A Life Through Books

Friday, August 28, 2026

Virtual Book Tour: The Closing Window by Gregg Roman #thriller #political #literary #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
4:00 AM0 Comments

 




Espionage Thriller, Political Thriller, Literary Thriller

Date Published: July 1, 2026



A thirty-nine-day war between the United States and Iran ends the way modern wars end now: not in surrender, but in a memorandum. The guns go silent. The money is promised. The world exhales.

Buried within the language of the peace are nineteen words that quietly abandon the people who believed the bombing meant deliverance.

In Washington, a small policy institute that has spent its life describing the world decides, for the first time, to act on it, and learns that the line between analysis and operation, once crossed, cannot be uncrossed.

In Tehran, an air-defense colonel runs the only arithmetic that has ever governed his life, weighing the family the regime holds against a door that may not be real. In a blacked-out city, a nurse keeps a count the state intends to erase, while an organizer discovers that the most dangerous thing a broken country can do is begin to hope.

As a sixty-day clock counts down to the vote that will make the peace permanent, three lives on opposite sides of a sealed border move toward a single decision and toward a question no government can answer for them: What is owed to the people you cannot save?

 

The Closing Window is a literary espionage thriller of statecraft, intelligence, political consequence, and moral responsibility. A novel about power, responsibility, and the narrowing distance between describing a catastrophe and becoming part of it.

 

 

About the Author


Gregg Roman is a Middle East policy and security analyst who has spent more than a decade at the center of American debates over Iran, counterterrorism, and the politics of the region. He serves as Executive Director of the Middle East Forum, has testified before Congress, and writes and comments widely on national security and foreign policy. He divides his time between the United States and Israel. The Closing Window is his first novel.

 

Contact Links

Website

X

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Medium

BookBuzz


Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

Kobo


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Thursday, August 27, 2026

Book Blitz: Play Along, Sweetheart by Nancy Pirri #romance #contemporary #rabtbooktours @nancywriter @RABTBookTours
10:00 PM0 Comments



Contemporary Romance

Date Published: August 10, 2026



Their relationship is fake. Their chemistry is not.

Chicago social worker, Maggie O’Hara, arrives at the Minneapolis airport where she awaits the arrival of her family to pick her up and take her home with them for Thanksgiving. She’s nervous, due to the surprise she has for them in her arms—her newly adopted baby girl from Korea. With little thought, Maggie grabs a stranger getting off the same airplane, and asks him to portray himself, temporarily, as her fiancé. She knows that her old-fashioned family will disapprove of the adoption because she’s not married. What Maggie doesn’t count on is falling in love with Dr. Nick Capra, who does more than a passable job of posing as her fiancé that day, and over the holiday week.

From the moment Maggie snags Nick, a confirmed bachelor, his gut tells him his single days are over and that she’s the woman for him. While posing as her fiancé he tells her he wants to be a permanent part of her life. While Maggie has fallen in love with Nick, she has a secret that could ruin their chances of being together, though she refuses to divulge the secret to him—until the choice is taken out of her hands.

 

About the Author

 

 Nancy Schumacher is the owner-publisher of Melange Books, LLC, writing under the pseudonyms, Nancy Pirri and Natasha Perry. Being a publisher doesn’t allow much time for the creative process of writing and publishing her own works, but every once in a while it happens.

She is an associate member of Romance Writers of America (RWA). She is also one of the founders of the RWA chapter, Northern Lights Writers (NLW), in Minnesota.

 

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

Instagram

BookBub

BlueSky

"X"

BookBuzz


Purchase Links

Amazon

Satin Romance


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Book Blitz: Peanut Butter and Donner - A Curious Chorus by Erin Rosenblum, MFT #childrensbook #picturebook #kidsbook #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
10:00 PM0 Comments



Children's Picture Book

Date Published: July 14, 2026



Peanut Butter & Donner: A Curious Chorus is a heartwarming rhyming picture book about friendship, kindness, and learning to understand one another. This updated second edition features refreshed illustrations, a smoother read-aloud flow, and the same gentle heart readers loved in the original release.

Peanut Butter is a shy rabbit who loves quiet spaces. Donner is a cheerful parakeet who loves to sing. When these unlikely friends come together, they learn that listening, adapting, and caring for one another can create true harmony.

Inspired by real rescued pets, this beautifully illustrated story gently explores emotional regulation, sensory sensitivity, empathy, confidence, and trust in ways children can understand.

Perfect for ages 4–9, bedtime reading, classrooms, counselors, therapists, and families who value kindness and connection.

If you're looking for a children’s book about friendship, feelings, and compassion, Peanut Butter & Donner: A Curious Chorus will sing its way into your heart.


About the Author


Erin Rosenblum is a licensed therapist and children’s book author who creates heartfelt books that help young readers understand emotions, build confidence, and form language for those big feelings we all feel. With more than 15 years of experience in private practice, she brings therapeutic insight, compassion, and emotional warmth to every story she writes. Her books are especially valued by parents, teachers, caregivers, counselors, and therapists seeking gentle resources that support social-emotional learning.

Her debut picture book, Peanut Butter & Donner: A Curious Chorus, is the first title in the Peanut Butter & Donner series—a collection of rhyming children’s books inspired by a real-life animal friendship and the desire to give language to big feelings in little bodies. Through lyrical rhyme and memorable animal characters, Erin’s stories help children navigate emotions in developmentally appropriate ways.

Inspired by her own rescued rabbit and parakeet, A Curious Chorus tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a shy bunny and a bold bird, showing how kindness, patience, and understanding can bridge differences and build lasting trust.

For this lovingly revised second edition, Erin thoughtfully refined the story to create a smoother read-aloud flow while preserving the heart, warmth, and emotional message readers loved in the original release. This updated edition offers families, educators, and caregivers an even more engaging reading experience, paired with refreshed illustrations and timeless themes of connection, empathy, and compassion.

Across the Peanut Butter & Donner series, Erin explores topics such as friendship, bravery, grief, envy, emotional resilience, anger, frustration, and learning to feel safe, seen, and understood. Her stories are designed to open conversations, encourage empathy, and help children recognize that all feelings are good even when they feel too big and too hard to handle.

When she is not writing or working in her private practice, Erin enjoys spending time with family and friends, surrounded by the beloved animals who inspired her stories including the real Peanut Butter and Donner. She believes in finding magic in everyday moments and hopes her books leave children with a better understanding of the big feelings that are part of our everyday lives.

 

Contact Links

Website

Instagram

Threads

BookBuzz


Purchase Links

Amazon

BookBaby


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:
Virtual Book Tour: Summer of the Blue Jay by Mike DeMaio #literary #fiction #novella #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
4:00 AM1 Comments

 

 


Literary Fiction Novella

Date Published: March 30, 2026

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group




What would you do with the last 24 hours of your life?

For nineteen-year-old Tina, the answer is simple: live.

After receiving devastating news, Tina refuses to spend her final hours confined to a hospital bed. With time slipping away and an impossible dream still burning inside her, she convinces Jake, a fellow patient, to run. Together, they escape the hospital, steal a car, and set out for New York City—determined to squeeze an entire lifetime into one unforgettable day.

As their frantic parents race to find them, Tina and Jake chase freedom through the heart of the city. From the peaceful lawns of Central Park to the dazzling lights of Times Square, every stop becomes a stolen moment, every laugh an act of defiance, and every heartbeat a reminder that time is the one thing no one can bargain for.

But as the sun begins to set, their breathtaking adventure turns into a race toward one final, symbolic destination—one that will test their courage, their bond, and the meaning of a life fully lived.


Emotional, urgent, and deeply human, Summer of the Blue Jay is a poignant contemporary novella about friendship, love, resilience, and the power of choosing joy when the clock is running out.

Perfect for readers who enjoy heartfelt coming-of-age fiction, emotional literary stories, and thought-provoking books that ask life’s biggest questions, this unforgettable debut reminds us that tomorrow is never promised—and that one day can hold the meaning of a lifetime.

 


About the Author


Mike DeMaio is an author and seasoned technology professional whose career has spanned more than twenty-five years in corporate Information Technology, including leadership roles supporting global teams across the pharmaceutical, biotech, and specialty food industries.

After decades of solving complex technical challenges, Mike turned to writing as a way to explore the human stories behind pressure, change, resilience, and time. What began as humorous reflections on life in IT soon evolved into a deeper creative calling, leading him from industry commentary and tech-focused articles into fiction.

His debut novella, Summer of the Blue Jay, asks one of life’s most powerful questions: what would you do if you only had twenty-four hours left? Inspired by Mike’s own reflections on career disruption, identity, and the urgency of living intentionally, the story blends emotional depth with a fast-paced journey about friendship, courage, and the priceless value of the present moment.

Mike continues to develop a diverse range of writing projects, including humorous technology-inspired work, fiction, and thriller concepts. Through his storytelling, he hopes to remind readers that time is never guaranteed—and that the moments we choose to truly live are the ones that matter most.

 

Contact Links

Facebook

Linkedin


Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Teaser: The Vote: A Story of Political Peril by David Swanson #excerpt #fiction #comingsoon #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
10:00 PM0 Comments



A Story of Political Peril


Fiction

Date Published: 09-10-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press



A cautionary political tale that shines a light on the danger to our country when the wrong people have too much money and power.

The Vote is a political thriller built around a conspiracy among powerful political actors, billionaires, and party operatives who seek to manipulate the constitutional amendment process in order to permanently reshape the structure of American government. The mechanics of American politics, particularly the Article V constitutional amendment process, is the framework that informs the central premise of the novel. The current political landscape of the country lends credibility to the story and gives the narrative an interesting and timely foundation.

The manuscript opens with a series of interconnected storylines involving political figures, wealthy conspirators, and emerging state-level candidates. These threads gradually reveal a coordinated effort to gain control of state legislatures and Congress as part of a broader plan to fundamentally alter the country’s political system. The concept itself is ambitious and grounded in recognizable political realities.

 

Excerpt


Rudolph Conover fumed as the jet he’d sent to convey Aldon Powers to the Conover compound in Southern Illinois sat idling somewhere in Texas. No sign of Powers. No explanation. No apology. The plane should have left hours ago.

For Conover, meetings such as today’s were a carefully choreographed dance, designed to shape an opponent’s mental disposition and ultimately their amenability to whatever it was he wanted from them. Everyone was an opponent in Conover’s world and everything was meant to intimidate, from the jet’s amenities to the obsessive focus on secrecy to the quirkiness of his compound. When dealing with men like Powers, it was his way of reminding them of his preeminence in the hierarchy of billionaires. On rare occasions when someone dared to play by their own rules, he did not take it well. Today was one of those occasions.

Conover’s wife, Marcia, slipped into the war room where he sat. The meeting was scheduled to begin shortly. “Any communication from Powers?” he asked, irritated.

She shook her head.

“How can he be so disrespectful?”

She put her hand on his shoulder, “You have every right to be upset. I’ll go see if there is any news.”

Conover knew Powers was difficult and unpredictable but it was impossible not to respect him. A modern-day Edison, he was a daring visionary and the most technologically disruptive man in a century. His companies had mastered space, the Earth’s outer crust, and the ocean’s depths. The man had become so indispensable that some feared him as a veritable government unto himself, unfettered by borders and the normal rules of behavior. Everybody needed something from him that only he could give. Conover wanted to be a warlord. Powers wanted to be God.


About the Author


David Swanson was raised on a dairy farm in central Michigan. He received a degree in political science from the University of Puget Sound and an advanced degree in foreign trade from the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management. Between degrees, he served a stint in the United States Navy.

In 1981, he founded Daavlin, a medical technology company that eventually grew into a prominent player in the field of dermatology. As part of his career, he stepped foot on every continent and dipped his toes in every ocean on earth. Reading, writing, traveling, acting, and directing live theater are his favored pastimes.

He’s also a lifetime political junkie. As this book goes to press, Swanson is a candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives.


Contact Links

Website

Goodreads


Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/TheVote

Amazon

Bookshop


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:
Virtual Book Tour: Thinking Critically in College by Louis Newman #nonfiction #collegeguide #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
4:00 AM1 Comments

 




The Essential Handbook for Student Success


Nonfiction, College Guide

Date Published: April 1, 2026

Publisher: Manhattan Book Group



The Definitive Guide for Success in College and Beyond

Finally, a book that actually prepares you for college! Nearly every first-year college student discovers that college courses are more academically challenging than high school. Professors expect you not just to absorb material but to analyze and synthesize it, to consider multiple perspectives, to evaluate conflicting evidence, and then to apply what you've learned in new contexts.

Drawing on a lifetime of experience teaching and advising students, former dean of Academic Advising and associate vice provost at Stanford University Louis E. Newman explains how to do all this, and more. Whatever your background or academic interest, this book will prepare you for college-level learning. Thinking Critically in College is the definitive guide, not only for those in college, but for everyone who needs a refresher on thinking clearly.


"Thinking Critically in College details and exemplifies the differences between high school and college. Students who read this book before coming to college will have an advantage over those who don't." -LEE CUBA, professor emeritus of sociology, Wellesley College, and author of Practice for Life: Making Decisions in College

"Even students who have taken college-prep and AP courses are unprepared for the type of learning that will take place in college. Thinking Critically in College is poised to help all students at all types of institutions develop the dispositions and skills necessary for success in college." -LYNN PASQUERELLA, president of Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U)

 


About the Author


Contact Links

Website

LinkedIn


Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Monday, August 24, 2026

Book Blitz: Valentines in the Presidential Suite by Judith Keim #releaseday #newbooks #romance #womensfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours
10:00 PM0 Comments


Romantic Women's Fiction

Date Published: August 25, 2026



When Morgan Riley meets Simon Weaver, an older man who’s just moved into her upstate New York town, she becomes a book review partner with him for the local bookstore owner. Coming from an unhappy childhood, Morgan treasures her relationship with Simon, who is like the grandfather she never had.

Brad Hamlin, an attractive widower, is hired as a new partner in the law firm where Morgan works. She is assigned to assist him, and they form a successful team. When Simon needs a lawyer to help him with a difficult situation with his very greedy daughter-in-law, Morgan suggests Brad. As friendship deepens between the three of them, neither has any idea what life has in store for them.

A special spin-off book in which characters have their own stories and end up at The Beach House Hotel in Florida with Ann and Rhonda. A chance to stay connected to the series in a different way.

 

About the Author

 

 Judith Keim, A USA Today Best-Selling Author, is a hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes. Ms. Keim writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way, stories with heart. Her best-selling books are based, in part, on many of the places she's lived or visited and on the interesting people she's met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many loyal readers love.

She enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their adorable dachshunds, Wally and Kacy, and other members of her family.

While growing up, she loved the idea of writing stories from a young age. Books were always present, being read, ready to go back to the library, or about to be discovered. All in her family shared information from the books in general conversation, giving them a wealth of knowledge and vivid imaginations.

Ms. Keim loves to hear from her readers and appreciates their enthusiasm for her stories.

 

Contact Links

Website

Amazon

Book Bub

Subscribe to her Newsletter

Join my special FB Group - Women with Heart

Goodreads

Facebook

BookBuzz


Purchase Links

Amazon

Apple

Barnes & Noble

Kobo


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time: