundation for the education Darius and Anna accessed in Toronto and the life they enjoyed in Canada. The book presents real events and is based on a true story.

Read an excerpt!

After we came back to Constanta, Mother Voica was introduced to Mr. George whom we the children use to call Uncle George. 

Uncle George was a good man who loved my mother and loved us. Uncle George was from Suditi village in Ialomita County. His family was financially well established so they sent George to a theological seminary to become a priest. After studying for two years, Uncle George decided that becoming a priest was not his vocation; his dream was to see the world. 

Uncle George left the seminary and got a job on a commercial ship as a simple sailor. Now he was a free man able to travel and read without religious restrictions. Uncle George was an incredible reader – books, newspapers, anything that he was able to get his hands on. Mother Voica used to call it the reading virus. Unfortunately, while reading, he was smoking nonstop. Most importantly, when he married Mother Voica, Uncle George saved our lives.

Purchase from...

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mama-dida-teohari/1143605702

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mama-dida

Amazon for 99 cents: https://amzn.to/3DIRJdh 

About the author

Leo Teohari was born in Constanta, Romania. Leo holds both a law degree and a degree in international economics. Leo defected from Communist Romania in 1980, and settled with his family in Toronto, Canada, where he became a businessman. Today he writes about his experiences and runs an international food trade business. In 2004 he published his first book, Hawala, based on a true story about a government cover-up and diversion related to the Romanian revolution in 1989.

Giveaway!!!

The author will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Enter below for your chance to win. 

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blurb Blitz & Giveaway: Under the Cloud by B.R. Erlank

They call themselves The Settlement Bureau. A faceless, soulless organization coercing individuals with threats to expose their improprieties and vulnerabilities. Inhumanely persistent, they’ve secretly driven hundreds of victims into bankruptcy, despair – and several even to suicide.

But when this organization tries to blackmail IT expert Terry Reynolds, they make a serious mistake. Terry is down on his luck. He is penniless, divorced and in a dead-end job. Yet, the abuse of his personal information stirs Terry out of his lethargy and he fights back. He embarks on a digital game of cat-and-mouse with the cold, calculating minds behind The Settlement Bureau – and in doing so, uncovers a sprawling criminal conspiracy.

Under The Cloud is a chillingly plausible new thriller by B.R. Erlank. With a plot ripped straight from the headlines, advance readers warn, “this book delivers a roller coaster ride right up to the final pages.” 

Read an excerpt: 

Rajiv looked Terry directly in the eyes, “Tell me, how would you use our tools and data to improve the risk management at a bank?” 

Terry walked to the window from where he could see the Bank of America pyramid in the fading light. Down below, cars and people were bustling along the street. Lights in various glass towers twinkled in random geometric patterns. Not random, Terry thought, in fact, quite the opposite. 

He said, “What if I told you that it is entirely predictable when each light in that apartment complex will be turned on?” 

Rajiv made an encouraging gesture. 

“It’s really quite simple. All you need is to cross-reference the identities of the occupants with their smartphone or Fitbit geo data. If you then pulled in data from their car or even air travel, you could get longer-range predictions. Imagine what that could do for security and law enforcement. If anyone doesn’t show up where they’re supposed to be, instantaneous action can be taken. 

“Now imagine the same principles applied to managing banking risk. By analyzing the individual's personal and professional issues, you can update the risk profile in real-time. A car accident, job loss, an expensive health issue in the family, a child having to repeat a year at college. These are all predictors of financial risk. But to date, it simply hasn’t been possible to integrate that data fast enough to be meaningful. Well, now it is – we make it possible.” 

Rajiv slowly clapped his hands and said, “Do it exactly like that tonight.” 

Terry gaped, “What? Me?” 

“You come across fresh, unrehearsed, authentic – that’s exactly what I want for the presentation to the bank.”

Purchase from Amazon. Click here!

Boris Erlank grew up in Southern Africa. He has lived and worked in places as diverse as Luanda, Cape Town, Singapore and San Francisco. Boris recently gave up his job as Global Privacy Manager with a Fortune 100 company to focus on writing full-time.

He has an extensive background in IT, data privacy and cybersecurity, and has drawn on that experience to craft his latest novel, Under the Cloud. His previous novel, Catch You Later, is a murder mystery set in Cape Town.

Boris lives with his family and two dogs in the foothills of Mount Diablo, east of San Francisco. He likes to cycle and hike. “Those solitary pursuits give me time to dream up the characters and plots for my novels,” he says. Boris also enjoys choir singing, travel, and listening to audiobooks.

Website: www.brerlank.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082184847881

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boris-erlank/

B.R. Erlank will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: Avalon by Vanessa Morgan

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Vanessa Morgan will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Avalon is now also available in French!

Some cats need nine lives to make a difference. Avalon only needed one.

From Amazon bestselling author Vanessa Morgan, Avalon is the heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story of a girl and her neurotic Turkish Van cat.

With humor, the author details how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw her dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for her to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even the landlord ordered to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon's demonic boisterousness, Vanessa recognized her own flaws and insecurities, and she understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst she could do to him. Thanks to her unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for his human companion.

Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever been obsessively in love with a pet.

Read an Excerpt

Around three o’clock that night, Avalon was fed up with the strange man in his bed. He plonked his rear down on Gilles’ pillow, complaining fretfully in his ear while tapping him on the face.

After nearly an hour of incessant wailing and poking, more drastic measures were required. The new solution: pushing Gilles out of bed.

Avalon succeeded.

Climbing back under the covers wasn’t an option. Unable to sleep, Gilles got up. "I guess I didn't pass the test."

"Give Avalon some time. Maybe he was just irked because you took his side of the bed."

But Gilles had already understood that this wasn't going to be a one-time event.

For several minutes, Gilles and Avalon sized each other up. Then Gilles said, "I’d better leave the two of you alone now. It’s clearly what the little guy wants."

I swear I could see Avalon smirking when Gilles put on his jacket and left.

Instantly, Avalon leapt onto me, and compensated for the evening before. He entered a kiss-induced trance. This cat was all about exclusivity, and when granted that exclusivity, his love was immense.

"Are you really that happy that Gilles is gone?"

In reply, Avalon looked at me with swoony eyes and purred loudly, then swatted out his paw to urge me to continue to pet him, which I did.

A phone call interrupted our tender moment. It was Gilles.

"There won't be any train to Brussels for hours," he said. "Is it okay if I come back to your place for a while?"

"Of course." His return would offend Avalon, but I couldn’t possibly leave Gilles outside in the rain for several hours.

As soon as Gilles appeared at the front door, Avalon’s pupils widened to a pitch black.

Let's see who's the boss here, he seemed to be thinking.

Being a cat of action, Avalon went through his usual attention-seeking routine: making a selection of irritating noises, scratching the wallpaper, and pushing objects to the ground.

When that didn't work, Avalon opened Gilles' overnight bag and threw out a piece of clothing. His eyes so dark and evil they could be gateways to hell, Avalon stared at his adversary and waited for a reaction. He then pulled out a box of gel wax. Again, he looked up at Gilles to make sure he understood that all this bungling was meant to get a message across. A third object followed, then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, until there was nothing.

Hell-bent on winning the game, Avalon took Gilles' coat in his mouth and towed it toward the front door. There, he used his right paw to tap the keys hanging from the wooden doorframe.

Avalon’s message couldn’t be any clearer: there was room for only one man in my life. A feline one.

About the Author:

Vanessa Morgan is the editor of the movie reference guides When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, Strange Blood: 71 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampire Movies, and Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children. She also has had one cat book (Avalon) and four supernatural thrillers (Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside, A Good Man, and Clowders) published. Three of her stories have been turned into movies. She has written for myriad Belgian magazines and newspapers and introduces movie screenings at several European film festivals. She is also a programmer for the Offscreen Film Festival in Belgium. When she's not working on her latest book, you can find her reading, watching movies, eating out, or photographing felines for her blog Traveling Cats.

Blog
Amazon
Twitter
Pinterest
Facebook

The French version of the book can be purchased at Amazon for only $0.99.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: Black Magic Murder by Polly Holmes

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Polly Holmes will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Careful what you wish for!

Graduating to a fully-fledged witch on my upcoming birthday should be a momentous occasion, but when a local hairdresser turns up dead, I know it’s going to be one hell of a week.

Saltwater Cove’s resident infuriating fae looks like a good suspect for the murder, but insists she’s innocent and reveals a huge secret too amazing to be a lie. But if she didn’t do it… then who did?

The murder triggers the return of a dark force… dark enough to send even the most experienced witches into panic mode. Harriet, Jordi and Tyler join me as I try to find the culprit, putting my magical abilities to the ultimate test.

When the killer strikes even closer to home, I need to up my game if I’m going to keep evil at bay.…or have I finally met my supernatural match?

Read an Excerpt

A vibration jumped my phone across the dresser followed by a chorus of Dance Monkey. I picked it up to see Jordi’s smile plastered on the screen.

Now what?

“Hello, Jordi. Did you forget something?” I asked, prepared for a quick talking answer.

“Um, no not really.”

The awkward tone in her voice put me on edge. My free hand gripped the edge of the dresser. “Jordi, what’s wrong?”

“I think we have a problem,” she said, an urgency in her tone that sent my blood cold.

“What are you talking about?”

“I was on my way home and drove past Salty Snips. There were police cars with sirens and flashing lights, and they’d cordoned off the entrance with tape.”

Please don’t say it. Please don’t say it.

“Being the sticky beak that I am, I pulled over to check it out. Although they won’t confirm it, I think you better get over here and fast. I believe we have a murderer loose in Saltwater Cove.”

She said it.

Jordi wasn’t wrong. As I turned down the road toward Salty Snips, blue and red police lights flashed while sirens pierced the air. A pile of cars had blocked off different parts of the street and the entrance to the hairdresser. That didn’t stop the nosy onlookers from planting themselves at any available advantage point, mobile phones ready to take a photo or recording of what or who was the main attraction.

I pulled to the curb in the first available parking spot and grabbed my phone to call Jordi. I needn’t have bothered; she was on a beeline for my car. My stomach tensed as I got out to greet her.

Three days out from my birthday and we have a new dead body in town. And I didn’t even need a party! 

About the Author:

Polly Holmes is the cheeky, sassy alter ego of Amazon best-selling author, P.L. Harris. When she's not writing her next romantic suspense novel as P.L. Harris, she is planning the next murder in one of Polly’s cozy mysteries. She pens food-themed and paranormal cozy mysteries and publishes her books solely with Gumnut Press.

As Polly Holmes, Cupcakes and Corpses was a finalist in the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America’s 2019 IDA International Digital Awards, short suspense category. Cupcakes and Curses claimed second place and Cupcakes and Cyanide gained third place making it a clean sweep in the category.

She won silver in the 2020 ROAR! National Business Awards in the Writer/Blogger/Author category and for the second year in a row, she was a finalist in the 2021 ROAR! National Business Awards winning bronze in the Writer/Blogger/Author category with Gumnut Press taking out the gold in the Hustle and Heart category.

2022 saw Polly Holmes’ books Muffins & Magic and Mistletoe, Murder & Mayhem long-listed in the Davitt Awards, a prestigious award run by the Sisters of Crime, Australia. Muffins & Magic also placed in the finals of the cozy mystery category in the Nashville Silver Falchion Awards. She lives in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, with her Bichon Frise, Bella.

Website
Facebook
Readers Group
Instagram

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: In the Mood by M W Arnold

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M W Arnold will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

During a hectic couple of weeks in February 1944, the girls of the Air Transport Auxiliary Mystery Club must face devastating personal loss amongst their number. A member of an illegal faction blackmails Betty, whilst a mystery at Mary's ancestral home threatens to cause more trouble than anyone thought possible. In the midst of what should be the happiest of times, the portents seem to be catching up and little is what it seems to be. Can the girls find the strength to battle forces both internal and external, yet still maintain their dignity and friendship?

Read an Excerpt

After lowering the shoebox into the newly dug hole behind Riverview Cottage, Walter stood up straight again.

“Over to you, Ruth,” he said, bowing his head.

Ruth nodded, bowed her head, and clasped her hands before her. “Dear Lord, in whom we trust and worship, accept this, a symbolic foot, to your mercy. Look over my son in his time of need, all his friends, and the subjects of His Majesty, King George the Sixth. Amen.”

“Amen,” Walter echoed and handed Ruth a trowel.

Bending down, Ruth shoveled some dirt over the box before passing the tool back to Walter, who did the same. Turning around, Ruth called for Bobby and placed him on the leash once he came to a halt at her ankles. Walter now filled in the rest of the hole and patted it down with the back of the trowel.

Dusting some dirt off his knees, Walter got to his feet. “Ready for work?”

Ruth cast one glance down at the small mound of earth. “I suppose.”

“There’s the enthusiasm I love!” he joked, offering Ruth his arm.

Taking it, Ruth led him toward the side entrance with Bobby pulling on his leash, eager for an early morning walk. Squeezing Walter’s hand, Ruth told him, “At least I can put in my next letter to my son that we’ve held a funeral for his foot. I feel a little guilty, as it’s a while now since I told him I’d do one.”

PURCHASE FROM

Amazon

iBooks

Barnes and Noble 

M W Arnold lives near Northampton, UK and is known to his family and friends as, Mick. He was in the Royal Air Force for 16 years, visiting many different countries and very much enjoying himself. If he ever meets the Queen, he will have to thank her. He began writing as these characters needed their own voices. For a few years now, he's been a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, a wonderful group of writers who've welcomed this bloke into their fold with open arms.

Amazon Author Page
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway: An Amish Christmas Star by Shelley Shepard Gray, Charlotte Hubbard, and Rosalind Lauer

 

The crisp fragrance of pine trees and the warm spice of fresh cookies aren’t the only blessings that Christmas brings, and no one knows more about happy homecomings than three couples who are celebrating the greatest gift of all . . . 

STAR OF WONDER by Charlotte Hubbard 

When Raymond Overholt comes to Promise Lodge, hoping to sell the barnboard signs he’s painted with stars and Christmas messages, spirited young Mennonite Lizzie Zehr is intrigued. But any courtship between them will face fierce opposition from the bishop of Raymond’s Old Order community—unless someone can convince him that at the heart of faith lies love . . .

Read an excerpt from "Star of Wonder"

After a deadly dull Monday morning of filling small plastic containers with colored sugars and Christmas jimmies, Lizzie Zehr loaded them onto her wheeled cart and headed into the main room of Promise Lodge’s new bulk store. It was boring work, all that scooping and labeling—repetitive and downright lonely, being stuck back in the warehouse by herself.

But compared to slaving in her older sister Maria’s bakery or, for years before that, running the household for their eldest, crippled sister, Malinda, it was a piece of cake.

And because Dale Kraybill was paying her, it was freedom. This job was her ticket to independence, an escape from the two bossy sisters who’d been running her ragged for most of her eighteen years. Their parents had passed when she was very young, so Lizzie’s sisters had raised her as best they could—and they expected her to be grateful. She was, of course. But she was also really tired of being at their beck and call.

Lizzie’s thoughts shifted into a higher gear the moment she spotted the guy who was talking to Dale. The two fellows were hanging wooden signboards, which caught her eye because of their sparkly gold stars—but the shimmer of their glittery paint paled the moment the younger fellow turned around. In his green paisley shirt, red jeans, and backswept black hair, he looked anything but Plain, and when he met her gaze through his red-framed glasses, Lizzie immediately knew they were soul mates. Like her, this free spirit was gnashing at the bit and refusing to conform to the religious limitations he’d been raised with.

Like her, he wanted out.

“Hey there,” he said. His voice, barely audible from across the cavernous room, spoke volumes to Lizzie’s restless heart. 

Afraid to say something stupid, she merely nodded and held his gaze. She heard the secretive whisper of soft, small objects hitting a hard surface—or maybe it was the feathery swishing of angels’ wings—

“Lizzie, watch what—you’re spilling jimmies all over the floor!” Dale cried out.

She blinked. She had no memory of picking up a container, just as she didn’t realize she’d been squeezing it so tightly that the lid had popped off. The sight of red and green jimmies bouncing off her bare feet—she wore flip-flops year-round to show off her painted toenails—was suddenly the funniest thing she’d ever seen. As Lizzie sprinted into the warehouse for a broom, her laughter filled the store.

Her life was finally taking a turn for the better. She just knew it.

Purchase from

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble  

Kensington Publishing   

Walmart  

Apple Books 

 As you know, I've been reading this book. While all three stories have different characters placed into different circumstances, these seasonal stories all capture faith, love, and the spirit of the season. Look for my full review coming soon.  

In 1983, Charlotte Hubbard sold her first story to True Story. She wrote around 70 of those confession stories, and she’s sold more than 60 books to traditional or online publishers. A longtime resident of Missouri, she’s currently writing Amish romances set in imaginary Missouri towns for Kensington. She now lives in Omaha, NE with her husband of 40+ years and their Border collie, Vera.

www.charlottehubbard.com

Facebook -- www.Facebook.com/Charlotte.Hubbard1

Charlotte Hubbard will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Making Christmas/Santa Baby Book Blast & Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Nancy Fraser and Peggy Jaeger will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to our 1980’s Dickens Christmas stories!

Two sweet vintage romances set in the New England town of Dickens where small town charm is on full, holiday display.

Both stories are prequels to stories found in last year’s holiday anthology, Christmas Comes to Dickens. Beginning October 18th, the Ladies of Dickens will release six brand-new, full-length Dickens holiday romances (one per week) to celebrate the season.

In the meantime, we hope you’ll enjoy Making Christmas by Author Nancy Fraser and Santa Baby by Author Peggy Jaeger. Both are guaranteed to whet your holiday appetites for what’s to come!

*****

Making Christmas by Nancy Fraser

A 1980s Vintage Romance ...

It’s been five years since William Barrett returned to Dickens to take over as CEO of Wil-Bar Toys. He’s spent these past years helping build Wil-Bar into a leader in creative, handmade toys. His work ethic and drive has left him little time for a personal life. Or, perhaps he’s still pining for the one who got away.

Catherine Gates moved away from Dickens six years earlier. Now a staff reporter for a woman’s magazine, she’s returning to Dickens to do a story on Wil-Bar Toys new production methods and get the scoop on their upcoming holiday line.

When Will and Cat meet up again for the first time in years, it’s as if they’ve never been apart. Rekindling their friendship, and attraction, becomes more important than Cat’s article, or even the secrecy of the new toy lines.

Can these two childhood friends make up for lost time and pursue the romance they missed out on years earlier? Or, will Cat’s story expose too much and put them at odds with one another?

***

Santa Baby by Peggy Jaeger

It’s Christmas Eve morning in the tiny New England town of Dickens.

Santa’s arrival is imminent, and a hint of snow is in the air.

Amy Dorrit is just about to open her popular diner for the breakfast rush when she discovers an abandoned baby on her back doorstep.

Amy knows she should call the authorities and turn the infant over to them, but she just can’t. Thoughts of her own abandonment as a baby flood through her and she wants to keep the little one out of the hands of the authorities until the mother – hopefully –returns.

But will the mom come back? And if she doesn’t, what is Amy prepared to do about the baby who has, already, claimed her heart?

Read an Excerpt from Santa Baby

As she moved through the breezeway connecting the diner to her apartment, Amy heard a mewling sound at the back alley door. Her cook, Willie, often left scraps out for strays, especially in winter, and sometimes when she took the trash out at the end of the day, Amy would find a mamma cat searching for something to feed her kittens.

Amy opened the door, expecting to see a hungry animal looking for a handout, and got the shock of the century when she found a baby carrier, complete with a crying infant nestled in it.

She gasped, her head flicking right, then left, to find the person responsible for leaving a baby out in the frigid night air.

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

The still sleeping and silent town surrounded her as shoe impressions in the fresh snow indicated the baby hadn’t been there for long.

The infant’s howl echoed in the quiet.

“Oh, you poor thing. Let’s get you out of the cold.”

About the Authors:

NANCY FRASER—Jumping Across Romance Genres with Gleeful Abandon—is an Amazon Top 100 and Award-Winning author who can’t seem to decide which romance genre suits her best. So, she writes them all.

Like most authors, Nancy began writing at an early age, usually on the walls and with crayons or, heaven forbid, permanent markers. Her love of writing often made her the English teacher’s pet which, of course, resulted in a whole lot of teasing. Still, it was worth it.

Nancy has published over forty books in full-length, novella, and short format. When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.

Website: http://www.nancyfraser.ca
Facebook: http://facebook.com/nancyfraserauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/nfraserauthor \

Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/profile/nancy-fraser
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Fraser/e/B004AOL61Y
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7206382.Nancy_Fraser
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3gC68iMStwKCr4v_S6fMIA
Newletter Sign Up: http://eepurl.com/bxkKvD

***

Peggy Jaeger is a contemporary romance writer who writes Romantic Comedies about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can’t live without them. If she can make you cry on one page and bring you out of tears rolling with laughter the next, she’s done her job as a writer!

Family and food play huge roles in Peggy’s stories because she believes there is nothing that holds a family structure together like sharing a meal…or two…or ten. Dotted with humor and characters that are as real as they are loving, she brings all topics of daily life into her stories: life, death, sibling rivalry, illness and the desire for everyone to find their own happily ever after. Growing up the only child of divorced parents she longed for sisters, brothers and a family that vowed to stick together no matter what came their way. Through her books, she’s created the families she wanted as that lonely child.

When she’s not writing Peggy is usually painting, crafting, scrapbooking or decoupaging old steamer trunks she finds at rummage stores and garage sales.

As a lifelong diarist, she caught the blogging bug early on, and you can visit her at peggyjaeger.com where she blogs daily about life, writing, and stuff that makes her go "What??!"

Website and Blog: http://peggyjaeger.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Peggy-Jaeger-Author/825914814095072
Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggy_jaeger
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13478796.Peggy_Jaeger
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/peggy-jaeger
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDR8RRIlssIyS0FYZWeGqsg/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peggyjaeger_author/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/peggyjaeger/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peggy-jaeger-296ab878/
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00T8E5LN0
Authors database: https://authorsdb.com/community/15814-peggy-jaeger
Triberr: https://triberr.com/tribe/strong-women--loving-men

Universal Purchase Links:

Making Christmas https://books2read.com/MakeXMas
Santa Baby https://books2read.com/u/3R8lVG

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1566764279
BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/making-christmas-nancy-fraser/1139435151
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/making-christmas-3
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/making-christmas-a-dickens-holiday-romance-prequel-by-nancy-fraser

Making Christmas Trailer: https://youtu.be/PzzY7komw-I
Making Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle Link: https://bit.ly/33wkGqI

Santa Baby Trailer Link: https://youtu.be/8_MbnzNIlrg
Santa Baby Jigsaw Puzzle Link: https://bit.ly/2RaZBzj

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast: Truffle Me Not by M.K. Scott

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M.K. Scott will be awarding a $40 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The future of Cupid’s Catering Company hangs in the balance. With a rival bakery, owned by the queen of all mean, rich girls, Della is at a distinct disadvantage.

Della hinges her financial future on winning the local truffle contest. As if there wasn’t enough on her mind, additional problems arise, including missing cats, jewel thieves, and her desperate attempt to find the incredibly kind man who’d lent her hand when she had tire trouble.

Can she solve all these problems and find time to whip up a cookbook at the same time?

Read an Excerpt

Donning rubber gloves, Della tackled the dirty dishes, indulging in an impromptu trip down memory lane. Even though it was more than a decade ago, every now and then, the memories of not quite fitting in no matter what she did came back. Her school broke down into cliques with the predominant ones being jocks, popular kids, and the hipsters, plus everyone else that didn’t merit a label. As for the jocks, their name said it all while the popular kids were a little harder to define. Sure, it was easy to know who they were, but what made them popular was difficult to pinpoint. Most came from powerful, affluent families that usually had a member on the school board. This often translated into starring roles in the school play or being on the first string in athletics.

Thanks to a cyber security assembly in middle school at which her father presented the other students knew her father as that cop. It resulted in Della getting the side-eye now and then, especially if other students happened to be talking about underage parties. Every party that was busted somehow got laid on Della’s doorstep. Never mind the fact her detective father didn’t take noise complaints associated with teen parties. They assumed she told. Not sure how they came to that conclusion, when she’d never been invited. Not once did the partiers ever consider that deafening music, the abundance of cars, and raucous behavior might have resulted in irate neighbors calling the police.

Some kids might have let it go, but not Lacey. Just her name had Della gritting her teeth. Small town life had its share of mean girls who aged into entitled, mean women. Lacey had to be the queen of them all. For most, being beautiful, wealthy, and the topic of most conversations would be enough. Even with everyone treating the woman like royalty, Della could tolerate it if her royal meanness stayed far, far away.

That was why a woman’s condescending tone reaching into the kitchen and might as well pinched Della. “Oh, how quaint!”

Her head jerked up, and the pan slipped from her fingers. A shiver raced up her spine. No, it couldn’t be. Better check it to be sure. There had to more than one snotty female in town. Her athletic shoes allowed her to creep across the kitchen floor without making a sound. Whoever was out there would say something else, dispelling the possibility it was Lacey. Why would Lacey even visit her modest bakery?

About the Author: M. K. Scott is the husband and wife writing team behind The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries and The Talking Dog Detective Agency. Morgan K Wyatt is the general wordsmith, while her husband, Scott, is the grammar hammer and physics specialist. He uses his engineering skills to explain how fast a body falls when pushed over a cliff and various other felonious activities. The Internet and experts in the field provide forensic information, while the recipes and B and B details require a more hands-on approach. Morgan’s daughter, who manages a hotel, provides guest horror stories to fuel the plot lines. The couple’s dog, Chance, is the inspiration behind Jasper, Donna’s dog. Overall, both are fun series to create and read.

Website: http://www.morgankwyatt.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorMorganKWyatt
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/morgankwyatt
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5826299.Morgan_K_Wyatt
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/morgankwyatt/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/M-K-Scott/e/B01M4JGK1A/

The book will be on sale for $0.99 on the day of the tour.

https://www.amazon.com/Truffle-Cupids-Catering-Company-Book-ebook/dp/B08Y771ZR8

a Rafflecopter giveaway