Book Blast and Giveaway!: The Call to Authorship by Tim Lindsay

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tim W. Lindsay 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.

Embrace the call to authorship: 10 steps to leverage the power of a book!

Books help people—they inform, inspire, and engage. Books are also a powerful force for those who write them. Publishing a book builds your authority, sharpens your thinking, and opens doors to media exposure, speaking engagements, partnerships, and more.

Despite the greater accessibility of publishing than ever before, many would-be authors hesitate. They get stuck with self-doubt or believe producing a book is incompatible with a busy life. They may start writing but don't finish. Or they finish but don't publish or market their books.

The truth? With a little dedicated time, consistent effort, and the right guidance, anyone can publish a book that changes lives for the better. And they should.

Put down your phone. Take the leap from consumer to creator!

This step-by-step guide will show you how to:
- Use a one-page tool to clarify your goals, target audience and plan.
- Craft an outline that drives your manuscript forward.
- Overcome mental roadblocks and craft habits to finish your first draft in months, not years—even with a busy schedule.
- Select a publishing model, refine your manuscript, and make informed design and distribution decisions.
- Employ promotional strategies to achieve goals that transcend royalties.

Become more than you are. Have courage. Commit to growth by authoring a book, strengthening your ability to serve. Write with purpose. Publish for impact!

Bonus for book professionals: Special content for book coaches, editors, and ghostwriters—those helping ordinary people become extraordinary authors.

Read an Excerpt

We live in an age of swipes, scrolls and soundbites, where attention is fragmented and surface-level engagement is the norm. In such a world, choosing to sit down and write is bold indeed.

Writing a book is an act of meaning-making. It’s how we wrestle with ideas, make sense of experience, and speak into the noise with words that are considered and enduring. It takes courage to believe that your words matter. It takes character to see them through and shape them into a book.

That journey often begins with a spark. Maybe you’ve been through something, built something, learned something—and now you feel the quiet tug: This should be a book.

But with that tug often comes hesitation: Who am I to write this? Will anyone care? I’ve heard those doubts from countless aspiring authors through my work at Tellwell, where we’ve helped thousands turn that first spark into a finished book. And I’ve watched them write anyway. What followed was often extraordinary.

For Cindy Cherry, that moment came unexpectedly. For years she resisted writing a book about her father, Don Cherry, the outspoken hockey commentator who became a household name in Canada. She feared a memoir about her dad might seem biased, or worse, opportunistic. But everything changed when a Google Alert lit up her phone screen: a news organization was praising the Western Hockey League for cutting ties with Don following what she calls “Poppygate,” and for erasing his name from an organ-donation campaign he had helped champion, raising nearly half a million dollars. This cause was close to Cindy’s heart. As a teenager, she had donated one of her kidneys to her younger brother.

She realized that the public narrative was being written in a way that dishonoured the man she knew and loved.

About the Author:

Tim Lindsay founded Tellwell in 2015. Since then, he and his team have guided some 5,000 authors, including entrepreneurs, professional speakers, coaches, consultants, experts, course creators, community builders, religious and nonprofit leaders, Indigenous organizations, athletes, influencers, and everyday citizens.

Website: http://www.Tellwellpublishing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tellwellpublishing/
Tellwell - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@tellwellpublishing
Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1834180422

Follow the tour and comment for more chances to win! 

Tim's tour dates can be found at: https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2026/07/book-blast-call-to-authorship-how-and.html

Book Spotlight: Cinder Bella by Kathleen Shoop

She never had anything and he lost everything, but together they create a Christmas to remember.

 

Title: CINDER BELLA ('TIS THE SEASON BOOK 3)

Author: Kathleen Shoop

Publisher: Independent

Pages: 228

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, Kindle / FREE on Kindle Unlimited

She never had anything.

He lost everything.

Together they create a Christmas to remember.

December, 1893–Shadyside, Pennsylvania

Bella Darling lives in a cozy barn at Maple Grove, an estate owned by industrialist Archibald Westminster. The Westminster family is stranded overseas and have sent word to relieve all employees of their duties except Margaret, the pregnant maid, James the butler, and Bella. Content with borrowed books and a toasty home festooned with pine boughs and cinnamon sticks, she coaxes the old hens to lay eggs–extraordinary eggs. Bella yearns for just one thing—someone to share her life with. Always inventive, she has a plan for that. She just needs the right egg into the hands of the right man.

Bartholomew Baines, a Harvard-educated banker, is reeling in the aftermath of his bank’s collapse. With his friends and fiancé ostracizing him for what he thought was an act of generosity, he is penniless and alone. A kind woman welcomes him into her boarding house under conditions that he reluctantly accepts. Completely undone by his current, lowly position, and by the motley crew of fellow boarders who view him as one of them, Bartholomew wrestles with how to rebuild.

With the special eggs as the impetus, the first meeting between Bella and Bartholomew gives each the wrong idea about the other. And when the boarding house burns down a week before Christmas it’s Bella who is there to lend a hand. She, Margaret, and James invite the homeless group to stay at the estate through the holidays. But as Christmas draws closer, eviction papers arrive. Maple Grove is being foreclosed upon. Can Bella work her magic and save their Christmas? Is the growing attraction between Bella and Bartholomew enough for them to see past their differences? 

Read a sample.

Cinder Bella is available at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble & Kobo. 

Book Excerpt

Chapter 4

Bartholomew

He didn’t know how long he’d been daydreaming before excited murmurs drew him back to the line he was standing in and his assigned errand. So distracted by his childhood memories, he hadn’t even noticed the egg girl arriving and fitting her bin into the table space the bread lady had cleared. But he did watch as the bread lady hugged the egg lady and though he could see her only from behind, he could tell the egg girl was much younger. A scuffle in the line drew his attention to two women in front of him, one shouldering ahead of another for the “best selection of the special eggs.”

The dustup died down when the bread lady huddled up to referee. The egg girl was prancing away looking like she had the world on a leash, like he used to feel every day. Imagine feeling like that in such dire times. He watched those ahead of him gently place eggs in their baskets, only permitted to select twelve at most. None of them picked up eggs and weighed them in their palm. Choosing in the hopes of winning a double yolk was apparently only the desire of Mrs. Tillman and as he inched closer to his turn he was growing more self-conscious about what he had been commissioned to do.

When it was his turn he followed his orders, picking up each egg, closing his eyes and feeling the weight or whatever in his palm before either placing the egg back in the box and selecting another or putting it into the basket.

When he’d gotten to egg number six the woman behind him pinched the back of his arm. Not that it hurt through layers of clothing, but it startled him. “What?”

“What is right, all right. Think I got all day and night to wait for you to court each egg like it’s the princess you’re taking to the Christmas ball?”

He flinched and stared at the woman. Sooty cheeks and raw hands gave her station in life away. And her treatment of him caused him to lose any chance of responding. How dare she?

“Cat got your tongue, fancy pants? Let’s go or I’ll butt right in front of you.”

“Yeah, get the lead out,” another voice came from farther down the line.

“Ain’t got all day, sailor,” a third heckler joined in.

He lifted his basket. “I’ve been issued specific instructions for—”

A snowball smacked into his back, shutting him up. He spun around and scanned the crowd for who’d thrown it.

“See, even people not in line with us are tired of your mouth. Move it.” The woman behind him held his gaze.

He’d never felt so… he didn’t even know how to describe how this treatment made him feel. He tried to stop himself from rattling off the specifics of his resume and instead went with the general query of, “Don’t you know who I am?”

Another snowball thwapped his back.

“A regular jackass,” someone said from down the line.

He turned again to see who’d hit him with the snowball and the woman behind him used the opening to slide in front. He turned back and stuck his hand into the box, blocking her out. “I’ll hurry. Just let me get the other six.”

She crossed her arms, the baskets resting in the crook of each bent elbow. “Six seconds for six eggs. Get on with it, moneybags.”

“Thank you,” he said. He reached for an egg and lifted it in his palm as he had the others.

The woman started counting one, two, three and the rest of the line joined in. They were serious about him moving quicker. Mrs. Tillman would just have to understand. He didn’t doubt they’d toss him out of line if he didn’t just pluck eggs from the box and move on. And so he did. The last thing he wanted was to break eggs and have to shovel coal or something to make up for it when he got back to Mrs. Tillman’s.

“I have things to do, too, you know,” Bartholomew said. “You folks aren’t the only ones with obligations and—”

“Yeah, whada you have to do today, change into other pairs of fancy pants another three times before burrowing into a bed laid with golden goose feathers?” the woman who’d pinched him asked.

His tongue tied, but he didn’t stop himself from responding. “Uh…”

“Uh? Smoke a pipe of the finest tobacco? Yeah, what else? Sit all day with the paper while someone shines your shoes?” another voice from down the line said.

He straightened, face burning hot, blindly plucking eggs from the pile and placing them into his sack. All of those things would have been fairly close to his daily life before. Before it all crashed around him. “No. Newspapers, yes, but for the market reports and…” Suddenly his studying the news of the day seemed like a luxury instead of the work it was when pronouncing the task to the particular crew waiting in line. Suddenly, he had no words at all. “Forget it.” It was as though none of them knew he was a nice guy. It was as though they assumed he’d done something awful—that it was written across his forehead. He hesitated before moving to pay, considering whether to give them an education in all his achievements and good works. But the woman muscling past him sapped the last bit of energy he had that morning.

He paid and stalked away having been saturated with enough degradation to last the day, to last a century.

– Excerpted from Cinder Bella by Kathleen Shoop, Independent, 2021. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Bestselling author Kathleen Shoop, PhD writes historical fiction, women’s fiction, and romance. Shoop’s novels have garnered awards in the Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY), Eric Hoffer Book Awards, Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and more. You can find Kathleen in person at various venues. She’s on the board of the Kerr Memorial Museum, teaches at writing/reader conferences, co-coordinates Mindful Writers Retreats and writing conferences, and gives talks at various book clubs, libraries, and historical societies.

Sign up for her newsletter at www.kshoop.com. 

Visit her website at www.kshoop.com or connect with her on X, Facebook, Instagram, BookBub, TikTok and Goodreads.

Cinder Bella is available at Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble & Kobo. 

Sponsored By:

Interview with David Tindell, Author of The Silver Falcon

 

David Tindell lives in northwest Wisconsin, where he dabbles in radio, trains in the martial arts and studies the warrior ethos. His White Vixen and Quest series have earned stellar reviews. With his wife Sue he travels the world, seeking out new places to feature in his next thriller. He blogs at www.davidtindellauthor.com. Connect with him at X at www.x.com/davidtindell1 and Facebook at www.facebook.com/DavidTindellAuthor.

Where did you grow up?

A little town on the Mississippi River in southwest Wisconsin. We moved to Potosi when I finished 5^th grade. My father was the new superintendent of schools. We’d lived the previous year in a suburb of Milwaukee, so going to a town of about 750 people was a real change. My folks were in their 14^th year of marriage and this was the first house they’d ever owned. All of my grandparents and assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins lived in the same county. It was a great place and time in which to grow up. I didn’t really appreciate it at the time, but I sure do now.

 

When did you begin writing?

I had a couple great English teachers at Potosi, Mrs. Millman and then, in high school, Mrs. Leonard, who taught me the basics of composition and introduced me to literature. I started writing stories in 7^th grade, and by the time I finished high school, I’d written a novel, that will never see the light of day, hopefully. 

 

Do you write during the day, at night, or whenever you can sneak a few moments?

Usually during the day, when I get home after a morning workout, or in the afternoon if the morning is full of errands in town or chores at home. I’m still working part-time—I’m not exactly sure why—so that can cause a change in the writing process, but I adapt.

 

What is this book about?

The Silver Falcon is the 4^th entry in the White Vixen series. The protagonist is Lt. Col. Jo Ann Geary, USAF Special Operations, an expert martial artist and linguist. The story is set in the fall of 1990. A mysterious object is seen floating eastward over Alaska. It can’t be tracked on radar, but fighter pilots can acquire it visually, although they can’t lock their weapons on it and photographs show nothing. It comes down in a remote section of the Yukon Territory in Canada. Jo Geary is at a Canadian Air Force base near Vancouver on a guest training rotation when the word comes from Washington: go to Dawson City in the Yukon, join up with a Canadian intelligence agent and a group of Canadian Rangers, all indigenous troops, to go into the Tombstone Territorial Park. They are to locate it and secure it, and they can’t waste time, because an unknown aircraft has just come in from the Arctic and dropped paratroopers north of the object’s last known location. Who are they, and how far will they go to keep the target out of Canadian and American hands? And, most importantly, what is this thing that the First Nations people are calling the Silver Falcon?

 

What inspired you to write it?

Like most Americans, I was amazed when our government allowed that Chinese balloon to sail completely across the country a couple years ago. Why didn’t they shoot it down before it finished its mission and reached the Atlantic? What was it really up there for? I decided to explore that a little bit, putting the Vixen on the case and therefore making it set around 1990 or so, when the administration in charge might have been a little more aggressive. But I also wanted to make the Silver Falcon much more than just a spy balloon. It's so valuable that one nation is willing to risk war to keep it from falling into the hands of its adversary. 

 

Was the road to publication smooth sailing or a bumpy ride?

This is my 9^th novel published through KDP Select, and the 6^th or 7^th time I’ve used Tanja at Bookcoverworld as my cover artist, so those parts went smoothly. I found a new formatter through Reedsy, and she did a great job, so the whole project came together nicely. 

 

If you knew then what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently?

That’s always a tough question because it’s like saying, “Would you go back in time to give your younger self advice?” The answer to that one, in a general sense, is no. Who’s to say that the advice I’d give my younger self would make things turn out any better than how they have? I was fortunate to get myself into a good critique group with other aspiring authors in my area and that has been immensely helpful. 

      

What is one piece of advice you would like to share with aspiring authors everywhere?

What I tell new writers now is that the path ahead of them won’t be easy and might not make them much money, but it will be rewarding for them on many other levels. It’s like being any other kind of artist, a musician or a painter or a sculptor. You may not get rich doing this, but that’s not why you’re doing it. You never stop writing, you never stop reading, you never stop learning, because there’s always another story to write, a book to read, a lesson to learn. And get yourself a critique group. You never stop networking, either.

 

What is up next for you?

I’m starting work on the next entry in what I call the Men of Honor series, which has two books so far. These stories and characters aren’t connected other than by general theme, in which I take my protagonist, an average guy in many respects, and put him in challenging situations that really test not only his physical and emotional limits but his sense of personal honor, which is something I think we’ve really lost sight of these days. The new book is The Dance We Shared. My guy is Ben Fletcher, a former radio announcer in his early 50s, now working for the college in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Ben was divorced about 25 years ago, and shortly after that, he met Veronica Starr, a TV news anchor in the city. She became the love of his life, but she broke it off after he made a stupid mistake. Shortly after that, she married an older man and then moved to the Twin Cities. Ben has never forgiven himself, has not found another woman to love, and fills his life with his work and martial arts training. One day, cleaning out a file cabinet, he finds a piece of mail inside an old catalogue. Inside the envelope is a card, with a phone number and three words, written in Ronnie’s unmistakable hand: “Please help me.” The problem is, as the postmark reveals, the card was sent five years ago…shortly before Veronica Starr, the most prominent TV newscaster in Minnesota, disappeared. Now, Ben finally has a chance to redeem himself in her eyes, if he can find her. 

 Is there anything you would like to add?

I enjoy interacting with my readers in person and on social media. Please check out my website, www.davidtindellauthor.com, for a list of my appearances and links to my blog and social media accounts. Thanks for reading!

Visit David Tindell's website at https://www.davidtindellauthor.com/about-my-books.html to read an excerpt from The Silver Falcon. 

Visit Amazon to purchase a copy of the book. 

First Chapter Review & Giveaway: Sunset Bay by Karen Stewart

 

Today's First Chapter Review is a romance novel that came to me from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions.  

BLURB: A self-professed hot mess express, Joy Sinclair is a 54-year-old divorcee living back at home in Sunset Bay. Tired of blind dates and a lack of eligible men, she's resigned to being single. That is until she is literally knocked off her feet by a good looking stranger. Jeremy is only staying long enough to help his father recover from a broken foot. Is there any point even getting to know him?

Joy's mother Helen Sinclair is 80 years young and a real sassy molassy. She dresses outrageously, talks to her dead husband Sam and nudges Joy out of her comfort zone as often as she can. Meeting Jeremy's father Hank at the local seniors centre, Helen suddenly finds herself with a busy social life.

Love is in the air with a wedding, birthday party, prom night and a major weather event all conspiring to shake things up.

Celebrating the messiness of finding yourself and the courage to follow your heart, Sunset Bay is a journey of love, loss, hope and new beginnings.

COVER: I'll admit, the cover of this one is the reason I even read the blurb. It gives off this 1970s Neil Diamond and Jonathan Livingston Segall kind of vibe. Reminds me of a t-shirt I might have seen in a beach shop one day. Just perfect for this book!

FIRST CHAPTER: Joy opens the story for us on another busy day at the Ocean Breeze Bed and Breakfast. As she speaks directly to the reader, she shares that she and her mother run this B&B with a brief mention of their guests. The reader learns she is also the regional wedding commissioner, and toward the end of the chapter, she meets with a young couple whose wedding she is presiding over. 

KEEP READING: I'm on the fence with this one. In this case, it is a good thing. As writers, we are warned about info dumps: sharing a whole bunch of information all at once that distracts from the present story. A majority of the first chapter is an info dump: it's about Joy's life and work, daily life at the B&B, her relationship with her mom, etc. And if it wasn't delivered by an engaging character who made me want to continue, and presented in one of the best and most easily readable fonts (Why isn't every book printed in this font?), then I likely would have passed. But...

There is something about Joy that makes me want to know her story--the full story. Like how she got to where she is in greater detail than I can learn from the book blurb. Looking ahead, the second chapter is by her mother, Helen, so we won't get to meet the male lead for a bit. Seems like Joy and Helen are strong enough characters to carry the reader through until he enters the picture. 

Read an Excerpt:

Not an auspicious start to the day. I strive to be a glass half full kind of gal. Not always Miss Mary Sunshine, all sweetness, and light, but a person who attempts to see the positive in situations. This morning, however, things went south the moment my mother showed up at the breakfast table. 

“Mom,” I uttered calmly and carefully. Hopefully, my smile masked what I’ll admit was a tiny bit of concern. 

 “Any reason you’re wearing that outfit?” Cheese Louise. Talk about a grand entrance. With an overly dramatic swish and sashay, my mother displayed her eye blinding outfit. A bright pink poncho, clashing floral capris pants, gaudy striped toe socks with sandals, an enormous floppy straw hat, and umpteen Mardi Gras necklaces. The outfit I’d worn to a “Tacky Tourist” costume party six months before. 

“Getting ready for Halloween?” Mr. Byrd asked tactfully while others at the table raised their eyebrows and smirked. 

My superpower is anxiety, and I felt butterflies gathering in my stomach. 

 “Right.” I quickly put my arm around my mom, guiding her into a chair. 

“You won first prize with this costume, so it’s perfect for Halloween,” my mother explained. Halloween is months away, but it was a handy way out, and I was grateful. 

“Who needs another coffee?” Hands shot up around the table and that was all the interruption required to restart conversations. You can believe Miss Mardi Gras and I will be having a chat later.

Calling her work life eclectic, Karen Stewart has been a 911 operator, a freelance writer and photographer, written commercials for radio stations, performed fifty weddings as a wedding commissioner and for twelve years was the owner/operator of a busy bed and breakfast. 

Sunset Bay is her first book, and checks off the number one item on her bucket list. 

Mostly retired, she lives in a small seaside town on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. She's happiest spending time with her three grandsons and their adorable dog Roo.

CONNECT WITH KAREN STEWART 

karenstewartwrites.com 

Facebook

Instagram 

PURCHASE LINKS: SUNSET BAY 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0228843030 

https://amazon.ca/dp/0228843030 

https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/sunset-bay/9780228843030.html 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sunset-bay-karen-stewart/1146632175

https://www.booktopia.com.au/sunset-bay-karen-stewart/book/9780228843030.html 

https://www.waterstones.com/book/9780228843030

Karen Stewart will be awarding a

$10 Amazon/BN gift card

to a randomly drawn winner. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

This First Chapter Review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way. 

Guest Post by Poet Fran Abrams: Arranging Words

 

Fran Abrams lives in Rockville, MD. Her poems have been published in literary magazines online and in print and appear in more than a dozen anthologies. In July 2022, the title poem of this book, “Arranging Words,” was a finalist in the 2022 Prime Number Magazine Award for Poetry. Her two previous books are: I Rode the Second Wave: A Feminist Memoir (2022) and The Poet Who Loves Pythagoras (2023). Learn more at www.franabramspoetry.com and Connect on Facebook at Fran Abrams, Poet.

Arranging Words

by Fran Abrams 

Have you ever said to someone, “I’m beside myself with worry.” And then stopped to think, How can I be beside myself? That isn’t physically possible. Funny twists of the English language like that are part of what inspired Arranging Words. Similar poems are titled “Cold Shoulder,” “Two Left Feet,” and “Frog in Her Throat.” My goal in writing these poems was to approach letters, words, and everyday phrases in a way that pokes fun at the eccentricities of the English language. 

As I wrote poetry over the past several years, I found myself turning to language as the inspiration for many poems. For example, “Arranging Words,” the title poem, came from a thought that writing poems is like stitching together words. The order of the words matters, and meaning is derived from how the words are arranged. The poem compares this process to sewing. 

As the collection developed, I thought of other ways in which words are arranged poetically. Two of the poems illustrate the Golden Shovel form in which the words in a single line of someone else’s poem are used to form the last words in the lines of the new poem. Other poems use the letters of one or two words in the title to form new words that are used in the poem. Also included are Abecedarian poems that use the alphabet as the first letter of each line. And another form uses the first letters of a phrase, in this case “Negative Capability,” to guide the structure of each line of the poem. 

In this book, I use Arranging Words to address how poetry is the craft and skill of laying out words to communicate and create interest. I particularly enjoyed thinking of letters as having their own roles and responsibilities. In the poem “Performance Review for the Letter A,” I praise the letter “A” for doing double duty in aardvark and bazaar but question the need for A to appear in weather and bread. 

What is poetry if not arranging words? And in the English language, there are many eccentricities and quirks that make writing in English about English particularly engaging. Some are serious, such as “We Have No Name for Them,” in which I ponder why we have no word, similar “widow” for someone who has lost a spouse, to mean a parent who has lost a child or a word for a child who has lost a sibling. Others are fun poems such as “Happy as a Lark,” that uses a series of cliches about birds starting with “It’s not easy finding the bluebird of happiness . . .” 

“Delicious Words” is the title of another poem that could be said to sum up the collection. How mouthwatering are the words we use every day in differing arrangements to express our ideas. I was inspired to illuminate the quirks of the English language in a lively, humorous way while demonstrating a love for words themselves.

Book Spotlight: I Buried Paul by Bruce Ferber

 

Title: I BURIED PAUL

Author: Bruce Ferber 

Publisher: The Story Plant

Pages: 304

Genre: Adult Literary Fiction

​

Jimmy Kozlowski has a regular gig playing Paul McCartney in the Beatles tribute band, Help!. The band is part of a cottage industry built around mimicry, where each group strives to be the ultimate Fake Fab Four. And none strives harder than Help!, thanks to Gene Klein, its John Lennon and leader. Gene's just gotten his Medicare card and spends much of his time caring for his ailing mother. But he hasn't lost a step on guitar or vocals, and is determined to take Help! to the top, his goal being to perform in Liverpool one day. Though the notion of the UK clamoring for a group of Long Islanders with fake British accents seems far-fetched, Gene has a plan.

Unlike his boss, Jimmy has limited bandwidth for high-quality Beatle wigs or bespoke Nehru jackets. He works a straight job, entertains at a nursing home, and yearns to connect with the daughter he's never met. He also wants a shot at recording and performing his own original compositions. No matter the odds, Jimmy is determined to realize his creative dreams, even if it means "burying Paul" in the process.

 

I Buried Paul is a love letter to the power of music, a humorous yet moving exploration of the sacrifices its disciples are willing to make in service to its magic.

"Funny, heartfelt, and unafraid... A book for anyone who loves music or has ever tried to keep a dream alive." -- Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying

"First, the good news: Paul isn't dead, and this isn't an autopsy. Rather it's a funny, moving novel about trying to find your way home from the Abbey Road of your teenage fantasy life, while simultaneously escaping the shadows cast by your father, your older brother, many failed relationships, and a world that doesn't like to see people doing what they love – such as making their own music. Reminiscent of Anne Tyler and Richard Russo (if either could keep a steady bass beat), Bruce Ferber writes humorous fiction for grown ups." -- Scott Bradfield, author of The History of Luminous Motion

"In his touching and funny novel, Bruce Ferber comes not to bury Paul McCartney but to celebrate his true believers, the dreamers who carry the torch of their youthful rock dreams well into pension age, and who refuse to sacrifice their passion despite high cholesterol counts and the possibility of embarrassing themselves. I Buried Paul is a tender paean to the music that changed us all, its revivifying and enduring power." -- Marc Weingarten, author of The Gang that Wouldn't Write Straight: Wolfe, Thompson, Didion, Capote, and the New Journalism Revolution

“Funny, deep, and compulsive, I Buried Paul is a tribute to family, lifelong friends, and the Beatles tunes that unite them. Told with Ferber's trademark wit, literary verve and big-heartedness, it's a veritable magical mystery tour of growing up and finding love and meaning in a complex world.” -- Michaela Carter, author of Leonora in the Morning Light

“Reading Bruce Ferber's latest novel is like being told a great tale from your favorite and funniest pal ― the one who really seems to know stuff―the one you trust―the one who gets you when nobody else does. Long live Paul.” -- Jason Alexander

“Bruce Ferber's prose is music to my ears. I Buried Paul is very funny, and very insightful.” -- John Densmore

“Bruce Ferber has captured lightning in a bottle, chronicling a generation's obsessive attachment to The Beatles. His love for their music and legacy is evident on every page. And as the poets said, ‘With a love like that you know it can't be bad.' (Yeah-yeah-yeah.)” -- Bob Spitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Beatles

Soft Cover: 978-1611883282; 329 pages; $16.95; E-Book, $7.49, Audiobook, Free with Audible Trial

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3zeFK68

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-buried-paul-bruce-ferber/1140012044 

Chapters: https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/i-buried-paul-a-novel/9781611883282-item.html

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/i-buried-paul 

Book Depository: https://www.bookdepository.com/I-Buried-Paul-Bruce-Ferber/9781611883282

Book Excerpt:

Milestones are seldom what they’re cracked up to be, unless you’re a charmed preppie who inherits the Hallmark gene. My first time kissing a girl turned out to be a mercy stunt, engineered by some douchey linebacker on the junior varsity. The most memorable thing about getting my driver’s license was that I had no car, and my parents’ station wagon was never available. When I put on the cap and gown for high school graduation, it felt like I was going to a Halloween party, dressed as a fraud.
 

As I went on to achieve my own versions of milestones, none of them would adhere to society’s definitions or timetable. Instead, they appeared out of the blue like stealth jack-in-the-boxes. How was I to know that the fourth kiss from my third girlfriend would be the portal to life-changing sex? Or that on my first solo plane trip at eighteen, I’d be moved to First Class and treated like a VIP, despite having accomplished nothing? Or that shortly after the plane touched down, I would never again look at the world the same way.

It’s not that I’m against the element of surprise. I’m just convinced it would be a lot less stressful to be the Hallmark guy.

​

Bruce Ferber built a long and successful career as a television comedy writer and producer. A multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominee, his credits include Bosom Buddies, Growing Pains, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Coach, and Home Improvement, where he served as Executive Producer and showrunner. In addition to being recognized by the Television Academy, Ferber's work has received the People's Choice, Kid's Choice, and Environmental Media Awards. He is the author of two previous novels, Elevating Overman and Cascade Falls, along with the nonfiction book, The Way We Work. He lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife, large dog, and assorted musical instruments.

Visit his website at www.Bruceferber.net or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Book Review: The Moon Won't Be Dared by Anne Leigh Parrish

 A moving collection blending natural elements, human emotions, and powerful artwork is what the reader will find in The Moon Be Dared by Anne Leigh Parrish.

Poets amaze me with the way they string together words and connect to the world around them. It's a different art form than writing a story; one I never learned and cannot quite grasp except to admire those who make it seem easy.

Such is the case with Parrish's collection, The Moon Be Dared. Poems of earth's love and holding on, poems of broken faith and destroyed trust, poems of nightmares and dreams, fill its pages. So much emotion and exploration to inspire and engage, a story in free verse that takes a journey through the human experience and speaks of the challenges, yet still provides us hope.  

The Moon Be Dared is a beautiful collection that is complemented by the collages by Lydia Selk. Featured in black and white, they speak to you and you can almost imagine the colors were they there. 

This is my favorite poetry collection of the year. I look forward to reading more of Parrish's work. 

ORDER HERE!

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Unsolicited Press (October 14, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 152 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1950730808
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1950730803

I received a copy of this book from the author through Poetic Book Tours. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Book Review: Sherlock Holmes and the Remaining Improbable by Susanne M. Dutton

The Game is not afoot and the Better-Ever-Day World of 1895 is gone, even hard to recall as WWI ends. From his rural cottage, Holmes no longer provokes Scotland Yard’s envy or his landlady’s impatience, but neither is he content with the study of bees. August 1920 finds him filling our entry papers at a nearly defunct psychiatric clinic on the Normandy coast. England’s new Dangerous Drugs Act declares his cocaine use illegal and he aims to quit entirely. Confronted by a question as to his treatment goals, Holmes hesitates, aware that his real goal far exceeds the capacity of any clinic. His scribbled response, “no more solutions, but one true resolution,” seems more a vow than a goal to his psychiatrist, Pierre Joubert. The doctor is right. Like a tiny explosion unaccountably shifting a far-reaching landscape, the simple words churn desperate action and interlocking mystery into the lives of Holmes’ friends and enemies both.

READ AN EXCERPT:

Holmes speaks, Watson answers: 

“It’s clear, Watson, that you have come to trust this man, never mind your fancy knot work.” He let a hand rest briefly on Joubert’s shoulder, and then snatched it away. “The charade you two gentleman have just now performed causes me to question myself. You are evidently in collusion.” 

I said, “We were that obvious?” 

“I’m afraid so,” Holmes said. “In fact, when I have time, I will publish a monograph on what I will call ‘body language.’ Today’s performance will serve as a prime example. I watched you usher this Frenchman across the cottage—your hesitation, your caution lest you cause him the least pain, was evident. Your care was exactly as you would grant a lifelong patient going through a complicated procedure. You watched his every backward step, lest he trip. I noted the commiserating tilt of your head—and the lines of concern on your brow. Without a single word, you managed to signal your sympathy. To sum up, between the gun and the man you pointed it at, I detected at least a hundred yards worth of high-grade Watsonian scruple. 

Holmes glared down at the top of Joubert’s head. “No doubt the entire Punch and Judy was your conception, Pierre, but you could not hide your concern for Watson, how you sought to assure him that it was all for a worthy purpose. Indeed, I saw you shudder and sweat, but you were in no fear for your life—in no dread of John Watson, at least. I submit to you both, that what I have witnessed just now was more a dance than an arrest.”

PURCHASE HERE!

I received a digital copy of this book from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Susanne M. Dutton will be awarding a $75 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. 

 

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