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Showing posts with label Author Spotlight. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Author Spotlight. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
"Twilights Last Gleaming" Excerpt
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Christine Blevins Guest Post & #Giveaway #TurningofAnneMerrickVirtualTour
I'm so excited to be able to again host a stop for a very talented historical fiction author. Today we are returning with an informative and interesting guest post from Christine Blevins - the author of "The Turning of Anne Merrick" (see my review here). Christine is also giving one lucky reader a set of 18th Century paper goods complete with a quill pen (see below to enter). This set is one of the coolest prizes I've ever seen! Thank you so very much, Christine.
Up the Rebels!
I love history, but am particularly drawn to stories
involving insurrection, rebellion and revolution. Large or small, joyfully
successful or dismally inept, these political cataclysms have all the stuff I
look for in a great story.
“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”
This sentence from Common
Sense, by Thomas Paine (one of my favorite revolutionaries) sums it all up
for me. It is perhaps ridiculously simplistic – the notion that we always have
the ability to change – to begin anew.
And spanning time and culture, and for reasons religious,
political, or economic, it happens – and often. Revolution. People rising up to
say enough is enough. Some lead, others follow, but together they muster the
strength to sacrifice and struggle in an effort make their world into a better
place. The American Revolution is a prime example.
But not all rebellions end well. History is rife with
examples of failed efforts. The Roman slave revolt was eventually squashed.
Spartacus was captured and he, plus 6,600 of his followers were crucified on
the Appian Way, their bodies left to hang for years as a warning to dissuade
budding revolutionaries. Scotland’s Jacobite Rising in 1745 did not restore
Bonnie Prince Charlie to the throne. The confederacy of Native American tribes
in Pontiac’s Rebellion did not drive the British from their lands, or put a
stop to colonial expansion.
Revolution can also create strange dichotomies. The French
Revolution propelled by cries of “liberté,
égalité, fraternité”
devolved into the Reign of Terror. Iconic Che Guevera is vilified as “the
butcher of La Cabaña” by some, but he is also prayed to as “Saint Ernesto” by
others.
And even the revolutions that are deemed successful don’t
ever seem to end in perfect solutions. The American Revolution created a
radical form of self-governance based on a constitution that left women unable
to vote and the slavery issue unresolved.
For all these reasons and many more, revolutions in both the
distant and recent past persist as the basis for novels, movies, and even
Broadway musicals. Within rebellion there lies a classic David and Goliath
quality – the weak making a courageous stand against the mighty. Revolts
inherently abound in conflicts where courageous heroes and martyrs face brutal,
tyrannical oppressors, creating veritable petri dishes for adventure and
romance to grow. Who can resist?
Author Christine Blevins writes what she loves to read – historical adventure stories. The Turning of Anne Merrick is the second in a 3-book series set during the American Revolution, and the companion book to The Tory Widow. A native Chicagoan, Christine lives in Elmhurst, Illinois, along with her husband Brian, and The Dude, a very silly golden-doodle. She is at work finishing the third novel inspired by a lifelong fascination with the foundations of American history and the revolutionary spirit.
Giveaway:
18th
Century Paper Goods – these sheets and envelopes are perfect for scrieving all
manner of treason and revolutionary ideals. The bundle is supplied with a quill
pen and wrapped for convenient stowing amidst your gear.
- To enter, please leave a comment below and include your email address (only comments with email addresses will be entered in the giveaway).
- For +5 additional entries, be a GFC follower of Just One More Paragraph. Tell me if you are a new or old follower.
- For +3 additional entries, join the Just One More Paragraph's Facebook Page.
- Giveaway ends March 1, 2012
- For +5 additional entries, be a GFC follower of Just One More Paragraph. Tell me if you are a new or old follower.
- For +3 additional entries, join the Just One More Paragraph's Facebook Page.
- Giveaway ends March 1, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Showing Love and Hospitality to Others By Roxanne Packham
Showing Love and Hospitality to Others
By Roxanne Packham, author of Inspired Design
Before we are inspired about how to show love to others, we must first ask why?
Quite simply it is because in Romans 12:10 & 13 we are told to be devoted to one another in brotherly love, to honor one another above ourselves. We are also told to share with God’s people who are in need and to Practice Hospitality. Notice the vocabulary: practice, not perfect.
In America, as a culture and as individuals, we are suffering in part because popular media gears everything to perfection. We are bombarded with messages that if we aren’t the very best at something, we just shouldn’t bother. We compare ourselves to others, rather than knowing our worth in God’s eyes.
I suffer from insecurity and wonder if I can be creative enough to inspire. Are my tips original? Are the photographs beautiful enough? Are my suggestions too simple for some, but too fancy for another? The problem: my thoughts revolve completely around me. My creativity, my skills, my ability. This is not aboutme but about God’s purpose for me. I suddenly realize the bigger picture; I can’t do it, but I can through Christ who strengthens me.
This dance in my mind between my preciousness in His sight and the enemy’s interjections has slowed me down at times, but God showed me this dance is the very reason for us to love others; to encourage each other. Because we are human we suffer from doubt, insecurity, and rejection of one sort or another. We are God’s tool to encourage others. God uses us as His hands to love others, but make no mistake it is His power, His grace and the Holy Spirit that do the real work, not ours.
God’s path of creativity in me began with a family history of silversmithing eight generations back, a degree from USC, design school in Paris, then design school in Los Angeles. Call them spiritual or otherwise, but they were the gifts God saw fit to give to me. Who am I to argue with my Creator? They are unique and I celebrate them. What are your magnificent and unique gifts that you can use to inspire others?
I do not want the gifts received as a blessing from God to “turn into spiritual dry rot,” as Ann Voscamp suggests in her book One Thousand Gifts, as the manna did when it was hoarded in Exodus 16:20. I want to use my blessings.
Inadequacies and all, imperfections and all: I want to inspire others to practice Hospitality and to LOVE others.
Creative Ways to Encourage Others on Valentine’s Day
KIND WORDS
A handwritten note with quotes, scriptures and words of encouragement is a wonderful thing to find in the mailbox.
Leave a sticky note on your child/husband’s pillow or be bold and write your note on the bathroom mirror or car window in red lipstick saying “I love you”.
Even an email just to say “thank you for your hard work, you bless me” can make a person’s day. A cute poem, scripture or old photograph will remind them they are remembered.
If someone has lost a loved one, kind words of some way that loved one inspired you to do something better will let them know that their loved one’s legacy is living on.
AN INVITATION, TIME
Take some time out of your days to meet someone for coffee, lunch, a long walk, or even just leave a phone message with a sweet sentiment. If you have more time, take a picnic basket to their home. Set up a lunch, tea or coffee, with all your tea cups and a candle. It is a lovely surprise! Just rinse when you finish and pack back up so they don’t even have to do dishes. They will have a lovely memory of a special time.
THOUGHTFUL GESTURE
Hang flowers on the front door handle, leave a pretty tiny package in the mailbox with a beautiful red bow, or cookies delivered to the front door. Create a breakfast plate for your child that says you are special . This is especially significant if your child has struggled with something recently.
A BEAUTIFUL DINNER
Of course this takes more time, but try for a beautiful table setting complete with candles, fresh greens or flowers and a lovely menu either handwritten or printed out on your computer. (Visit Roxanne’s Pinterest account, via the Inspired Design blog, for darling printouts, including gift tags, and much more.) Don’t concentrate on the gourmet or complicated quality of the meal: remember it is about relationship and encouragement!
VALENTINE’S DINNER
A beautiful table for Valentine’s simply consists of reds, pinks and perhaps some purple. (Although it could be beautiful in all white too.) Of course, it has to have some hearts and some colorful candles. Leave kind words of some sort on each place setting. Every Valentine’s table should have its share of sparkle, of course!
Visit Roxanne Packham’s blog at www.
for more pictures and Inspired Design ideas for Valentine’s Day.
____________________
Inspired Design
by
Roxanne and Hannah Packham
Inspired Design Publications
ISBN 978-0-9844563-0-7
152 pages/hardcover/$40.00
Copyright: Roxanne and Hannah Packham. Article used with permission.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
3 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work
3 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work and
What You Should Do Instead if You Want to Succeed in 2012
By B.C. Fleming
Author and Speaker
B.C. Fleming is available for speaking opportunities. For more information, contact Helen Cook at hcook@tbbmedia.com or 800-927-0517 x110.
In the military we are results oriented, period! And there is no excuse for not producing results.Nobody wants to be known as "that guy" who can't be counted on. I know very few, if any, successful people who take New Year’s resolutions seriously (and I’m blessed to know quite a few, actually). A great number of people who are successful at what they do are successful because they are results-focused and results-oriented, they don’t make excuses for failure, they are go-getters and stubborn in their commitment to not give up and stick with it and they don’t stake the success of their careers or personal lives on short-lived, “feel-good” marketing gimmicks that reappear once a year every January (not to sound harsh, but let’s be honest).
1. New Year’s resolutions are meant to be broken. They don’t work because nobody keeps them. People make their resolutions with the intention of receiving some sort of pleasure or reward and expect it to happen almost instantaneously. When it doesn’t come fast enough they give up. But I can tell you from personal experience that the desire to avoid imminent pain or discomfort will move more people in a given direction faster than any other force, even the promise of pleasure or reward. Most people, when it comes to their resolutions, focus only on what they want to happen. But you will take more consistent action when you have the daunting thoughts of the things you don’t want to happen in the forefront of your mind accompanying those things you do want.
2. New Year’s resolutions do more damage than goodbecause people don’t know how to properly set and actually achieve goals. Most people are half-hearted in their commitments to their New Year’s resolutions because they want the result without the work. Then they feel like failures when they choose to give up in a month or two because they’ve decided that what they thought they wanted isn’t worth the effort. Again, they beat themselves down mentally and feel like failures because they gave up and it’s back to square one.
3. People despise change. People instinctively try to avoid change instead of embracing it. People like their comfort zones and New Year’s resolutions require people to get out of those comfort zones and to stay out of them. Pursuing and reaching a New Year’s resolution typically involves a moderate to major change in a person’s daily lifestyle. Doing something different takes time to develop into a habit—roughly 3 weeks according to some experts. Drastic, sudden changes in personal lifestyle typically won’t last for any extended period of time because most people simply don’t want whatever it is they said they wanted badly enough.
B.C. FLEMING’S SOLUTION TO YOUR ANTI-NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION:
1. Make a list of 3 things you absolutely DO NOT want to have happen in your life this year (in the “resolution areas” as I call them—areas you’re looking to improve in). Underneath that list of things you don’t want to happen, make a sub-list of 3 simple, practical things you are going to do every single day in order to avoid having those things happen. At the end of the paper, write one short, simple phrase stating your ultimate goal or desire in doing these things—and be specific (seeing your end result written down is KEY)—and then write down a specific date as a deadline.
2. Make 3-5 copies of this short, simple list.
3. Tape these on your mirror, next to your toilet, in your car, on your refrigerator, on the backside of your front door—anywhere you will be forced to run into them and look at them on a daily basis. Then do the activities listed which will ultimately lead you to your goal. Success here is in keeping it simple and doable.
4. Stay consistent! Truth is, if you want something badly enough and are willing to do whatever it takes and stick with it, you’ll get it. Remember… At the end of the day you have nobody to blame and your success is your own fault!
*To INSTANTLY download a FREE copy of “Fleming’s Ridiculously Simple Plan for Achieving Your Goals,” simply go to www.BlownUpGuy.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the yellow button that says “GOALS!”
For Interview Information
Audra Jennings
Senior Media Specialist
The B&B Media Group
1-800-927-0517 Ext. 104 - ajennings@tbbmedia.com
Visit us on the web at http://www.tbbmedia.com/ or our blog at http://www.tbbmedia.blogspot.
We are also on Facebook and Twitter
(audrajennings and TBBMediaGroup)!
“A Media Communications Company”
109 S. Main - Corsicana, TX 75110
Fax: 903-872-0518
_______________________
Since 1987, The B & B Media Group, Inc. has used its broadcasting, marketing and advertising experience to provide the specialized and strategic publicity necessary to achieve the public relations goals of each client. The Barnabas Agency, a division of The B & B Media Group, Inc., is a proven provider of exceptional public relations and personal management services for authors, speakers, ministries and organizations.
Friday, December 23, 2011
WAKE by Abria Mattina
WAKE
by Abria Mattina
Kindle / Barnes & Noble
Pages: 727
Published September 22nd 2011
ISBN: 9780986957
Eighteen isn’t too young to run your life into the ground, but it’s not too old to fix it, either. The desire for change drives Willa Kirk from St. John’s, Newfoundland back to her hometown of Smiths Falls, Ontario, away from her mistakes and the place where her sister died. She’s looking for a place to settle and rebuild, but Jem Harper just wants to get out of town, back to the life he knew before cancer. By letting the tragedies in their lives define them, they are both dying a little more every day. Welcome to the wake.
Guest Post: Abria Mattina
Author of WAKE
Why This Book? Frankly, I get bored writing about anything other than pain. I know that doesn't paint a very flattering picture of me, but it's true. I'm deeply interested in that aspect of the human experience. It's what made me choose to study psychology, though I eventually changed my major.In our culture, one of the most painful and universal events in life is a death, whether it's the death of a loved one or the threat of one's own demise. It's a subject I knew readers would relate to in some way. Add to that the anguish of adolescence, and you've got a cocktail of relatable human pain.
That's not to say that Wake is a depressing book from cover-to-cover. Rather, it seeks to make the ugly moments in life less awful by confronting them directly. Good things do come out of bad experiences.
My path to inspiration for Wake was a long one. Years ago, a woman that I travelled with who was sick at the time, passed away about a year after we returned to Canada. She had a very rare form of cancer and had undergone a long period of treatment before she died at a young age. Her death really weighed on me, and one month later my great-grandmother passed away. These were radically different deaths—one woman at seventeen, one at ninety-seven; one very sick, and one who had enjoyed many years of health; one who was struggling to live and one who was expecting to die. I felt different about each of the deaths. One was a tragedy in my mind, and the other was a natural release.
That year, a lot of my creative writing focused on death. I even took a course in the psychology of death and dying, taught by a retired nurse. I began to consider the culture and attitudes that surround death. In the West we seem to fear it, think we've conquered it, or regard it as the worst possible human failure. I became motivated to think of death as a natural occurrence, and sought to explore attitudes toward death and dying in my writing.
It's garnered some strange and strong reactions. I expected people to react strongly to the subject of assisted suicide in Wake, and was surprised when, instead, readers responded to the brief discussions about cremation and embalming. I received one very angry email from a reader saying that she didn't need to know what the morticians had done to her mother's body before visitation and burial. I consider that a mark of our culture—we hide death behind a curtain, hand our loved ones' bodies and thousands of dollars over to strangers, just so that we don't have to deal with it and face the reality of our human condition.
If you are interested in learning more about death and what happens to bodies, give Stiff by Mary Roach a try. It's a science book for people who don't like science.
* * * * *
Abria Mattina's links
Follow the rest of the WAKE tour!
12/1 review @ Maria's Handmade Love
12/2 review @ Books Glorious Books
12/4 review @ Nightly Reading
12/5 review @ Aobibliosphere
12/6 guest post @ Kickin Back with Kiwi
12/7 guest post @ Aobibliosphere
12/9 review @ The Phantom Paragrapher
12/10 guest post @ Maria's Handmade Love
12/10 review @ All things books
12/10 review @ The Book Diva's Reads
12/11 review @ Just Another Book Addict
12/12 guest post @ Books Glorious Books
12/12 guest post @ Just Another Book Addict
12/13 review @ Keeping Up With The Rheinlanders
12/14 review @ Owl Tell You About It
12/15 guest post @ Owl Tell You About It
12/16 review @ Celtic Lady's Reviews
12/17 guest post @ The Book Diva's Reads
12/18 guest post @ The Phantom Paragrapher
12/19 guest post @ Nightly Reading
12/20 guest post @ Keeping Up With The Rheinlanders
12/21 review @ Kickin Back With Kiwi
12/22 guest post @ All things books
12/23 guest post @ Just One More Paragraph
12/30 guest post @ Celtic Lady's Reviews
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Quinn’s Christmas Wish A Bandit Creek Paranormal By Lawna Mackie
Save the Wolf
The wolf, Jazira, in QUINN’S CHRISTMAS WISH has special meaning for me. I thought I’d share why with you.
When I was young, my father came home one day to let us know that he’d purchased a trap line. Now, I consider myself a HUGE animal lover. Always have and always will. Needless to say his news devastated me, and I wanted nothing to do with it (hard to do when you’re a child without much say).
Unfortunately, time went on and so did the activities on the trap line. Every weekend I prayed the traps would be empty. One particular weekend just before Christmas, my parents decided we would go spend time at our trap line cabin. This is a very rustic cabin to say the least. I decided to bring my best friend along. Quading was a big thing for us back then.
Before I headed out, my father lectured me about the Timber Wolf trap he had set along the trail I would pass by. I didn’t pay much attention because THANK HEAVENS I’d never come across anything in the trap before.
So off my friend and I went, cruising along the trail, carefree and having fun. It all ended when I rounded a corner and there in my path stood the largest black wolf I’d ever seen. I slammed on my brakes skidding to a halt not more than 30 feet away from the giant animal. He was caught by the toe in the trap. Our eyes locked and my heart broke. I will never forget that moment…I wish I could. My girlfriend was screaming and clinging to the back of me terrified the wolf would eat us.
I promptly slammed the quad into reverse and pressed on the throttle. Well, I backed up over a large bush and high centered my machine. We quickly got unstuck and took off back the way we’d come. The whole way I prayed silently that the wolf would pull himself free because I knew the fate of the poor creature.
When I got back to the cabin I told my father. I begged him to leave the wolf. Still to this day I’m unable to forgive myself. If only I could have kept it secret. I cried for months and even remembering it now brings tears to my eyes. How I wished I could bring him back to life, then when I started writing this novella, I pretended I was, and I did. For me this wolf lives in Jazira.
I have always loved wolves and now I have Alaskan Malamutes, which are the closest domestic animals I can find to a real wolf. I’ve attached a photo of my giant Alaskan Malamute Dozer.
I’d love to hear your comments and if you haven’t had a chance to read QUINN’S CHRISTMAS WISH, visit my website for details. www.lawnamackie.ca
I know I’m prejudice, but it really is a heartwarming story…perfect for Christmas!
Quinn’s Christmas WishA Bandit Creek Paranormal
By Lawna Mackie
As far as twelve-year old Quinn is concerned Christmas has lost its magic. Since his father’s death life has lost its sparkle. His mom is now a widow struggling to put food on the table. Quinn is no help, and the mysterious illness afflicting him only makes things worse. Even Christmas, complete with decorated trees, ribbons and bows has no meaning…then along comes Jazira.
Jazira doesn’t know what happened to her former self, the eleven-year old little girl. She drowned, didn’t she, along with half the other folk of Bandit Creek in 1911? Somehow, she’s grown four furry legs complimented with a large wolf head and body. Scared and alone, she reaches out to Quinn and a strong bond is formed. Jazira learns Quinn, and his mother, are threatened by a wealthy powerful citizen of Bandit Creek. She is determined to protect her new family, no matter what.
Christmas Eve finds Quinn staring up at the adorned tree and muttering a quiet prayer. Will the Spirits of Christmas grant his wish, or will the evil surrounding Bandit Creek prevail once again?
My Thoughts:
Quinn's Christmas Wish was a nice light novella to read. At first I thought it was going to be a young adult paranormal, because Quinn is a young boy, however that changed as it went into a romance complete with a descriptive sex scene.
I enjoyed the storyline, but found I wasn't drawn or felt connection to any one character. As with any Christmas story, the ending was predictable and sweet - something I enjoy and expect when reading a holiday story.
I think my largest problem was with the timeline - it just moved too quickly. For me, this story should be longer and over a longer time frame and I think it would have been perfect. Mind you, I am biased as I prefer novels where everything is in-depth and fleshed out. Lawna has a great imagination and I truly loved the storyline.
If you are looking for a quick Christmas read that has a different twist, this might be the novella for you. Remember though, this one's not for the kids.
About the Author:I have always believed in fairy tales and when I got tired of the old ones I made up my own. Each story would have a hero and heroine, but they were anything but typical.
I devoured my first romance novel when I was a teenager. I couldn’t read them fast enough. Years later I stumbled across my first paranormal romance…an injustice would be done if I tried to explain my joy when I found this genre of romance. My passion was finally in print.
Now, with the help of my bizarre dreams and crazy imagination, I have started to write and intend to share my stories with you. I hope you’ll love them as much as I do.
I am truly blessed. My husband and my animals are my inspiration. We live on a small acreage in Didsbury, Alberta, with our most beloved companions, Dozer, Daisy and Mandarin.
Happy reading everyone, I sure would love to hear from you. www.lawnamackie.ca
Quinn’s Christmas Wish – December 1, 2011 available through Amazon and Smashwords.
IMPOSSIBLE TO HOLD – December 19, 2011 released through Liquid Silver Books http://www.liquidsilverbooks.
ENCHANTMENT – January 13, 2012 released through Muse It Up Publishing http://museituppublishing.com
I received a e-copy of this book to read and honestly review for this tour.
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