RAIN BRINGS FLOWERS THAT BRING A SMILE

Quote for the week:

Do you like rainy weather? 

I do, as long as I can stay inside and watch it.

Here's one of the reasons why.

Our pasture is filled with flowers I call Rain Lillies.   A couple of days ago the rains came down. And the flowers sprouted up. The ground looks like a light snow has fallen.

Here is a closer look. This time of year, the wild flowers are gone, so these are a beautiful sight.  My pictures don't show them as lovely as they really are, but imagine almost 25 acres of white spread across the earth.

Have a great week. Happy reading and writing or just doing what your heart desires.

BEST. NIGHT. EVER. BLOG TOUR

Quote for the week: Middle School stories seem to be popular lately. Thought this was cute. Awkward Middle School Dance.

I am delighted to share an adorable new novel about Middle School with you.. The authors are listed below.

Best. Night. Ever

By Rachele Alpine, Ronni Arno, Alison Cherry, Stephanie Faris, Jen Malone, Gail Nall, and Dee Romito

From the cover I can tell the book will be lots of fun. The blurb below confirms my thoughts.

Blurb:

Love Actually meets Adventures in Babysitting in this hilarious novel written by seven authors about seven classmates who are preparing for a crazy night at their middle school dance.

Lynnfield Middle School is prepped and ready for a dance to remember, including an awesome performance from Heart Grenade, the all-girl band who recently won a Battle of the Bands contest. Seven classmates—Carmen, Genevieve, Tess, Ryan, Ellie, Ashlyn, and Jade—intend to make the most of the night…or at least the five of them who are able to attend do. The other two would sacrifice almost anything to be there.

One thing’s for sure—this entire crew is in for one epic night! Gail Nall, Dee Romito, Rachele Alpine, Ronni Arno, Alison Cherry, Stephanie Faris, and Jen Malone have created a charming, hilarious, and relatable novel that’s perfect for anyone who can’t wait to dance the night away.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Indiebound

Bio:

One of Rachele Alpine’s first jobs was at a library, but it didn’t last long, because all she did was hide in the third-floor stacks and read. Now she’s a little more careful about when and where she indulges her reading habit. Rachele is a high school English teacher by day, a wife and mother by night, and a writer during any time she can find in between.  She lives in Cleveland, Ohio where she writes middle grade and young adult novels. Visit her at RacheleAlpine.com.

Ronni Arno Blaisdell is the author of Ruby Reinvented. She has written for several magazines, blogs, and websites. In a previous life she worked as a publicist in Hollywood, and eventually built a home in Maine. She is a keen SCBWI member and contributor to the KidLiterati.com blog. Visit her online at ronniarno.com.

Alison Cherry is the author of the YA novels Red, For Real and Look Both Ways, and the middle grade novels Willows vs. Wolverines and The Classy Crooks Club. She is a professional photographer and spent many years working as a lighting designer for theater, dance, and opera productions. This whole “writing books” thing is just a cover for the international crime ring she runs out of her Brooklyn apartment. (Shhh, don’t tell.) Visit her online at AlisonCherryBooks.com.

Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing. When she isn’t crafting fiction, Stephanie is indulging her gadget geek side by writing for online technology sites. Her work is regularly featured on the small business blogs for Intuit and Go Payment and she is a featured columnist for SmallBizTechnology.com. She lives in Nashville with her husband. Visit her online at StephanieFaris.com.

Jen Malone is a former Hollywood publicist who once spent a year traveling the world solo, met her husband on the highway (literally), and went into labor with her identical twins while on a rock star’s tour bus. These days she saves the drama for her books. Jen is also the author of the middle grade novels At Your Service and The Art of the Swap, coauthor of the You’re Invited series, and wrote the YA novels Map to the Stars and Wanderlost. You can visit her online at JenMaloneWrites.com.

Gail Nall lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her family and more cats than necessary. She once drove a Zamboni, has camped in the snow in June, and almost got trampled in Paris. Gail is the author of the middle grade novel Breaking the Ice, the coauthor of You’re Invited and You’re Invited Too, and the author of the young adult novel Exit Stage Left. You can find her online at GailNall.com and on Twitter as @GaileCN. Visit her online at GailNall.com.

Dee Romito lives in her hometown of Buffalo, New York, where she and her family are steadily checking items off their own bucket list of adventures. You’re likely to find her at the local ice cream shop, writing at a café, or curled up on the couch with her cats. And while she does her best to be a grown-up most of the time, giggling with her BFFs is still one of her all-time favorite things. To join the fun and create your own bucket list, visit TheBFFBucketList.com.

The Rafflecopter giveaway is for a free hardback copy of Best. Night. Ever. (signed by Stephanie Faris). 

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Link:

SECRETS WE KEEP COVER REVEAL KELLY HASHWAY

I am delighted to share Author Kelly Hashway's latest novel with you today. Enjoy.

SECRETS WE KEEP is coming October 2nd! 

Make sure you don’t miss the preorder! http://bit.ly/2pvYT07

Madison Kramer’s life is finally coming together. With her

boyfriend and publicist, Trevor, by her side, her career as a best-
selling author is sure to really take off.
But one thing hasn’t changed. Death follows Maddie wherever
she goes, and a night that should have been nothing but
celebrating the New Year in the arms of the man she loves, turns
into the scene of another murder.

The bodies are piling up, and the murder suspect wants Maddie’s
help in freeing his name. Her secret past continues to come to the
surface, putting her life at risk in a deadly game where Maddie
doesn’t know whom she can trust.

*Cover by Uplifting Designs*

AUTHOR BIO:

Kelly Hashway fully admits to being one of the most accident-prone people on the planet, but that didn’t stop her from jumping out of an airplane at ten thousand feet one Halloween. Maybe it was growing up reading R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books that instilled a love of all things scary and a desire to live in a world filled with supernatural creatures, but she spends her days writing speculative fiction. Kelly’s also a sucker for first love, which is why she writes romance under the pen name Ashelyn Drake. When she’s not writing, Kelly works as an editor, and also as Mom, which she believes is a job title that deserves to be capitalized.

AUTHOR LINKS:

Website: ww.kellyhashway.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellyhashway/Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/KellyHashwayInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/khashwayNewsletter: http://forms.sendpulse.com/323115810aGoodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/AshelynDrake &http://www.goodreads.com/KellyHashwayAmazon: http://http://bit.ly/AshelynDrake & http://bit.ly/KellyHashway

BABYMOUSE TALES FROM THE LOCKER REVIEW

Quote for the week:

Today I'd like to share one of the funniest books for middle-grade readers I've read. Welcome Babymouse in her latest novel, BABYMOUSE TALES FROM THE LOCKER.

BABYMOUSE TALES FROM THE LOCKER

By Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm

Middle School. The years between being children and teens. The years where everything changes. In BABYMOUSE: TALES FROM THE LOCKER by best-selling authors Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm, Babymouse is now in middle school, and it’s like a “monster movie” with “spooky creatures” to quote Babymouse in her own words. And then there’s the whiskers. Yeah, the whiskers.

Babymouse tells her story of what middle school is like, and what a story it is. From whiskers, to wanting to be famous, to wanting a private jet, to a locker that possibly contains a monster, and trying to figure out who her friends are, Babymouse keeps the reader, at least this reader, laughing and turning pages to see what she does next.

Then she decides to join the Film Club, and when problems arise Babymouse has her own unique ways of solving them.

I can picture not only middle school kids but teens and even adults following each adventure as middle school readers realize they may be facing the same or similar situations that Babymouse faces. And older readers might nod as they remember those confusing years.

Black and white drawings by B&W illustrations add humor to the scenes. If anyone can read this story without laughing and perhaps even learning a thing or two about middle school, they need to read it again. BABYMOUSE: Tales from the Locker would make a great addition to middle school classrooms and libraries, as well as your own library. Highly recommended.

I was sent an ARC of the novel.

Happy Reading. (And I'm not fond of mice. This one is different.)

AUGUST INSECURE WRITER'S SUPPORT GROUP

A new month. A new IWSG.

Yes, it's that time.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time

Be sure to link to this page and put the badge on your post.

Awesome Ninja Alex J. Cavanaugh is the founder of IWSG.

His awesome co-hosts for the August 2 posting of the IWSG are Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!

We have a question every month, which is optional for you to answer or not.

August's question is: 

What are your pet peeves when reading/writing/editing?

Reading:

A scene that has too much detail that isn't necessary to the plot. Like, she wakes up in the morning, fine. But do we need to know that she yawns, scratches her head, how she puts on her makeup and chooses her clothes? Yes, if the details add to the plot. No, if they aren't necessary.

Writing:

Thinking my chapter is just right until I read it back and discover it doesn't make a lot of sense.

Editing:

Commas. Enough said.

Happy Reading and Writing.

GUARDIAN'S TOUCH BOOK BIRTHDAY TOUR

Quote for the week:  “The house smelled musty and damp, and a little sweet, as if it were haunted by the ghosts of long-dead cookies.”
― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to L A Dragoni's new novel GUARDIAN'S TOUCH, Touched by Afterlife, Book 2. Enjoy.

Every time I see this cover I like it more. Gorgeous.

For a ghost there are only two choices. Heaven or Hell.

Coming August 1, 2017

Guardian’s Touch, Touched by Afterlife, Book 2

Life has returned to normal for Tamara and Dex after helping a horde of ghosts cross over. Their brush with the afterlife affirmed one thing: happily ever after is real.

When odd pranks around the farm escalate to destruction, Tamara fears mischievous teenagers are vandalizing the neighborhood. Then Dex starts to act out of character. Meanness slips into his usually playful disposition. One day he even ridicules a co-worker publicly. Tamara watches helplessly as he seems to lose the ability to control his own actions. When Dex’s abnormal anger turns violent—toward Tamara—their happily ever after is threatened. Desperate to help Dex and herself, she sends out a silent prayer for help.

She didn’t expect Cal to come to her aid.

Pre-order now.

Mark as to read on Goodreads.

Follow LA Dragoni on Amazon. 

or BookBub.

This is how it all began. 

Ghost Touch, Touched by Afterlife Book 1 ebook is marked down to just $0.99 for a limited time.

For fifteen minutes each night a portal opens in Tamara’s barn and a horde of ghosts spills into her yard. Their leader, Cal, a quiet, unassuming cowboy, fulfills an aching loneliness the death of Tamara’s mother left behind. Tamara can help the ghosts cross, but can she let Cal go?

Available in ebook, audiobook, and print from Amazon.

Also available on Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and other e-tailers.

Guest Post

How many of you are currently raising children? It usually means you are in full sensor mode. When the kids are around you try to keep the heavy topics out of conversation, you attempt to keep your words—if not simple—at least in context, and you probably try not to swear. At least not often.

However, once you get to work or the kids go to bed for the night, the sensor turns off.

Writing for children vs. writing for adults is a lot like that. I have been publishing books for kids and teens for seven years and now I’ve adopted a new pen name so I can write for adults. Does that mean that my adult books are full of bawdy language, and raunchy behavior? No. But they could be if I wanted them to!

My Touched by Afterlife series is adult more so because the main characters are handling adult situations, such as working, paying bills, and banishing ghosts, as well as forming adult relationships, even living with each other. Their lifestyles don’t fit in a young adult novel. And some of those ghosts are just downright inappropriate!

This is a celebration of a book release—the second book in a series for which I have unlimited ideas for books. For an entry into the rafflecopter, include in your comment a favorite book series you’ve read, then be sure to claim all the entries you qualify for in the rafflecopter!

About the author:

LA Dragoni isn’t too particular about who falls in love or where they fall in love. Whether it’s paranormal, mythical, or time travel, LA simply considers it her job to divine their story and share it with you. She lives in Central Oregon with her husband and children, but haunts ghost towns and cemeteries throughout the west, in search of the next adventure to sift through her storytelling brain. Learn more about LA and her work at ladragoni.com

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Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter.  

I hope it shows up. We don't get along too well.

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STILL ME ... AFTER ALL THESE YEARS REVIEW

Quote of the week:

Today, I'd like to share an anthology I just finished reading. The stories are great no matter your age.

STILL ME ... AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

STILL ME…AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

24 Writers Reflect on Aging

By Karen Helene Walker

“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life for which the first was made; Our times are in His hand…” As I read the stories in the anthology STILL ME…AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, Poet Robert Browning’s words from RABBI BEN EZRA came to mind. I never really thought about them when I was younger, but now I understand what he was saying, at least what it means to me.

As we go through life we learn, at least we should. And in the individual stories of this anthology we see that just because one is growing older doesn’t mean their active life is over. Quite the contrary. Many new adventures are waiting for us, if we just recognize them. We see this in these stories. Some discuss physical changes in our bodies. So, our hair turns gray, our muscles grow flabby. That doesn’t mean we can’t still dance and swim and do the things we enjoy doing.

Losing parents and other family members is heartbreaking, but as one story mentions we still have the wisdom we learned from our parents and/or siblings.

These stories will have you laughing, and thinking, and counting your blessings, so pick up a copy and enjoy STILL ME …AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. I think you’ll be glad you did.

Have a lovely week.

Happy Reading.