Thursday, November 30, 2017

Blog Tour: The Christmas Letter by Steven H. Berman my #review @fiftyfiftypress



Historical Fiction
Date Published: 10-30-17
Publisher: 50/50 Press

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Mary is a naïve twenty-year-old in 1945 when her high school sweetheart, Jack, returns to their small Indiana steel town wounded from World War II and makes her his bride. While Jack struggles to find his place in the world, Mary begins her own journey of self-discovery. As the years and letters unfold, Mary and Jack have five children, including their first-born son, Junior who is not “right," an issue that contributes to the turmoil in their marriage and impacts their lives in unforeseen ways. Mary's Christmas letters track her children from toddling to adulthood, while also commenting on her marriage, her friendships, and the world around her—advances in technology, the dawn of the nuclear age, the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Cold War, Vietnam, Woodstock, and more. Through disappointments, triumphs, dark moments of doubt and suspicion, loss of loved ones, and the lessons learned from hard experience, Mary’s Christmas letters are a constant in an uncertain world.

Endorsements for “The Christmas Letter”

“Told in the annual Christmas letters Mary Townsend sends to her best friend, ‘The Christmas Letter’ is an emotional roller coaster; an immersive, uplifting, deeply satisfying read. I loved it.”
Warren Littlefield, Multi-Emmy, Peabody, Television Award winning Executive Producer of “Fargo,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale”

“A great literary gift of the Christmas or any season. It’s a story of a family so real, so moving and so heartwarming, you’ll want to invite Mary and her brood home for dinner.”
Jeff Melvoin, Emmy Award winning Executive Producer, “Designated Survivor,” “Army Wives,” and “Northern Exposure”

“I could barely stand to leave these characters at the end of the book and have thought about them daily since, as though they were real and part of my real life. What a moving story, so beautifully written. ’The Christmas Letter’ is a testament to the strength of the human heart to persevere, against all odds and obstacles, bolstered by faith and stubborn belief.
Barbara Corday, Creator of Emmy Award winning series “Cagney and Lacey,” former President Columbia Pictures Television and Executive Vice-President of CBS Entertainment

“Steve Berman gives readers a poetic, beautiful and powerful understanding of the truth and love that connects hearts in his magnificent new book ‘The Christmas Letter.’ The path these characters take, make it impossible for you to put this book down. ‘The Christmas Letter’ has courage and compassion. The finest convictions, the most challenging situations are met by true faith. You will experience a turbulent ride, with a result that speaks to friendship, family and faith. If you read one new book this year, please meet Mary and read ‘The Christmas Letter.’”
                                                       Kathy Ireland, CEO kathy ireland Worldwide


Review

What a perfect read for someone who wants some depth to their fiction. This novel will definitely pull at your heartstrings.

The pacing in the story was well done and the story itself was well-developed. I really enjoyed the characters and the growth they showed.

A well developed plot and characters you will cling to, The Christmas Letter is a great Historical Novel!

About the Author


Steven H. Berman is a veteran writer-producer with more than fifteen produced credits, including a dozen Movies of the Week and five mini-series. His mini-series Roughing It brought him a Writers’ Guild of America nomination for best adaptation. His movie Twice Upon a Christmas premiered at the White House. The Christmas Letter is his first novel.

Steven lives in Los Angeles with his wife Marcia, the Director of Advancement at a private school. They have two children; Rachel whose debut novel, Aerendgast: The Secret History of Jane Austin was published last year, and Dan, an entrepreneur.

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Monday, November 27, 2017

Cyber Monday Books on SALE! #sale #free #discount #books

WELCOME TO THE CYBER MONDAY SALE BLAST! 

Click on any of the below book covers to be taken to the page that has more information on the novel as well as the Buy Links! 

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway before you leave!



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Saturday, November 25, 2017

Blog Tour: Hayden the Perfect Hedgehog by @authorarla





Children's Book
Date Published: 6/5/17
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing

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Hayden has always lived in Tiny Yard with his mom. He has never met anyone different. Come along with Hayden the Perfect Hedgehog on this first adventure away from home and witness how differences should be handled.



About the Author


Arla worked in corporate America for over 30 years. Her favorite responsibility was diversity training. This experience, combined with her love of children drove her to create this series with the intent to bring diversity and acceptance understanding to the youngest readers. Arla is married to her wonderful husband, Ron. She had one sonwhich this book honors. Marriage have her 4 beautiful young ladies. Being a mom to these wonderful people is her favorite job!

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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

PROMO: Body of Evidence



Thriller Suspense
Date Published: March 2017

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“Ask him if he didn’t intend to kill Noah when he went to the bar with that loaded gun, just what did he intend to do? It could be important, so you need to ask him and to get an answer.”

Richard Dandridge has left a big city Manhattan law firm to open up his own small private practice in his hometown of Rochester, NY. He is eking out a meager living representing small clients, but he is content to play golf and no longer be part of the scandals and notoriety of the big city law firms. Now, however, he has been thrown back into the big leagues by a huge local murder case. Lieutenant Vincent Trapp has shot and killed businessman Noah Arietta at the Foundry Café, in front of witnesses. There is no question that Trapp has done the murder and he certainly had motive, as Arietta had violently raped and beaten Trapp’s wife Paige. Lieutenant Trapp has requested that Richard Dandridge represent him.

Richard debates about taking the case—defending a guilty person can be professional suicide. But if he wins, the rewards would be huge. He will position himself as the top defense lawyer in Monroe County, and he will also have the personal satisfaction of defeating prosecutor Randall Walker, who has beaten Richard in his run for District Attorney. However, this case sure looks like a loser. Even the rape is in question: a rape kit performed on Paige is negative for sperm, although the woman clearly has been beaten.

Richard is therefore drawn to the case because of the positive effects a win would have on his career and the future of his firm. He meets with Trapp, who confirms the known facts: the death of Arietta was not accidental or a suicide and Trapp caused it, in front of witnesses. The Lieutenant meets all the qualifications for felony first degree murder. Against his better judgment and going with a gut feeling, Richard agrees to represent Trapp. Richard knows that he needs to design a case around the known facts, as damning as they are. He knows that Trapp is well-to-do, a decorated serviceman, and has never been in trouble before. Richard therefore sees the act committed by Trapp as completely out of character, even though the man has a clear jealous streak when it comes to his beautiful wife. The thought keeps coming back to him: Trapp must have been out of his mind to do this crime.

Richard realizes that this is a distinct possibility, and also the basis for a valid defense strategy—Trapp had acted while in a dissociative state psychiatrists referred to as the “irresistible impulse.” Now it is up to Richard to craft the compelling body of evidence that points so clearly to first degree murder into a case for a man so shaken and traumatized by the brutal attack on his wife that he unwittingly killed her attacker while in a dissociative state. Richard must use all his knowledge of the law to convince a jury that the Lieutenant was temporarily insane when he fired five bullets into Noah Arietta. It’s a defense recognized by the State of New York, but the odds of pulling it off are huge. Richard not only has to get an acquittal for a guilty man using an insanity defense, but he also has to successfully prosecute a dead man for rape.


About the Author


I began writing at the age of twenty because it was good therapy for me as a mother of an achondroplastic dwarf, at a time when there was not much knowledge or a support group.  To hone my skills I completed the University of Washington Certificate course, Introduction on Fiction Writing in September of 2001.  I attended a seminar on Writing Techniques and Styles, and another entitled How to Become a Successful Editor.  In 2016 and 2017 I participated in the James Paterson online courses for screen play and fiction writing.  As an avid reader, I organized a local Book Club here in Irondequoit...  I was presented in, “Two Thousand Notable American Women, Third Illustrated Edition”, prepared by the American Biographical Institute and published in 1991.  I was highlighted in an article by About Time Magazine in their Career Profile section in August, 1982.  Then shortly after the article appeared I was on the air for an interview at a Syracuse Cable Station in a 30 minute segment entitled “Successful Black Women in New York State” and taped another 30 minute segment for a program entitled “Spotlight On You”.  I appeared on WOKR-TV, “Shades Of Gray Program, where I was interviewed for Outstanding Achievement Recognition.  This took place in 1990. I was interviewed for an article on the front page of the Irondequoit Post for my fiction book released in 2000 and entitled Til Death Do Us Part?  I appearances on RNews (now known as YNN) in Rochester New York for my fiction book, and a nonfiction book entitled Who Says I’m Small in 2006, also promoted at the LPA (Little People of America) in Orlando Florida and Erie Pennsylvania in 2008.  I opened my home base computer business, J. Tischendorf Services (originally J. Saxton Services) in 1984 and Pageant Perfect Production in 1990.  I placed in the top 10 of the Mrs. New York State/America Beauty Pageant in 1983 and did freelance modeling for department stores.  I did photogenic modeling for Eastman Kodak Company’s Phototech Division and modeled for the Gannett Newspapers 1983 Annual Report and the United Way Annual Report.  I even participated in the special number drawing event for the New York State Lottery.  I continued to build this experience by commentating high school fashion shows.

In 2010, Tate Publishing released by non-fiction book, “The Madman, The Marathoner”.  Today I have several manuscripts, some of which I have entered in the Amazon book contest, and others that I continue to work on.

For the past several years I have participated in Author’s Night at Barnes & Noble which has kept my face in the public eye.  When it comes to wanting to be published and write, I am the real deal!

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Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Blog Tour: Greco's Game by @rubyrockfilms #interview #thriller


Thriller / Suspense / Action / Romance
Date Published: November 1, 2017
Publisher: Regis Books

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Colonel Aleksandr Talanov – the “ice man” – is married to a woman he wishes he could love. But he can’t, and it’s an ugly consequence of his training with the KGB. Even so, no one should have to experience what Talanov experiences: the brutal murder of his wife in front of his eyes.

Wracked with guilt and suspected of plotting her death, Talanov spirals downward on a path of self-destruction. He should have been killed, not her. He was the one whose violent past would not leave them alone. Months tick by and Talanov hits rock bottom on the mean streets of Los Angeles, where he meets a hooker named Larisa, who drugs and robs him.

But in the seedy world of human trafficking ruled by the Russian mafia, Larisa made the mistake of stealing the ice man’s wallet. In it was Talanov’s sole possession of value: his wedding photo. Talanov tracks Larisa down to get that photo because it reminds him of everything that should have been but never was, and never would be because an assassin’s bullet had mistakenly killed his wife. Or was it a mistake?


The answer lies in Greco’s Game, a chess match played in 1619 that is famous for its queen sacrifice and checkmate in only eight moves. In an unusual alliance, Talanov and Larisa team up to begin unraveling the mystery of what Talanov’s old KGB chess instructor regarded as the most brilliant example of how to trap and kill an opponent. The question is: who was the target?

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Interview

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
That individuals matter. Talanov sticks up for the proverbial “little guy,” which in Greco’s Game is an eleven year-old girl who is kidnapped by a crime lord in a trap engineered to lure Talanov to Hong Kong. In fact, fighting for the individual almost becomes an obsession for Talanov because he came from a corrupt, totalitarian communist empire, the old Soviet Union, which occupied all of Eastern Europe at the end of World War II and drained their economies for well over forty years ... in the name of “redistributing the wealth,” which, in practice, meant stealing it from Eastern Europe and giving it to the Soviet elite. Thus, when Talanov sees the same corrupt practices going on in Washington, he is understandably outraged.

I saw the effects of this firsthand because for years I used to smuggle humanitarian supplies to needy people living in Soviet-occupied countries. I have stood in bread lines for hours for a single loaf of bread. I have interviewed survivors of death camps and gulags, and studied the ways of the KGB, which stripped people of their individual rights and sent them to prison for trivial and fabricated crimes. In Greco’s Game, we find Talanov having to defy the United States Intelligence Community in order to save that eleven year-old girl. It’s who he is, and the main reason for that is because it’s who I am. This trait is personal to me because I remember the doctor who confirmed that I did indeed have cancer (in my jaw), after which he said, “No health insurance? Sorry, buddy, can’t help you,” whereupon he walked out of the room, leaving me alone in the examination chair. That was in San Diego, in 1991. Had I chosen to have an operation, it would have cost me over $200,000 cash. So my wife and I flew to Australia, where for $17,000, a team of surgeons opened my face up like a book and removed a tumor the size of an orange, along with half of my mandible and teeth. They then made a new jaw bone from hip bone, stole vessels and arteries from both arms, rebuilt my face, plugged everything in and hit the switch. And to everyone’s surprise, I lived. I had been given eighteen months to live. It has now been over twenty-five years. The system did not care, and that doctor, as part of that system, did not care. It was entirely about the money, and a ridiculous amount at that. This is one reason the individual is so important to Talanov. That individual – me – is someone who would not now be alive had I not been important, as an individual, to someone else.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?
Balancing promotion with writing, because I absolutely love both. All of us writers know we can have the best book in the world, but if nobody knows it’s out there, it will go nowhere fast. We have to promote, which I sometimes find tedious and frustrating, because so much of it is reduced to social media blips. I am old-fashioned in that I love meeting readers and interacting with them, and not just interacting about me and my books, but about the lives and interests of others.

A publicist once called me both her dream client – because I loved meeting people so much – and her nightmare client – because I loved meeting people so much (i.e., spending too much time with people and not enough time on social media). I just like hanging out with you guys too much!

As for the writing part of the equation, I believe a writer should honor his or her readers with a story that’s the very best it can be. That’s why I spend a lot of time editing. If I’m asking you to shell out money and time for one of my books, you deserve a book that’s worth your time and expense. I won’t be able to please everyone; I know that. But for my part, you will always receive my very best.


How many books have you written and which is your favorite?
To date, including my upcoming new Talanov thriller, Dragon Head, I’ve written a total of eight books (The Second Thirteen, published in Australia in 1999, was retitled and republished as Department Thirteen). I also took most of the photos in my wife’s sugar-free, gluten-free cookbook, The Recipe Gal Cookbook (2017). And I definitely got to taste-test all of her recipes!!!

As for my favorite book, not to sound corny, but my current project is always my favorite, which right now allows me to keep developing Talanov as a powerful presence in Washington and internationally. I think the unfolding political events of today, with all the forces at work to compromise and undermine this nation’s strength – many of which were initiated by the KGB – is a fascinating medium for Talanov. Remember, at one time Talanov was instrumental in the design and implementation of those efforts. Now, he is one of our primary assets in exposing and stopping them, which of course pits him against many of his former colleagues, which is what we encounter in Greco’ Game.


If you had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?
I am in negotiations with a film production company in Hollywood, who has asked me not to comment on this. The reason is that certain actors are actually being considered for the role of Talanov. As soon as I know more, I will post news on my Official Facebook page. So I hope you will stop by and join that community. I will also post updates on my James Houston Turner website.


When did you begin writing?
When I was ten. I had a number of teachers who knew how to channel the daydreams of this little fat kid. Elementary school was therefore where I learned my love of writing through my love of research. I also fell in love with this big, wonderful, exciting world of ours thanks to a multi-band radio I found in a dumpster behind Smith’s Electrical, in my old hometown in eastern Kansas. I took it home, repaired it, shot an aerial up over a high branch in the walnut tree, which I’d strung from the elm tree up to my bedroom window on the second floor of our house. I would tune in to the world and listened to languages I could not understand. That is when I began to write, inspired by my teachers, that old radio, and the yarns spun by my dad and granddad.


How long did it take to complete your first book?
Thirty-five years. I kid you not . Okay, maybe a little, but not really, because my inspiration for Talanov – the actual KGB agent who leaked word out of Moscow that I was on a watch list for my smuggling activities behind the old Iron Curtain – occurred thirty-five years before I actually began to write his unfolding story, which had to simmer as a nascent idea on the back burner of my imagination until it finally morphed into a book, which then took me two years to write. Whew!


Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I loved Sherlock Holmes as a boy, and I have the annotated double-edition of his complete works. Those stories and Doyle’s turns of phrase whetted my appetite for linguistic expression and how descriptions can create a vivid image in ones imagination. I can still see and feel those equinoctial storms pounding the windows on Baker Street.


What is your favorite part of the writing process?
Reading the completed, edited manuscript back to myself out loud. This is the proverbial icing on the cake for me, because I get to enunciate words and add drama (as well as catch cadence errors and typos).


Describe your latest book in 4 words.
Talanov breaks all the rules.


Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?
I recently took time away from my novels to write several screenplays. Those screenplays opened some important doors for me, but writing them retarded my growth as a novel writer. I’m glad I wrote those scripts, and I learned a lot about story structure, but my foray into screenwriting cost me dearly in terms of my novels. One thing I did learn is that I’m not a screenwriter. “Do what you do best,” one film producer told me, “which is write novels. Leave the screenwriting to me.” Hence, this is what I am now doing. It wasn’t wasted time by any means, because my setbacks have been good teachers. The hard knocks of life – i.e., consequences – usually are. So I am now back to full-time novel writing, and I hope you enjoy the Talanov Express as it pulls out of the station picks up speed. I want to thank the great team at RABT for allowing me to join you on this exciting tour. I hope you enjoy the ride!



About the Author


James Houston Turner is the bestselling author of the Aleksandr Talanov thriller series, as well as numerous other books and articles. Talanov the fictional character was inspired by the actual KGB agent who once leaked word out of Moscow that James was on a KGB watch-list for his smuggling activities behind the old Iron Curtain. James Houston Turner’s debut thriller, Department Thirteen, was voted “Best Thriller” by USA Book News, after which it won gold medals in the Independent Publisher (“IPPY”) Book Awards and the Indie Book Awards. His novel, Greco’s Game, has just been optioned for film. A cancer survivor of more than twenty-five years, he holds a bachelor’s degree from Baker University and a master’s degree from the University of Houston (Clear Lake). After twenty years in Australia, he and his wife, Wendy, author of The Recipe Gal Cookbook, now live in Austin, Texas.

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Monday, November 20, 2017

PROMO: A-C-T Like a Kid and T-H-I-N-K Like a Parent




Non-Fiction - Self-help/Family
Date Published:  June 29, 2017

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Just for kicks, have you ever wondered what your parents really want from you in life? Is it you, or do your parents want you to have no real fun? On any given day, do you want to make your parents proud of you and still do what makes you feel really happy within yourself? Of course you do! But the real question has always been, and still is…how? How can we actually get this done?

Well, with A-C-T like a Kid and T-H-I-N-K like a Parent, a.k.a "the child-part consoler", you will get past common misunderstandings by learning how to truly talk, hear, and listen to your parents, guardians or caregivers instead of feeling like you have to run to friends to find some sense of acceptance, understanding, and real connection.

In this book, chock-full of questions and answers gotten directly from the source, you’ll learn what your parents, guardians or caregivers really expect of you—and maybe you’ll even find out how to explain to them what you really expect from them! Not that this book could ever replace a parent, because it can not. But when it comes to openly communicating certain key ideas, this book comes really close.

This tell-all guide contains lots of enlightening explanations and helpful answers to many common kid questions like:

·      What do my parents really want from me?
·      Why do my parents do what they do and say what they say?
·      What do I really need to know about my parents' parenting skills?
·      How can I keep my parents happy with me?
·      How can I help my parents to help me?
·      How can I get what I want from my parents every time?

A-C-T like a Kid and T-H-I-N-K like a Parent is an intro to the secret knowledge of adults which is a set of informations that is mainly covered in the book entitled Surrogate Re-Parenting: A.K.A. Get Your Mind Right, and even more thoroughly covered in the book The Secret Knowledge Of Adults. While this book, A-C-T like a Kid and T-H-I-N-K like a Parent is intended for kids 10 and up, the info in this book is beneficial and useful to the intelligent kid parts in all of us. Yes, this means you too.

The information in this book will help you and yours to start to see your parents, not as the enemy, but as the caring human beings they really are, and take the first step toward family unity, understanding, growth, success, and happiness! Both you and your parents really deserve this, and with this book, A-C-T like a Kid and T-H-I-N-K like a Parent, you and your parents can actually achieve this.



 
Excerpt

28) Earning Your Parents' Respect.


As a kid, when it comes to parents, us having, earning and receiving their love, is almost guaranteed. You can be one of the most stubborn, unruly, wayward kids and they would still love their child and that's for life. It's fairly easy to have a parent's love but it is a whole different thing to earn a parent's respect.


This is because love and respect come from two entirely different places. The love comes from what they feel for you, almost through themselves. Respect  comes from what they think about the what, and the “way”, you are doing things, that you are doing in your own life. As a kid, you can disgrace your parents and they will still love you. But even though they do love you, if you disgrace them, they won't respect you. As their child, you can act shamefully and your parents will still love you. But if you act shamefully, they won't respect you. You can steal from them and lie to them and they will still love you. But if you steal from them, and lie to them, they won't respect you. As a kid you can smell bad and look terribly messy and they will still love you. But if you smell bad and look terribly messy, they won't respect you. As a kid it can be very hard to earn the respect of your parents. You can't just smile your way through this one. If you want your parents' respect, you are going to have to earn it, and fight for it. This is because it isn't as easy as being loved by them. Your being respected by them is definitely worth a lot to them. When it comes to your parents, the “way” you do things, the “way” you get things, the “way” you live and the "way" you keep things, does matter to them.

As a kid, watch the “way” that is being promoted in your surroundings. A “way” that you have the power to use, choose or change for yourself, in your own life. They may not say it but they, as parents, look for proof of character in everything that you do as a kid. Proof that you have made a point of displaying character in all that you, as a kid, do or touch. Your parents watch your life for proof of honor and honesty, hoping to find both honor and honesty present, in the “way” you do everything as their child. They especially watch for decency, which is based mainly on how well you treat other living things in your surroundings. It's about how you use the power that you have over others, including smaller kids and pets. Your parents look to see you show mercy on those who have messed up on you, that are also smaller than you, like your brothers or sisters. It makes them, as parents, very proud when they see you, as a child of theirs, showing forgiveness to those who have foolishly wronged you. As you are growing up, it makes your parents really proud of you when they see how powerful you have become. They are especially proud when they see how gracious, kind, merciful and considerate you can be. They marvel at how great you have become, when they watch you being able to share with those who have given you nothing. As a parent, it gives them great joy to see their child, you, stand up against opposition to preserve the rights, safety and freedom of those around you as a kids. And the thought that if you were around a place, even if you were just passing through, that when you left that place, it would be better and cleaner because you were once there.

These are the types of things that can help you as a kid who already has their parent's love, to earn their respect. These are just a few of the actions that can help a kid earn their parents' respect.


About Katherine Shears


Katherine Shears is a mom, graduate of Strayer University, and an executive consultant, who is dedicated to bettering the social function and overall visibility of all she encounters. She is a deep thinker with an open mind who stays on the cutting edge of learning, having read over one hundred self-help titles and counting.





About C.S Whitehurst


C. S. Whitehurst is a psychology-based UX/UI designer/tester, computer programmer, IT Project Manager, and self-help enthusiast, who is a student of science, philosophy, life, and NYU. As a native of New York, having been exposed to social diversity, he has been coached by life to respond to the issues plaguing inner-city youth.






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