October 2023 - A Life Through Books

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Book Blitz: Wayne, the Nerd from Arizona by Wayne Rankin #promo #newbooks #middlegrade #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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Children's Book, Middle Grade

Date Published: October 28, 2022

 

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Wayne is a good kid but has always had a hard time making friends. His dad is an air force master sergeant. He travels a lot, even overseas. Now, Wayne is in a new school and feels unsure of himself. He has pimples on his forehead, crooked teeth, and mended glasses.

Wayne, the nerd, has to deal with his appearance and the challenge of being a wanderer. However, he is not alone; there are others just like him!

Join Wayne on his adventure from Luke AFB Phoenix, Arizona, to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and see his transformation from an ugly caterpillar to an amazing and beautiful butterfly!

 

 

About the Author

Wayne Rankin is an Air Force Service Disabled Veteran, and was a Lockheed Martin Deputy Site Manager for the 3rd Space Surveillance Squadron at Misawa Japan. He was the 73rd Space Group, Chief of Logistics providing support to geographical separated units overseeing operations of the Air Force Space Command’s $360M, Space Surveillance projects. He was a Shipley Associates Proposal Manager for ITT Systems Division, Lockheed Martin, URS, Lear Siegler, ACS State-Local Solutions and GTE Government Systems. While at ACS State-Local Solutions with a win rate of 80% .He is a Magna Cum Laude graduate from Colorado Christian University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management well as a Master of Arts degree in Procurement and Acquisition Management and Human Resources Development from Webster University…

 

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Monday, October 30, 2023

Release Blitz: blackloop by Sarah Holding #promo #releaseday #giveaway #youngadult #yascifi #rabtbooktours @SeaHolding @RABTBookTours
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YA Sci-Fi Romance

Date Published: 10-31-2023

Publisher: Firehorse


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A freak electro-magnetic pulse leaves 17-year-old Bo and six other teenagers trapped inside a building in the British seaside resort of Blackpool, desperately trying to work out what just happened, why they can’t get out, and how to survive the weirdest weekend of their lives.

Dealing with each other’s egos and issues is nothing compared to the fallout unleashed by the solar event, because hidden beneath the building they discover it has activated a powerful energy device called blackloop.

As blackloop starts affecting everyone and everything in its vicinity, can Bo, who’s still grieving the loss of her mum, summon the courage to confront her fears, realise she’s falling in love, and make a move on Karim before it’s too late?


About the Author

Sarah Holding is a children's and YA author and poet, known primarily as a climate fiction writer. She is the author of six books: SeaBEAN (2013), SeaWAR (2014) and SeaRISE (2014), Chameleon (2020), How to Write a Poem (2021) and blackloop (forthcoming, 2023). She has been featured on Guardian Children’s Books, BBC Radio Scotland and given over 500 talks and creative writing workshops. Her books are now being taught in primary schools across the UK.


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RABT Book Tours & PR Presents: Halloween Book Blast - Spooky Good Books with Giveaway #horror #paranormal #mystery #fantasy #thriller #rabtbooktours #giveaway #win @RABTBookTours

Friday, October 27, 2023

Virtual Book Tour: Now Lila Knows by Elizabeth Nunez #blogtour #womensfiction #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
4:30 AM1 Comments

 

 

Black & African American Women's Fiction

Date Published:  June 7, 2022

Publisher: Akashic

 

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There is nothing like American racial injustice to teach an outsider the difference between perception and reality.


For  Caribbean professor Lila Bonnard, the opportunity to take a position as a visiting professor in the US has come at precisely the right time. Still nursing the wounds of one failed relationship and facing the uncertainty of her current boyfriend’s marriage proposal, spending a year at a small liberal arts college in a picturesque Vermont town offers her sanity a well-deserved rest.

Within moments of her arrival, Lila is forced to face anti-immigrant mentalities and becomes a witness to the fatal police shooting of an unarmed Black man—a fellow professor at Mayfield who was giving CPR to a white woman.

The three Black faculty members in the otherwise all-white, tight-lipped college expect Lila to testify in the case, but at what cost? Mistrust of outsiders, racial tensions, even outright condemnation of others who don’t know their “place”… all of it comes crashing down around her as she confronts the dangers of speaking out against the police.

Now Lila Knows is a gripping story that explores our obligation to act when confronted with hatred and prejudice. A page-turner with universal resonance, this novel will leave readers rethinking the meaning of love, empathy, and even humanity.

 

 

Praise of Now Lila Knows

“The racial politics of a small town in Vermont, as seen through Lila’s eyes, provides an illuminating counterplay between Caribbean and American Blackness.” 

—Publishers Weekly

“As a portrait of Lila’s political and racial awakening, the novel is a grand success.”

 —Kirkus Reviews

“I fell deep, hard, and fast into this book. The very first sentence slices clean and that energy continues throughout the entire story. I am amazed at Elizabeth Nunez’s capacity to paint for the reader not only Lila’s personal and political lives but her literary life, too.”

 —Write or Die, Mag, 2022 Staff Pick

 

 


About the Author

Elizabeth Nunez immigrated to the US from Trinidad after high school. She is the author of eight novels and the co-editor of the anthology Blue Latitudes: Caribbean Women Writers at Home and Abroad. Nunez received her Ph.D. in English from New York University and is a Distinguished Professor at Hunter College where she teaches creative writing.

Nunez was co-founder of the National Black Writers Conference and executive producer for the 2004 Emmy-nominated CUNY TV series, Black Writers in America. Her awards include the 2013 National Council for Research on Women Outstanding Trailblazer Award, the 2013 Caribbean American Distinguished Writer Award, the 2012 Trinidad and Tobago Lifetime Literary Award, and more.

Nunez’s works have been nominated for numerous awards, including the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Award, the 2012 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Fiction, an IMPAC Dublin International Award, the Trinidad and Tobago One Book, One Community selection, New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Novel of the Year for Black Issues Book Review, an American Book Award, the Independent Publishers Book Award, and several others. Her titles have also received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal.

 

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Thursday, October 26, 2023

Book Blitz: Amansun the Dragon Prince by Vincent Robinson #promo #youngadult #yafantasy #mythical #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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Amansun the Dragon Prince - Vol. 1

 

Young Adult Fantasy / Mythical

Date Published: February 17, 2023

Publisher: Gatekeeper Press


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High up in the Smoky Black Mountains, Amansun and his family live among the great colony of dragons who call the steep and jagged mountain range home. Though Amansun is the eldest of his dragon clutch, he often feels like an outcast, and he spends most of his time venturing to the Great Forest up North, where he finds peace and solitude. His life is one dreary day after another—until one day when he sets into motion something that impacts the entire colony, putting him and his family at odds with the rest of the dragons.

The elders of the colony decide to send Amansun on a perilous quest to remedy his mistake, but there is little hope he will succeed. Along the way, he encounters elves, dwarves, stone trolls, and centaurs, all of whom choose to either help or hinder in his quest; he travels farther than he thought possible, across the Barren Plains, past the Old Great Forest, and to a mysterious and dark final destination; and he faces questions about his morals and his place in the world.

All mysteries will be answered along the way, and a prophecy of old may even prove to be true. Only time will tell.


About the Author

Vince Robinson grew up in a small sugar cane plantation village called Makaweli (Pakala to the locals) on the island of Kauai. When he wasn't surfing or hiking in the great outdoors, he spent his time reading and re-reading The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and other fantasy classics. This love of fantasy stayed with him as he grew up, and it is what inspired him to write high fantasy novels like Amansun the Dragon Prince today. Vince has since moved to Arizona with his wife, Ji, and small dog, Tipsy, where they can be closer to all their children and grandchildren. He receives inspiration for his stories from going outdoors, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

 

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Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Book Blitz: "America" Oh, Say Can You See by John E. Suraj Persad #promo #political #nonfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
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OH, AMERICA, CAN YOU REALLY SEE? “TROUBLE AHEAD FOR AMERICA”

 

Political Nonfiction

Date Published: August 30, 2023

Publisher: Bookmarketeers.com


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This book places the reader in the correct frame of mind to grasp the gravity of the situation facing America and comprehend the downward spiral we have entered collectively as a nation. The United States' hegemony, competitive advantage, economic interests, national security, social construct, morality, and military capability are being threatened and contested on multiple levels, internally and externally. The global situation has escalated to a point where our past global retreats and inactions are forcing us to face significantly more risk. It is imperative that we adopt a more deliberate and strategic foreign policy posture, spend substantially more on targeted foreign investments, reengage partners, fix our sociocultural crisis, and develop new alliances to not fade away into irrelevance as so many great empires did throughout history.

Oh, say, can you see "America" is written with the intention of giving busy readers and the electorate a summary perspective on several different issues that affect us singularly as a nation, regionally as a country, and globally as a competing power. In the context of writing styles, this book has an aura of simplification and reiterating points throughout the book that I wanted to drive home. It is purposefully done to give the reader a "common sense" perspective rather than a scholastic paper filled with dry facts and data. Hopefully, this book will create more questions than answers and spark lively debates among families, friends, and colleagues. Please ask the tough questions, debate with an open mind, do not follow talking points, get information from different sources on both sides, and then use your common sense to see the truth of actions. You may not agree with some points, but it is always beneficial to look at varying perspectives, especially with so much on the line. To help the reader connect the dots on America's domestic spiral, the book will look through a political, cultural, and social lens to tease out socio-political issues impacting society and how the ramifications of these actions have created the downward spiral our great nation is in today.

To reiterate, this book is purposed to not only wet the reader's appetite but to make you think, ask the hard questions, and become knowledgeable and engaged in the democratic process of our nation, regardless of political persuasion. Might I remind the readers that politics is there to serve us in the governance of the country, not live in our "head space," and it must be returned to its rightful place in society so we as a people can come together as "One Nation Under God" and most importantly, "Under One Flag."


About the Author

The author is of East Indian Descent, born in England to Jamaican and Guyanese East Indian immigrant parents. His father served in the RAF during WW2, and his mother trained as a nurse and teacher. John has a diverse background and was educated in the British and American systems. His education includes the Cambridge University Examinations, a Bachelor's degree in Technical Management (BSTM), a Post-Bachelor certification as a Paralegal, a Master's in International Policy and Practice (MIPP) from The George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs, and numerous military and civilian courses. His academic tracks heavily concentrate on Transnational Security, Strategic Leadership, Aviation, and International Policy. John is a former Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Army Aviation Corps, a graduate of the US Army Warrant Officer Career College, US Army Aviation Flight Academy, US Army Intelligence School, US Army Combat Readiness Center, and holds Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifications as a Flight Engineer (FE), Commercial Pilot (CP), and Airline Transport Pilot (ATP). He is dual-rated as an aviator in Helicopters and Airplanes and held career positions as an Aviation Safety Officer, Intelligence FW Pilot, Electronic Warfare Officer, and Flight Operations Officer. John has been deployed for many operations worldwide, and in his last assignment, he served in Europe and Asia, where he changed careers and went to UPS Airlines as a commercial cargo pilot, flying the DC8, B757, and B767-300ER platforms internationally. During his civilian aviation career, John volunteered for training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to be a Deputized Federal Aviation Law Enforcement Officer assigned under the Department of Homeland Security. John is a disabled American veteran who is extremely thankful and proud of his service to the United States Army and is currently medically retired from United Parcel Service Airlines. He brings to this book the perspective of an immigrant coming to his adopted country, embracing the nation's core values, and being fully engaged. John continues service today as a security and leadership consultant, volunteers as a training advisor to the Boone Police Department in NC, and advises several foreign clients on strategic leadership, corporate security, and risk management. John is a member of the Rotary Club and the Military Officers Association of America, where he and his wife assist veterans in various capacities. John is happily retired with his wife Gerarda (CDR. USPHS. Ret), whom he met during their early Army careers. John often jokes, "The Army gave me a life and issued me a wife." They have two sons and a close nephew in their circle. His oldest son and nephew are former and retired Army, respectively. His oldest son is finishing his MBA studies, and the youngest son has recently graduated from Law School. Together, John and Gerarda have five grandchildren, and when not traveling the world, they hang their hats in North Carolina and Florida. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

 

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Virtual Book Tour: Killtown by Chad Lehrmann #blogtour #interview #horror #thriller #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @ChadLehrmann
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Horror/Thriller

Date Published: 10-23-2021 

Publisher: Didactic Cafe Press


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Can you survive the night when a murderous competition arrives in a small East Texas town with one road in and no way out?

 

 



Interview

What is the hardest part of writing your books?

I find it difficult to keep my other projects quiet in my mind while writing.  I have a lot of concepts rattling around and sometimes they speak up quite loudly.  Sometimes it means that story gets folded in, sometimes it goes in a file of story ideas.



 

What songs are most played on your Ipod?

Dare You to Move by Switchfoot is ALWAYS on play.  I develop a Spotify playlist for writing my books, and with my current work in progress, I’ve been listening to Last Pale Light in the West (Ben Nichols), Something in the Orange (Zach Bryan), The Night We Met (Lord Huron and Phoebe Bridgers), and lots of 70s Rock like the Eagles and Allman Brothers.

 

 

Do you have critique partners or beta readers?

Not at this point.  I do have some people I bounce ideas off of, fellow writers and teachers (I’m a high school AP history teacher).

 

 

 

What book are you reading now? 

Chasing the Devil by Dave Reichert.  It’s a true crime about the search for the Green River Killer, and I’m reading it for research on my work in progress.  I wanted to understand a detective’s mindset when hunting a serial killer, because that’s the plot of my book.

 

 

How did you start your writing career?

I began writing in high school, but didn’t publish a book until I was thirty-nine.  Before that, I began writing education blogs when I started teaching.  I wrote about classroom practices, educational issues, and educational philosophy for a few years before deciding to write a book.  My first book was non-fiction, about education- and it was not great.  I pressed on and went to fiction, and now I write in multiple genres.

 

 

Tell us about your next release.

I just published KillU, the sequel to Killtown.  It’s part two of a trilogy, called the Killogy- so that’s coming in the next couple years.  My work in progress is a mystery/detective novel that paranormal elements…or is it?  It plays on the juxtaposition between psychology and religion, what is real and what is in your head.  It is set in the Colorado mountains with a lead that is a little bit Raylan Givens from Justified and a little bit Dean Winchester from Supernatural.  I enjoy writing thrillers, and see this particular book being an open-ended series.

 

About the Author

 

Chad Lehrmann is the author of numerous novels and also finds time to teach AP History to high school students. The product of a small town in Texas, he knows all too well the secrets that live in those supposedly idyllic villages.

 

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