Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Blitz: Real Birth by Robin Greene




Robin Greene serves as Professor of English and Writing, and Director of the Writing Center at Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC. She is a past recipient of a cosponsored National Endowment of Arts and North Carolina Arts Council Fellowship in Writing, the Al Cleveland Award for Teaching, the Best Professor of the Year Award, and the McLean Endowed Chair of English


In addition to her university teaching, Greene teaches writing at an annual writing, yoga, and meditation retreat for women in Oaxaca, Mexico. Click on www.oaxacaculture.com to learn more about this retreat


Greene has published four books —two volumes of poetry (Memories of Light and Lateral Drift), a novel (Augustus: Narrative of a Slave Woman) and two editions of Real Birth: Women Share Their Stories. She regularly publishes poems, fiction, and creative nonfiction in literary journals and has about ninety publications to her credit


The Shelf Life of Fire, Greene's new novel, is scheduled for release from Light Messages in April 2019


Greene received an MA in English Literature from Binghamton University and an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Art. With her husband, Greene co-founded Longleaf Press, Methodist University’s literary press www.methodist.edu/longleaf/




Available for readings, writing workshops for pregnant women and new mothers, and for workshops and presentations on creative writing, academic writing, and grammar, Greene can be reached at greene.robin@gmail.com or through her website www.robingreene-writer.com







 ~ Website ~





Intimate and intensely personal, the forty-five first-person narratives contained in Real Birth: Women Share Their Stories offer readers a window into the complex and emotionally exciting experience of childbirth. Women from a full range of socioeconomic backgrounds and circumstances recount the childbirth choices they’ve made and the ways those choices have played themselves out in the real life contexts of their everyday lives.


Readers meet women from all over the country who speak to us directly––no interviewer intrudes, no judgments intrude, and no single method of childbirth is advocated. Instead, these women offer us their candid experiences, presented clearly and unflinchingly. Medically reviewed by physicians Dr. Richard Randolph for the first edition and Dr. Deborah Morris for this second edition, Real Birth offers readers a plethora of correct information as well the kind of real scoop that other books and health care professionals are often reluctant to reveal. The result is a well-grounded book that reaches across the boundaries of childbirth literature.



Real Birth is introduced by Ariel Gore, journalist, editor, writer, and founding editor/publisher of Hip Mama, an Alternative Press Award-winning publication about the culture of motherhood. Also included are an extensive glossary of medical terms, a thoroughly researched selective bibliography, and a list of resources of interest to pregnant women and new moms









Top Tens List: (or twelve just becuase) 


* I'm in training to become a yoga teacher.
* I love weaving.
* Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is my favorite book.
* I'm a huge fan of poet Mary Oliver.
* I enjoy hiking.
* I meditate every day.
* I'm a vegetarian.
* My older son, at 8-years-old, was present at his brother's birth.
* I write every morning for 2 hours.
* I love helping other writers
* I wrote REAL BIRTH, in part, so I could listen to the important stories of women.

* I enjoy a glass of red wine every evening.






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Monday, May 7, 2018

Blitz: Selah’s Painted Dream by Susan Count





Instilled with the need to create, I love building projects and writing adventure stories. I’m a life-long equestrian and owned by a Rocky Mountain Horse. I adore grandchildren, horses, bunnies, mochas, and forest trails.
I’ve published three books in an equestrian series. I write at an antique secretary desk that occupies a glass room with a forest view. Fittingly, it once belonged to the same wise grandmother who introduced me to the love of reading via Walter Farley's horse books. That desk has secret compartments which hold memories, mysteries, and story ideas.

As a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, American Christian Fiction Writers, and Texas Association of Authors, I take studying the craft of writing seriously. Revision is my super-power.




Thirteen-year-old Selah’s life is about as perfect as it gets. She has horsy friends at school, and on weekends, she rides her black mare on Grandpa’s farm. Training the horse to do upper-level liberty work is what makes her heart beat.

But one word can ruin a perfect life—moving.

A move would separate her from her horse, so she plots to get her name on the farm mailbox instead. She’s sure she could persuade Grandpa—except he’s overly distracted by a sheep-loving neighbor.

Determined not to let Grandpa's new sweetheart take her place in his heart, Selah puts her hope in a painted dream horse from Grandpa’s past. When she snugs up the girth and buckles on her spurs, Selah rides to win.




Snippet:

Grandpa’s truck eased off the highway with Katie’s rickety trailer rattling behind it.
“You can’t be serious, Grandpa? A stinky sheep trailer.”
“Glad you’re all right, Selah.” He opened the squeaky pipe gate to the stock trailer.
“Dream would rather walk home.”

“That would give you plenty of time to think about what’s coming out of your mouth.” He frowned. 




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Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Blitz: Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies by Ivy Journey






Evy Journey, writer, wannabe artist, and flâneuse (feminine of flâneur), wishes she lives in Paris where people have perfected the art of aimless roaming. Armed with a Ph.D., she used to research and help develop mental health programs.

She's a writer because beautiful prose seduces her and existential angst continues to plague her despite such preoccupations having gone out of fashion. She takes occasional refuge by invoking the spirit of Jane Austen to spin tales of love, loss, and finding one’s way—stories into which she weaves mystery or intrigue.

Connect with the Author here: 


Gina’s grandfather was a French chef whose life was cut short by a robber’s bullet. The only lasting legacy he could leave his family was his passion and talent for cooking.


Growing up poor but with a mother who is a gifted cook. Gina learns cooking a great meal is an act of love. An art that sustains and enhances life.

A world of new challenges, new friends, and new loves opens up for her when she’s chosen to cook for a Michelin-starred restaurant.

But danger lurks where one never expects it.
Can her passion for cooking help Gina survive and thrive in this world of privilege, pleasure and menace?


~ Amazon ~ Kobo ~ B&N





Top Ten List:

Ten of my favorite things

Why do I love Paris? It has or does at least ten of my favorite things. I have “lived” as a transient in Paris a few times. That means I stay 2 to 6 months. It is:

  • A vibrant city where la joie de vivre is often evident in so many ways and nearly every day; so, it is
  • a shot in the arm, and an escape into a different kind of reality;
  • A communion with history we can still relate with, a history boasting some of the greatest thinkers and great architecture spared from bombs that leveled other European cities;
  • A veritable tableau where a gathering of people in a park reminds you of a Manet or Monet painting;
  • An ode to light and colors celebrated in artistic revolutions that gave birth to gothic churches and modern art, starting with Impressionism;
  • A lover of art and culture with world-class exhibits in its world-class museums as well as days or nights dedicated to celebrating the arts;
  • Rich with world-class parks with beds and large vases of flowers massed in harmonious colors. They invite you to linger on benches and plentiful green metal chairs under sprawling shady trees;
  • Where you needn’t go beyond your block (or two) to find a boulangerie where you can get a warm crusty baguette in late afternoon, great macarons or tasty tarts—fresh, everyday. And cheap, compared to pastries you buy in fancy bakeries in the US;
  • In a country where cultivating food and wine and preparing them for consumption is considered part of the patrimoine—the French national heritage, and
  • where mayonnaise and many other dishes and sauces that help make eating a pleasure were “invented”.



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Monday, March 5, 2018

Cover Reveal: Upheld by The Grace Lane Authors




Five women have joined together under the pen name, Grace Lane, to write about their personal experiences in hopes to inspire and uplift others.  The following character sketches will give you a little insight about each author.



Rebekah: 
Writing about motherhood and her husband’s health struggles, Rebekah lives true to the meaning of her name—to bind. Life’s experiences have shaped her into a wise, steadfast daughter of God who has the beautiful ability to make others laugh through her clever wit.
Jeni: 
Jeni’s stories revolve around the loving care of her son with special needs. Knowing that he will not live out his childhood, she’s armed with strength and determination to give him the best life possible. The bright hope Jeni finds through the Savior will encourage the lowest of hearts.
Elizabeth:
Elizabeth is passionate about sharing the Light of Christ. You’ll feel this in reading about the challenges she faces with her spouse’s addiction and divorce. Through sophistication, uplifting words, and a touch of spunk, she’s a modern-day disciple “gathering in the fold” and feeding His sheep.
Faith:
A woman of intuition, Faith has a distinctive gift for understanding people. Her personal goal in life is to help women recognize their potential in whatever role they fill. She writes about her battle in overcoming abuse as a child and her fight with low self-esteem.

Dawn:

A single mom for ten years, Dawn not only believes the motto “Light trumps darkness”, but she lives it every day. Her short stories are about finding God after a heart-crushing divorce. Dawn touches many lives through her unwavering testimony and simple ways.
Connect with the Authors here: 

Upheld: Ordinary women discovering an Extraordinary God

Life happens. Ordinary and extraordinary events fill the days and nights, but regardless of the circumstance, God is there. We’re five friends who, over the course of a decade, learned to recognize the heavenly touches in our lives. We share our stories in a series of short vignettes, as glimpses of the profound and practical ways God lifts us.

First as a newlywed and then as a young mother, Rebekah awakens to the daily light that comes from realizing how often and simply the Lord touches her life. Jeni nurtures a child with special needs and learns that strength and support are only a prayer away. Elizabeth forges a new path towards renewal and regeneration after she exits the roller coaster ride of her spouse’s addiction. Faith discovers the beauty of reminders from a loving Heavenly Father that she has worth and the precious gift of agency. Dawn opens her mind to the understanding that no matter what happens peace can abound and everything will work out.

In Upheld: Ordinary women discovering an Extraordinary God we invite you to walk with us, explore the nooks and crannies of life, and have joy in the knowledge that you are not forgotten. As you read, we hope you will also discover God upholding you in your own life.

And now for the Cover

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Isn't it lovely!!!


~ Website

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Friday, February 23, 2018

Blitz: Tarragon, Dragon Mage by Karlie Lucas




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After hundreds of years, the gates to Tarragon are open once more, fulfilling age-old prophecy. However, Anwen’s journey is far from over. The dragons still sleep and she has no clue how to wake them. Forced to retreat from the Mountain, she and her newfound friends must devise a new plan to wake the inhabitants of Tarragon.

Meanwhile, the Mage Circle, a group of dragon mages with a vendetta, is camped outside the Gates. Calling on allies of their own, they will stop at nothing to gain control of the Dragon City and all who dwell inside.

To complicate matters even more, Anwen’s mother has joined the party. But even with the help of all her friends, can Anwen overcome the ordeals set before her or will this spell the end of the dragons and the world as we know it?


Purchase your copy here:

Amazon US ~ AU ~ CA ~ UK ~

~ Createspace ~ Kobo ~ B&N ~ Smashwords ~






Karlie Lucas is a preschool teacher by day and a writer/artist by night.

A graduate of Southern Utah University, Karlie received a B.A. in Creative Writing, with a minor in art. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta, The International English Honor Society, as well as ANWA, the American Night Writers Association.

Karlie is interested in all things magical and mysterious, especially elves and dragons. She is an avid fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling.

When not writing, Karlie can often be found drawing, baking, watching her favorite old school shows, or just spending time with her family.

She currently resides in Dallas, Texas with her husband and a cat named Kally

Connect with the Author here: 
Facebook ~ Website ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads ~





Snippet:

Anwen moved to stand, arms down at her sides as she stared ahead, ignoring his reaching hand. “I can see the trees,” she continued. “And the particles that make them. They're the same. The same as the ones that make up you and me. Like small planets circling miniature suns. I can see the smallest details.” Her eyes widened in awe. “It’s beautiful.”

Tyler stepped forward to stand beside her. Sometimes the plant had allowed such vision, but the cost was usually high. More than a handful with similar sight had gone blind from the experience. That was why it was better for mortals to “hear” everything rather than see it. He only hoped there would be no such resulting repercussions in this instance.

Concentrating, Tyler tried to reach out to the part of his soul that resided within hers. His soul gaze was met with an aura of brilliant golden light, entwined with hints of red and blue. Silver flashed throughout, like a protective cage made of lightning. It seemed to dare anyone to try and displace it.

Anwen turned towards Tyler. The morning sunlight glinted off her auburn hair like little sparks of fire. She closed her eyes and leaned into him, her lips meeting his. Both their hearts thumped like drums in perfect harmony. Despite that, Tyler stood frozen in shock. The kiss was brief but oh so sweet as she pulled away. “You taste like summer,” she observed with a wistful sigh.


Tyler felt rooted to the ground, his eyes wide at her rather unexpected advance. “Um,” he managed, looking at her. “Thank you?” Her eyes had returned to their normal coloring, he noticed. That was a good sign. Perhaps she wouldn’t go blind after all.


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