COURTLIGHT SERIES - BLAST & DOUBLE GIVEAWAY

Courtlight Series Comes to Overdrive, Ingram & 3M Cloud Library

The Courtlight Series is now available in Overdrive, Ingram, and 3M Cloud Library. We're excited to announce that the titles have sold to over a dozen libraries in three countries since this initiative launched on July 31st.

Lauded as a “fantasy world that you don’t want to miss out on”, the Courtlight Series consists of seven full-length novels that give readers an imaginative escape into a high fantasy world. With over 100,000 English-language books sold, global readers have become “captivated from beginning to end”. The series weaves an epic story of fantasy and romance, with avid comparisons to Tamora Pierce and Mercedes Lackey, as a girl struggles to overcome the odds of her place in society while saving a prince and his empire from mortal peril. You’ll find that each book adds to an intricate storyline that enchants an young adult audience (Grade: 7 – 12 / Age: 12 – 19) and leaves the reader wanting more unforgettable magic. 

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - ROGUE BY KAREN LYNCH

Rogue by Karen Lynch

Sara Grey is done hiding and done being afraid. The Master thinks he has her running scared, but she’s taking matters into her own hands and taking her life back. With the help of her friends, she sets out to find the one person who can answer her questions about her past, and who may be able to lead them to the Master. On her journey, Sara faces new challenges and dangers, and learns that the world of good and evil is not as clear cut as she had believed. She makes new friends, unexpected allies, and reconnects with people from her past. As her powers continue to change and grow, she transforms from a struggling girl into a strong young warrior. But at what cost? How much is Sara willing to sacrifice in her need for independence and her quest for the truth? And will her newfound strength be enough to save her and the people she loves when she finally comes face-to-face with her powerful nemesis? Nothing could have prepared her for what is to come, and it will take everything in her to survive the final test of courage and love.

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AUTHOR GUEST POST - LIZZIE LAMB, TRAVELLING AROUND AND WRITING ABOUT SCOTLAND

Do you recognize this shop? A clue: Claire in ep. 1 of Outlander 

Readers, I have discovered, are drawn to the mystical, dreamy highlands of Scotland as the backdrop for contemporary romance. As a writer, I heartily agree with that sentiment. Tall, Dark and Kilted, features a sexy laird Ruairi (Roo-ary) Urquhart who has to fight to safeguard his land and inheritance. In Scotch on the Rocks, kilt-wearing American, Brodie arrives on Eilean na Sgairbh on the back of a storm wind and turns my heroine's life upside down.  Both novels have gone down a storm in countries where there are ex-pat Scots – USA, Australia, New Zealand or Canada; it appears that second and third generation Scots are eager to learn about the old traditions and their former homeland. And if they learn through my novels, then so much the better. My novels are meticulously researched and, as a true born Scotswoman, I write with complete authenticity about the land and its people.

Falkland, in the Kingdom of Fife where the first scenes in Outlander were shot

Romance readers simply love a novel which features a man in a kilt. The element of ‘costume’ (ie the kilt), especially in a contemporary setting, removes the hero and the reader from the here and now and transports them into the realm of fantasy. And, in the case of a kilted hero, there is also the tease of whether he’s followed tradition and gone ‘commando’.

The kilted hero in my novels is, generally, aristocratic – a laird, at the very least. And, while he does not have to work to earn his daily crust, he carries the weight of his inheritance and the welfare of his tenants and family on his shoulders. He often has emotional scars which only the heroine can heal. All of my novels have a happy ending and readers can close the book with a satisfied sigh knowing that all the obstacles which have prevented the hero and hero from leading a happy life, have resolved.

MARIANNE PERRY, THE INHERITANCE - GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY

What’s Your Lucky Charm?

a)  a rabbit’s foot

b)  a gobbo

c)  a four leaf clover

Did you pick the gobbo? Unlikely but probable if you’d lived in Calabria, southern Italy one hundred years ago when people credited the hunchbacked creature with magical power.

The Inheritance is set from 1897 to 1913 in Calabria, a region in southern Italy. It tells the story of Caterina, an atypical peasant woman who challenges social norms and the tragic chain of events her determination to live a life of her choosing ignites. Authenticity makes historical fiction come alive and the gobbo appears in Chapter One. A peasant mother is in thethroes of a difficult childbirth and Mafalda, the village midwife, wears the talisman on a piece of twine around her neck and entreats it to grant the baby a safe delivery.

What Keeps Your Home Safe?

a)  surveillance cameras

b)  a walled compound

c)  lavender

I doubt you picked lavender. An ancient herb used by various cultures to treat wounds, headaches and depression, Calabrian society at the time of The Inheritance also believed lavender shielded against evil.

WALKING HOME BLOG TOUR - INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ARLEEN WILLIAMS: SEEKING TO UNDERSTAND THE LIVES OF EMIGRANTS IN OUR EVOLVING COMMUNITIES.

The Book

Walking Home is a compelling glimpse into the lives of emigrés in modern day America – refugees from genocide and war. The book journeys from loss and grief to survival and joy. The story hits the ground running, literally, with Kidane’s escape from Africa that reaches far into his future into Seattle, Washington. Kidane battles with survivor guilt while he struggles to settle into Seattle, a new life, relationship, school and work. He wants the American dream but is haunted by the past where he survived horrific violence in Africa, and was forced to leave everything and everyone he loved, behind.

Beautifully written, this poignant and intimate portrait of survivors is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the lives of emigrants in our evolving communities.

I'm glad Arleen Williams accepted to answer a few questions and even to give me some precious teaching tips! Here's our exchange. I hope you'll enjoy it .

My interview

The new overwhelming flood of immigration to  Europe  is present–day breaking news. Thousands and thousands of desperate human beings are fleeing from their countries at war and coming to our countries in search of safety and freedom. Your book is a perfect chance to focus and reflect on this urgent matter. So many thanks, for accepting to answer my questions, Arleen!

It is my pleasure, Maria Grazia. Thank you for reading my work.

My first question  is : what led you to write “Walking Home”?

I've been working with refugees and immigrants at a large urban community college for thirty years. As an ESL instructor, I find myself in frequent conversations with students dealing with the extreme hardships of leaving homelands they  may never see again while also trying to adjust to the challenges of a new culture and language.

BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY - ESCAPE FROM THE PAST BY ANNETTE OPPENLANDER

Blog Tour Schedule

Escape From the Past: The Duke's Wrath (YA Historical) 

When fifteen-year-old nerd and gamer Max Anderson thinks he's sneaking a preview of an unpublished video game, he doesn't realize that 1) He's been chosen as a beta, an experimental test player. 2) He’s playing the ultimate history game, transporting him into the actual past: anywhere and anytime. And 3) Survival is optional: to return home he must decipher the game's rules and complete its missions—if he lives long enough. To fail means to stay in the past—forever. Now Max is trapped in medieval Germany, unprepared and clueless. It is 1471 and he quickly learns that being an outcast may cost him his head. Especially after rescuing a beautiful peasant girl from a deadly infection and thus provoking sinister wannabe Duke Ott. Overnight he is dragged into a hornets' nest of feuding lords who will stop at nothing to bring down the conjuring stranger in their midst.

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The Book Depository

Praise for the Book 

 "Fast-paced compelling YA debut." Giselle Green, #1 bestselling author of A Sister's Gift" 

 "A wonderfully crafted romp to the time of lords, ladies, and knights." Lee Ann Ward, author and former Senior Editor of Champagne Books 

GIORGIA HILL, AUTHOR OF "WHILE I WAS WAITING": WHAT COMES FIRST? THE STORY OR THE RESEARCH?

Tricky – in so many ways. If you write you have to do some, even if you’re following the well-worn adage, ‘write what you know.’ If you write fiction with any kind of historical content, then you have to do some.

What comes first? The story, or the research?

In my case, it’s the story.

Most of the time.

I write a very basic, very rough first draft and then research what I need to make it live - to make it feel authentic. I was asked recently at a writers’ event how I made my writing feel of the period it’s set in. I couldn’t really reply. I suspect the questioner wanted an easy solution, or a pat answer. Sadly, it involves a lot of reading, a lot of leg-work and a lot of browsing on the internet. There’s no short-cut. It helps, of course, if you have some prior knowledge and an interest in the period in which the book is set. I believe you also have to love that time in history. To use an over-used phrase, it must be a passion.

When writing While I Was Waiting, which is partly set during World War 1, certain things resonated. A visit to a nearby stately home set up an ‘experience room’ based around the time the three sons of the house were fighting at the front. On the mantle-piece was a photograph. They were posed in front of the house, sitting on their glossy horses, looking impossibly glamorous and waiting for the hunt to begin. Horses and men both full of vigour and energy. Four short years later all three brothers were dead, killed in action, in service of their country. That photograph haunted me for a long time and I included a similar experience in the book.

LET'S CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL LITERACY DAY

UNESCO celebrated the very first International Literacy Day on September 8, 1966. Since then plight of millions of people around the world has improved through programs dedicated to helping marginalized populations become literate. But there is still a long way to go.

To celebrate International Literacy Day and help raise awareness about the importance of literacy, Grammarly has gathered the latest literacy statistics from around the world into an infographic.

What are you going to do to celebrate International Literacy Day? To get involved, consider donating books or money, or check with your local library for opportunities to volunteer as a literacy coach.

Do you know of any great ways to help the cause?

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - MENDING HEARTS BY KIMBERLY KREY

Mending Hearts by Kimberly Krey 

Logan & Candice, on the verge of divorce, decide to give their marriage one last try. But will they be able to get past the issues holding them back? Candice is through with married life and all it entailed: infertility, an adoption gone wrong, and the death of her husband’s twin brother. Now that they’ve been separated for nearly a year, Candice is finally ready to set Logan free. But when he steps back into her life, Candice begins to have second thoughts. Even though she hasn’t fully healed from the heartache she endured over their married years, she can't fathom the thought of losing him a second time. Can Candice let go of past hurts and give Logan a second chance, or will her fears keep them apart? Logan has spent the months of separation giving Candice the space she needed. But when he discovers that Candice is about to file for a divorce, he decides he better take action quick. He didn’t spend the best years of his life with this woman, only to let her slip away. Yet just when the opportunity comes again – his chance to finally make things right – an entirely new force threatens to tear them apart. Will opposition keep the heart-broken couple from getting back together or will they have the strength to break through the barriers, no matter what their future might bring?

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IT WON'T BE EASY TO CHOOSE BETWEEN MY SAM AND MY LEO! INTERVIEW WITH VICTORIA CONNELLY ON THE BOOK LOVERS - WIN PAPERBACK OR AUDIOBOOK

Hello Victoria and thanks for accepting to answer my questions. Welcome to my FLY HIGH Blog!

 The Book Lovers is your new release and it is the first in a new series after The Rose Girls and Austen Addicts. What will be the trait d’union among the books in this upcoming series?

The Book Lovers series revolves around the Nightingale family and their family-run bookshops in the small Suffolk market town of Castle Clare. Each book will focus on a member of the Nightingale family and how they find their true love, but there will also be a cast of regular characters made up of friends, cousins and neighbours.. It's proving a lot of fun to write!

The Book Lovers features a classic love triangle.  Your heroine, Callie, has two very different men vying for her attention in a complicated moment of her life. Have you got any idea why this pattern is so popular in fiction?

I think readers love to put themselves in the place of the heroine and think, 'Who would I choose?' I know I do! Thomas Hardy is very good at love triangles. In Far From the Madding Crowd, there are no less than THREE heroes for the heroine to choose from and, of course, she gets it wrong over and over again. I think we're all fascinated by that sort of romantic journey.

What inspires your romantic characters? Is it more fiction or real life?

I am very lucky to have a wonderful husband and he's inspired many moments in my fiction, but there's a lot of imagination in the books too! I think we all like to dream even when we've found our own happy ever after. The process of falling in love is a magical one, and it's one I never tire of writing about.

CHRISTMAS KISSES - COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY

Christmas Kisses is a collection from five bestselling and award-winning authors. Set in the snowy town of Echo Ridge in upstate New York, these inspirational romances are sure to delight while you sip cocoa by the fire and listen to Christmas carols.

***Pre-order now for only $.99***

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Win amazing books by each of the authors. Enter below to win! Nine different books will be given to nine lucky winners.