JUDITH STARKSTON, PRIESTESS OF ISHANA: THE QUEEN BEHIND THE CHARACTER

October 2-6 Priestess of Ishana, Book 1 of the Tesha Series is available 

FREE on Amazon 

Sorcery in Alpara, Book 2 of the Tesha Series launches October 14, 2019 

and is available now as preorder

GREG JOHNSTON, SWEET BITTER CANE - THE UNCERTAINTY OF MIGRANTS

Sweet Bitter Cane is a story of Italian migrants who travelled to Australia to work on the sugarcane fields of Far North Queensland.  The first arrived in Townsville in December 1891, the result of an Italian immigration agent with the venerable name Chiaffredo Venerano Fraire.  These immigrants came mainly from Italy’s north, from the Veneto but by the 1920s, a mass migration of Italian workers to the Queensland cane fields had begun. 

PERRY PRETE: "DON'T BE SO FULL OF YOURSELF THAT YOU THINK YOUR WRITING IS A GIFT TO MANKIND"

At the reading group - guest post by Perry Prete 

I was asked to speak at a writers’ group last summer held at one of the local nursing homes. I was expecting a group of retired seniors sitting in recliners sipping tea and eating biscuits. Instead, I was greeted by a nice young group of men and women who looked liked cliché writers from a 1970’s hardcover jacket. One of the men wore a tweed jacket with elbow patches and had a bushy beard. If it wasn’t for the no smoking policy, I suspect he would have had been smoking a pipe as well.

I went around the table and found that not one of them had any works published which I found very odd. They asked a lot of valid and poignant questions until one of them asked if I had been paid for my writing.

I replied that I was paid for every piece of published work and expected to be paid for my time.

 The woman who appeared to the leader of the group was taken aback and said writing was an art and it should be a privilege to have my work out there for people to enjoy.

BLOG TOUR - LONNA ENOX DISCUSSES HER WRITING STYLE AND PRESENTS THE LAST DANCE + GIVEAWAY

What about my style? 

An early reviewer classified my mysteries as "cozy".  They are written in first person and are set in New Mexico.  I like to take the reader with me to places I love, so I incorporate description into the plot.  Readers often say, "I couldn't put it down because I kept turning pages."  I also like to infuse a bit of humor to some characters.   

I write wildlife, religious, and humorous "folksy" articles.  I also write mystery novels.

When writing for the newspaper, Mrs. Head reminded me that people have only limited time or money, so we should make our stories worthwhile.  I use enough description to take the reader with me without their becoming bogged down.  My chapters tend to be short, and I allow actions and dialog to describe my characters more than long passages by the author.  My scenes are less graphic, even when my characters are holding their breaths.

I wrote my first books with crayons on paper bags when I was four years old.  My parents didn't know how I'd learned to read or write.  I filled diaries with stories, wrote a romance during science class in middle school, and entered stories and won first place in my high school literary magazine.  I never stopped writing.  But the first writing for which I received a steady income were articles I wrote and published the first two years after my children challenged me to follow my dreams.  I travelled with a wildlife photographer to Maine and wrote about the puffins, to Bosque del Apache in Socorro, New Mexico, to write about the sandhill cranes.  I sold articles about teaching experiences, and articles about my life in general.  Then one evening, on a first date with Ron Tucker, I watched a young woman dancing.  I began The Last Dance after our marriage.

Lonna Enox

ROBIN DANIELS, FROM THE HARD TASK OF BEING A TEENAGER TO THE HARD TASK OF WRITING GOOD YA FICTION

I have an admission. This is the first time someone has asked me to write a guest post for a blog. Honestly, I have no idea if this is how it works, but this is how I’m writing it, LOL. Our host suggested I tell you about what writing for today’s young adult readers means to me. But, to do that, I need to tell you a few things about myself first.

 I was raised in a religious home and still hold those values. It’s tough to be a teenager with a moral compass. It’s not considered very cool. I was able to stand up for what I believed in without too much grief because I was cute and a little popular. Even then, my friends teased me in good nature when I used goofy replacements for swear words. Some thought it was flat out weird that I didn’t drink or watch rated R movies. Many thought I was nuts for saving sex until marriage.

But, for the most part, people respected my values and choices. Often, kids chose less vulgar language in my presence or apologized when the f-word slipped out. If I went to a party and was offered a drink by someone who didn’t know me, others would get offended on my behalf. I had a boyfriend for two years who respected me so much, that he went off to college a virgin (though it was definitely not his

REGINA JEFFERS, COULD AN AMERICAN INHERIT AN ENGLISH TITLE? - NEW RELEASE, GUEST POST, EXCERPT

In both of my first two books from the Twins’ trilogy, the issue of whether an American could inherit a title/peerage comes into play as part of the plot. In Angel Comes to the Devil’s Keep, Angelica Lovelace’s parents had run off to America, specifically the United States, to live because they married against the wishes of their families and were disowned. As the third son, Horace Lovelace never thought to inherit, but fate (especially in the hands of a writer) has a way to make his inheritance a reality, while staying within the law of the land at that time. For Lovelace, in determining whether he could inherit a peerage in England after living in the United States for more than twenty years, we must first consider that he and his wife were both born in England. However, the question would arrive as to whether they became American citizens by denouncing their English roots or perhaps by simply living in the States and “presenting” themselves in business and socially as an “American.” Moreover, if Lovelace can inherit, what happens to his son’s rights to the earldom when the boy comes of age? What laws would affect the Lovelace’s situation when he returns to England?

CHASING THE SUN BLOG TOUR - KATY COLINS: TRAVEL PACKING HACKS

Who’s Katy Colins?

A successful travel blogger and published writer, of course. But she is especially a very brave woman who has  succeeded in turning a devastating experience into a wake-up call. We all have much to learn from her. This is why I’m very happy to have the chance to introduce her to you all on occasion of the publishing of her fourth book, Chasing the Sun.

What’s her story?

After Katy’s wedding was called off in 2010, she made the life-changing decision to travel solo around South East Asia, leaving behind her successful career and selling everything that wouldn’t fit into a backpack. As she travelled, Katy finally put her adventures and thoughts into words and secured a six book deal with Harper Collins.

Chasing the Sun is Katy’s fourth novel featuring the inimitable Georgia Green and the perfect beach read for this summer! 

                                         Read Katy’s personal story on her website 

AUTHOR GUEST POST - SIDDHI PALANDE, THIS HAPPENS ONLY IN INDIA

India is a country of age-old traditions and customs. We have an auspicious day every day of every week, 365 days. We have set limits for everything. No brochures are issued but we know how a man ought to behave and how a woman ought to react. There are one too many curfews imposed. Our social setup is as much stifling as it is welcoming.  However, when it comes to marriages we are tad too strict.

LOREENA'S GIFT BLOG TOUR - AUTHOR COLLEEN M. STORY: 3 THINGS YOU CAN'T TEACH ABOUT WRITING

A BLIND GIRL'S TERRIFYING "GIFT" ALLOWS HER TO REGAIN HER EYESIGHT--BUT ONLY AS SHE FERRIES THE RECENTLY DECEASED INTO THE AFTERLIFE.

Loreena Picket thinks she knows herself. A blind young woman who lives with her uncle, a reverend at a small-town church, she's a dutiful niece and talented pianist for the congregation.

But they're both hiding a terrible secret. Loreena can kill people with the touch of her hand.

While her uncle sees her as an angel of mercy, helping usher the terminally ill members of his flock into the afterlife, Loreena has her doubts.

Torn between doing her uncle's bidding and the allure of the fleeting moments when her eyesight returns on the journey to the other side, Loreena cooperates with her uncle until her troubled older brother returns to town. When she reveals her power by saving him from a local drug dealer, she is drawn into a sinister and dangerous world that will test the true nature of her talent and force her to consider how far she is willing to go to survive.

An exciting debut that crosses fantasy and literary fiction, Loreena's Gift is a thought-provoking meditation on life and death and what ultimately lies beyond this world.

* Loreena’s Gift was recently named 1st place fiction in the 2016 Idaho Author Awards *

​

Buy the Book:  Amazon  ~  Barnes & Noble  ~  Book Depository  ~  Chapters Indigo

NORTHERN RAIN BLOG TOUR & GIVEAWAY - NICOLE CLARKSTON, THORNTON MEETS MARGARET AT HELSTONE

Are you a North and South fan like me? You can't miss this new variation by Nicole Clarkston! Read the vignette she has gifted us with and get your chances to win a copy in the rafflecopter form below. Enjoy reading and ... good luck!

The following is a very nascent idea which popped up in the initial story development of Northern Rain. It did not survive long- it is fanciful and not at all plausible, but it was a fun, romantic concept to return to for the afternoon. In North & South, both Thornton and Margaret pay visits to Helstone, but at different parts of the story. This short vignette explores the very unlikely possibility that their visits might have coincided. We find Margaret just as she learns she is to be an heiress, and John as he is pining for the woman he never expects to see again. One wonders if they would even need words, after so unexpectedly happening upon one another in such a remarkable setting.

 Nicole Clarkston

The Rejected Scene

“Margaret, my dear, are you well?”

The young woman’s eyes had become somewhat glazed, and she appeared quite out of breath as she sat sedately by the old man’s side. She gasped, still in shock. “You cannot leave me everything, Mr Bell! Surely, there is some other, someone who might know what to do with it all!”

Thomas Bell laughed softly and patted Margaret’s hand as they sat together on their makeshift bench. “No, Margaret, there is not. You and Frederick are all I have left, and he is quite well taken care of. My wish, my dear, is that you will make better use than I did of everything I leave to you. I have no doubt that you shall bestow your goodness on those- or perhaps on one at least- who is deserving of your care.”

She shook her head, still dazed. “But it is so much,” she objected humbly. “Surely, there can be no need for you to sign it all over now. What about you?”

“Never fear, my child.” Bell allowed his gaze to drift over the simple stone cottage which had once been his old friend’s parsonage. Even the picturesque little Helstone home lacked the serenity of former days, and, like his dear friend Hale, Bell had found that the world no longer had a place for him. He sighed, blinking, then looked back to Margaret.

CAN'T DECIDE BETWEEN MR ROCHESTER AND MR DARCY? MR RUSHWOOD, THEN! SPOTLIGHT ON ...LORD BACHELOR BY TAMMY L. BAILEY + GREAT GIVEAWAY

“Damn. His perfect posture and arrogant smile had her so flustered, she’d forgotten why she was there. She knew after meeting him she’d imagine him as either Mr. Rochester— or worse, Mr. Darcy— while reading her English Lit assignment.” –Abby Forester, Lord Bachelor

Edmund Rushwood was born July 21, 1990 at Danwick Manor to Lord and Lady Rushwood, a privileged family outside of London, England. As an only child, Edmund spent most of his time “watering” his mother’s flower garden and torturing Danwick’s butler, Timmons.

Edmund also spent many days trying to obtain his father’s attention. Unfortunately, before his death, Lord Rushwood had little time for his son, except to read to him, on rare occasions, from Danwick’s vast library. This began Edmund’s love of books, and as he grew older, he gravitated towards the classics from Austen and Bronte. With them, he found some solace and a few romantic passages that he used to charm the opposite sex.

Well known by all, Edmund possessed Hollywood good looks and selfish tendencies. He obtained what he wanted without exerting much energy or caring about the opinions of others. It wasn’t until he was faced with an ultimatum that he was forced to care about someone besides himself.   

“It is in your father’s will, Edmund, that you must marry both wealthy and well, or, at least provide the name of the affluent bride before your twenty-sixth birthday, or everything you are determined to squander on women will be lost.”

ALWAYS BE WRITING

(by guest blogger John Montana) 

 Many times I hear writers say they are stuck or are in a writers slump, because no ideas are coming or they don’t know what to write. They want an original idea for a film that nobody has ever seen before. They want the next great original idea that rocks the film world. Some of them will wait for years for that inspiration for the next great film. Now…you might get angry with me for saying this, or you will probably vehemently disagree, but I don’t think this should be your goal. Of course it can be a dream that this happens, but most likely the story in some form has already been told before. Don’t sweat it!!! Really, don’t let it prevent you from writing. Just write… let the words just flow out of you. Edit it all later. Write gobble-dee-gook, write crap, write anything. Just! Write! You can worry about judging it after you are finished. 

When you are done you can go in and create a story that will inspire you to film. Think of it this way… A sculptor starts with a huge block of stone. This is your “gobble-dee-gook”. Then begin to slowly carve away the stuff that you don’t need. Carefully reveal the story you want to tell. In the end you will have something that you will be excited about putting on film. So don’t be obsessed with telling an original story or have an idea that nobody has thought of before. Because ninety nine times out of one hundred… its been done before. 

I'M A GUEST AT VULPES LIBRIS - FIERAMENTE IL LIBRO, A LITERARY EVENT IN MY HOMETOWN

I'm guestposting at a wonderful book blog today, Vulpes Libris, for a project near and dear to my heart, Fieramente il Libro.  Join me there and  help me make this dream come true... 

Books and writers have always fascinated me since I was a child, as soon as I could read

and write. My love for books found its expression both in my profession and in my free time activities, as I am an English teacher in Italy and a blogger, enthusiastically ready to spread my love for reading and books.

Fieramente il libro is a literary festival in its fourth year in my home town, Subiaco, 72 km from Rome. This is the place where St Benedict began to found monasteries after a period of hermitage and where the first book was printed in Italy. The setting for the festival is the Borgias’ fortress, where some historians believe that Cardinal Rodrigo’s children, Cesare and Lucrezia, were born.

(go on reading at Vulpes Libris)

THEN COMES WINTER BLOG TOUR - MEET CHRISTINA BOYD + GIVEAWAY

Here is a new lovely collection to celebrate the festive season with great reads and the right mood. I posted about a writing contest back in June and maybe among the winners there may be one who entered it through FLY HIGH! and is now among the debuting authors published in "Then Comes Winter"! I'm really glad for all of them on their achievement. Congratulations and to greater success! The blog tour to promote this new Meryton Press anthology starts right out from our blog, here and today. To open it, a lovely guest post by the editor of the collection, Christina Boyd. Enjoy and don't miss the chance to win your copy (to enter the giveaway use the rafflecopter form below this post - the contest is open internationally)

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Thank you so much for kicking off the Then Comes Winter blog tour at your gorgeous site, FLY HIGH! I have been a facebook fan since the autumn of 2011 so I am especially thrilled to be here.

Christina Boyd

It all started as an idea for one anthology and then someone at Merton Press suggested a summer theme anthology and then someone else suggested maybe a holiday collection. Or vice versa. I do not recall which was first. Eventually, I signed on to edit the summer anthology as 1) the editing would begin late winter and release early summer since 2) editing and promotion for a holiday anthology would be in full-swing during autumn and that is my busiest time of the year with my pottery business for holiday purchase orders, and 3) anyone that knows me, knows that winter is my third, if not fourth favorite season. So, yes the sensible choice for me would be to edit the summer anthology. Long story made short (no pun intended), after months of wrangling an amazing group of authors from many different time zones, June 1, 2015, Sun-kissed: Effusions of Summer was born. Sometime in those heady, early days of publication, the publisher at Meryton Press announced the editor who had originally been slated to edit the holiday anthology had a conflicting commitment, and asked if any of the Meryton Press’s editors were interested. I was still on a publishing high, much like after child birth when you hold your baby for the first time and you have forgotten all about the agony and are all about the hope. Of course, I raised my hand. After all, “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” John Steinbeck

AUTHOR GUEST POST: JOE GIORDANO, IMMIGRATION THEN AND NOW - SPOTLIGHT ON NEW RELEASE "BIRDS OF PASSAGE" - GIVEAWAY

           

Immigration Then and Now
The United States is a country of immigrants. Ironically, anti-immigration views have a long history. We can site John Adams's signing of the 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts, Millard Fillmore's run for the Presidency on the Know Nothing/American Party ticket of the 1856 opposing Irish-Catholics immigration. A Wisconsin and an Illinois governor were defeated for promoting anti-German immigrant laws in 1890. The Chinese Exclusion Act was enacted in 1882, and a 1907 unofficial agreement between governments stopped Japanese immigration to the United States. The Immigration Restriction League out of Boston, New York, Chicago and San Francisco in the 1890s believed southern and eastern Europeans were racially inferior and threatened the American way of life. The Dillingham Commission consisting of both Senate and House members agreed with the Immigration League and in 1911 recommended reducing southern and eastern European immigration. United States immigration laws were tightened after World War I.

TO READ OR NOT TO READ - AUTHOR GREG JOHNSTON INTRODUCES US TO THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY BEHIND HIS NEW BOOK, THE CAST OF A HAND.

The Cast of a Hand

At dawn on the outskirts of Paris in 1869, Hortense Kinck lies buried alive and surrounded by five of her children. Violently attacked, tormented and trapped, she sifts through the truths and deceits of her marriage to self-made industrialist, Jean Kinck. Why had he lied? 

France, snug in the prosperity of Napoleon III’s Second Empire, is shocked by the vicious destruction of the bourgeois Kinck family. Under pressure from his superiors, the Chief of Police, Monsieur Claude, must unravel the baffling connections between the family and a mysterious young man, Jean-Baptiste Troppmann, a cold case, a famous palmist and France’s rising tide of dissatisfaction with the Emperor Napoleon III. 

   

The Cast of a Hand is an unforgettable love story and a murder mystery based on one of the most shocking crimes of 19th century Paris. GS Johnston’s razor sharp prose interweaves and cross-pollinates the two narratives, both desperately trying to arrive at the truth. 

 Check it out at Amazon

JEFFREY PERREN, THIS WRITER'S LIFE - MEET THE AUTHOR OF COSSACKS IN PARIS

Up before dawn — tea for me, coffee for the wife, pet the dog. Check emails, correspondence with beta readers, and miscellaneous.

So far, that doesn’t sound very exciting. But that’s the business side of things. I leave as much of that as I can to my publicist — remembering how blessed I am to have one who loves my work.

Later, write or edit the latest story. It will be a re-telling of the William Tell legend and later a trilogy set in the Age of Discovery.

WHO R U REALLY? BLOG TOUR - AUTHOR GUEST POST: MARGO KELLY, TEENAGERS AND THE INTERNET

Who R U Really? by Margo Kelly 

 Thea's overprotective parents are driving her insane. They invade her privacy, ask too many questions, and restrict her online time so severely that Thea feels she has no life at all. When she discovers a new role-playing game online, Thea breaks the rules by staying up late to play. She's living a double life: on one hand, the obedient daughter; on the other, a girl slipping deeper into darkness. In the world of the game, Thea falls under the spell of Kit, an older boy whose smarts and savvy can't defeat his loneliness and near-suicidal despair. As Kit draws soft-hearted Thea into his drama, she creates a full plate of cover stories for her parents and then even her friends. Soon, Thea is all alone in the dark world with Kit, who worries her more and more, but also seems to be the only person who really "gets" her. Is he frightening, the way he seems sometimes, or only terribly sad? Should Thea fear Kit, or pity him? And now, Kit wants to come out of the screen and bring Thea into his real-life world. As much as she suspects that this is wrong, Thea is powerless to resist Kit's allure, and hurtles toward the same dark fate her parents feared most. Ripped from a true-life story of Internet stalking, Who R U Really? will excite you and scare you, as Thea's life spins out of control.

Author Guest Post - Teenagers and the Internet

The inspiration for my debut novel, Who R U Really?, came when my daughter was nearly abducted by an online predator.

There are countless—seemingly innocent—online games to play. Regardless if it’s a role-playing game, a racing game, a building game, a chess game, or a social media game … if there is a chat box, there is a danger.

My daughter participated in an innocent online role-playing game where a chat box was necessary to facilitate the game. Because of that chat box, she met a guy. He seemed nice. He seemed to need a friend. He seemed safe. But in fact, he was none of these things.

ART, MUSIC AND LITERATURE BASED COMMUNITIES

(by guest blogger Vanessa Gallo) 
People are driven by inspiration, ambitions and needs in life. It is the zeal and passion towards life that makes them aspire for many things in life. Different people have different interests and passions. Some may find satisfaction in art, some others may love music and certain others will be fond of reading literature. Many people will not be happy to read a book, watch a movie or listen to music. They may want people with similar interests to talk to. Every individual is unique with different view points and opinions.

People who are interested in art, music and literature have many advantages on the web. They can create communities online and share their thoughts regarding these topics. Many people love to join with people with similar or related interests. Artists have a relatively more flexible schedule and hence many art communities have appeared all over the world, especially in the United States. Gatlinburg Artists’ Community, John C. Campbell Folk School and Sedona are a few art communities of the United States. Gatlinburg community is located in Tennessee where most of the artists of the US live and work. All their studios are open to the public and the artists specialize in themes related to the Great Smoky Mountains. This community attracts many tourists.

M.L. LEGETTE, FAIRY-TALES & MEMORIES - THE ORPHAN & THE THIEF BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY

I don’t wear make-up. I hate high heels. I positively detest dressing up. So it’s probably a bit of a shock that all I wanted to be when I was little was a princess in a poofy pink dress. I actually owned many versions of said poofy pink dress in matching plastic shoes. If you met me when I was seven and asked ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ I would have promptly answered ‘Cinderella!’

So what is it that makes children love fairy-tales so much? I don’t really know. My enjoyment of them in my youth obviously did not have a lasting impression on my wardrobe, so what is it? Generally speaking, boys make their own suits of armor out of cardboard and pretend to slay dragons and goblins in the backyard, while girls wear glittering, plastic crowns and run about with fairy wands.

This was my childhood, by the way.