May 2020 - A Life Through Books

Friday, May 29, 2020

Release Blitz: The Black Cup by Alec Lavictoire #middlegrade #fantasy #newrelease #rabtbooktours @INTensePub @LavictoireAlec @RABTBookTours
12:00 AM0 Comments

Middle-Grade Fantasy
Published Date: May 29, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Twelve-year-old Max knows the King wants him dead. Born with his heart outside of his rib cage, Max is abandoned at birth by his father and raised by a kind witch who sacrifices all to keep him safe from the outside world. In time, Max’s father ruthlessly ascends to the throne and becomes the most feared king in history thanks to The Black Cup’s evil powers. When he learns that the baby he abandoned years ago still lives, and is now nearly a man, the King orders his troops to find and kill Max so that his rule will go unchallenged by his own blood. Rather than run away from the danger, Max embarks on a journey toward the city to seek his father and prevent further destruction of the kingdom and its people. That’s where the witch, the King, and Max are set on a collision course. The world they have known, and the lives they have lived, will be changed forever.


About the Author

Alec Lavictoire was born and raised in Northern Ontario and now resides in Orangeville, Canada with his wife and two sons who served as the inspiration for the hero of this tale. Alec’s love of adventure has taken him all over the world on extended backpack treks where he thrives on coming up against the unknowns hidden around every corner. Some of Alec’s short stories have appeared in Fiction on the Web, 50 Word Stories, and Commuter Lit. This is his first novel.

Contact Links

Twitter: @LavictoireAlec
Instagram: @lavictoirealec


Purchase Link



RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Virtual Book Tour: The Spa at Lavender Lane by Phyllis Melhado #booktour #interview #giveaway #womensfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @brwpublisher
3:00 AM1 Comments


Women’s Fiction
Date Published: May 7, 2020
Publisher: Black Rose Writing 

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Take a peek behind the curtain of wealth and glamour in Phyllis Melhado’s sassy and sultry beach read. The guests who arrive for a 10-day stay at the nation’s premier spa at Lavender Lane seem to have everything a girl could want: high-flying careers, social and financial prowess, access to the top fashions and beauty products, and even a dash of fame. Yet each woman is in need of rejuvenation from insecurities, flatlined business motivation, or failed relationships – problems that will require more than the spa’s renowned anti-aging quince cream to fix. As the women learn to trust one another, they each figure out how to take a second chance at life, and reclaim what’s most important.




Interview

What is the hardest part of writing your books?
The hardest part of writing, for me, is not the writing at all.  It’s clearing my decks and getting rid of distractions and everything else I have to do. It’s taken me a long time but I am finally able to ignore phone calls and delay checking my emails, phone and social media posts until a designated break.  It’s really hard to tell people you can’t talk to them or answer their emails until later in the day, but it’s become a must-do for me in that my most productive time is morning through mid-afternoon.  After that, the other side of my brain takes over and I answer people and perhaps even give a shot at balancing my check-book! And lest I forget that in the early afternoon, My Schnoodle Mo gets on my case: Time for my walk, don’t ya think. Mom?

What songs are most played on your ipod?
Alexa is great in that she caters to my every musical whim – which is especially helpful when there’s a particular song I want to hear and would have trouble finding …such as Stevie Wonder’s “Love Light in Motion” or Ray Charles’ “Singing My Song for You.” She will also give me Antonio Carlos Jobim albums or all kinds of Sinatra when the spirit moves me, but my default music is classical and it comes from a good-old-fashioned radio on a table near my computer.  The curators at WQXR, the classical station here in New York, seem to know exactly the kind of music that I need to be the background for my writing, from Rachmaninoff to Sibelius p- and there’s no high quite like finding the right word to the glory of Beethoven’s Ninth!!


Do You Have Critique Partners or Beta Readers?
I am fortunate in that I have both.  I have been in a writers group for several years. These men and women are all really good writers  - several of them published - and reading and critiquing their work followed by lively discussion is both fun and instructive.  You can learn a great deal with critical examination of another’s work and certainly by having your own work put to the test.  As for Beta readers – my closest friends have always been eager to have a look and I trust their judgement as they are excellent writers themselves.  

What books are you reading now?
I’m coming up to the end of The Dutch House.  Ann Patchett never disappoints! Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls is up next.  I doubt she will disappoint, either…

How Did You Start Your Writing Career
I’ve been writing, one way or another, for as long as I can remember.  My mother taught me to read and write before I started school and it’s always been part of me.  I started my business career as a copywriter and did some magazine freelancing and ghosted a best-selling book, early on. There wasn’t much time for outside writing during my years  as Vice President of Public Relations for Estee Lauder, but I did have a lot of fun when I had a piece in Cosmopolitan - a romantic personal tell-all, under a pseudonym!  I didn’t tackle long-form fiction until several years ago when I left the corporate world with the express intention of writing. What followed were a couple of heart-breaking near misses, including a screenplay that was optioned by a big Hollywood production company.
I am thrilled with the publication of The Spa At Lavender Lane. I’ve been able to accomplish a life-long dream.

Tell Us About Your Next Release
Ah, my next book has quite a long history! Its’ a novel based on the true story of an extraordinary young woman who, against tremendous odds, went on to earn her MD degree as well as a PhD in bio-chemistry to become a pioneer in the field of palliative care – a journey made possible by the selfless love and support of her husband, whom she met on her first day at college. It is a story of love, commitment, sacrifice, humor, and important life lessons that inspire me every day.



About the Author
The former Vice President of Public Relations for Estee Lauder, Phyllis Melhado has had her work published in Town & Country, Cosmopolitan, and The Scarlet Leaf Review. She has also ghosted a best-selling beauty book as well as a nationally syndicated beauty column. She earned her Master’s degree in Communications from NYU and lives in New York City. The Spa at Lavender Lane is her first novel. To learn more about Phyllis and her work, visit https://www.phyllismelhado.com.

Contact Links

Purchase Links



a Rafflecopter giveaway

RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Virtual Book Tour: Every Step by C.J. Burright with a Guest Post by the Author #booktour #guestpost #romance #giveaway #rabtbooktours @CJBurright @RABTBookTours
7:56 AM 2 Comments


Music, Love and Other Miseries #4
Contemporary Romance
Date Published:  May 12, 2020
Publisher:  Totally Bound Publishing

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

An annoyingly irresistible cop and a dare that could ruin her life... Love is a complication Kat will avoid at any cost.

Sharp-shooting cop Katerina Hellman needs a fresh start. Leaving behind a failed marriage, she ditches the city and bunks with her sister in the tiny town of Graywood. When the local police chief offers her a position as the temporary firearms instructor, she jumps on it. So what if it's a mostly boys' club? She's done with men, doesn't need their unrealistic expectations and not even the tall, dark and annoying badge Roman can change that.

Roman Farkos lives for his job, to serve and protect...until Kat shows up with her snarls and superiority. He can't resist pushing her buttons. She wants to be considered one of the boys, which would be fine if she didn't stir a desire to do more than protect and serve her. Kat may be raw from her recent split, but Roman resolves to convince her that love—preferably with him—is worth the risk.

When Roman challenges Kat to a six-week contest of wits and skills, it's game on. As they work and play side by side, her resistance fades and unexpected passion flares. But when big-city danger hits and secrets are revealed, Roman faces the greatest challenge of all—convincing Kat that real love is worth the fight.




Guest Post

My Super-Awesome Writing Space


A year or so ago, my husband decided to convert a portion of our downstairs into an apartment for a rental (our kid is gone and our house is BIG for only two people), but I had a conniption fit because my beautiful, built-in bookcase, specially created by my talented pal Aaron) was in that part of the house. Giving it up wasn’t happening.


Using my questionable persuasion skills, I convinced Hubs that it was a perfect time to make my own writing cave. Being an amazing husband (and one who values his future by keeping me happy), he agreed…but I had a few specific requirements—I wanted it private, soundproof and, most importantly, secret.
And this, my friends, is the result. Behold:  my secret bookcase door leading into my lair. You have to pull the correct book to enter and no, I’m not sharing which book it is, although there may or may not be certain titles that offer hints. My busy-body cat, of course, had to get in the photo. She’s half of my terrifying cat duo, Slinker and Stinker. They seek and destroy pretty much anything.




I soundproofed as much as possible with wall hangings and bookcases. With the secret door closed, the distractions are at a minimal…as long as I can keep my Pinterest surfing focused on research purposes only. FYI Henry Cavil makes for some fine research. Yeah, I’m an unabashed Witcher fanatic, and I may sometimes use my writing hole to play videogames in peace. Shh, don’t tell.



I love my Uplift desk and having the option of sitting or standing while I write. I also love my Dragon dictation program. Speaking into the microphone and letting it translate my words onto the page saves my wrists and hands. I’m on the computer a lot at the day job, so Dragon has been a lifesaver.


And I love my candles! I recently found Wick & Fable, which makes literary character themed scents, such a fun idea, and they smell fantabulous. I bought the Rowan candle (one of my many book boyfriends from Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass series) even though Lorcan is my fave. Sigh. Love my grumpy Lorcan. It ain’t too hard to tell who some of my favorite authors are, huh? And don’t be fooled into believing that this consists of my entire book collection. I have bookcases scattered all over the house, but my most precious treasures I keep here. Where they’re safe from predators. #bookprotector


And last but not least, in honor of my love (aka obsession) for Assassin’s Creed, my artist buddy Nolan created this cool lamp. If I’m writing a dark scene, I can turn off all the other lights and pretend I’m in a dungeon…you know, the kind that has coffee, candles and electricity. If you’re into photography, you should totally check out Nolan’s work—he’s super-talented.

My next remodeling project will include a trapdoor outside my secret door to eliminate unwanted visitors, but for now, I’m quite pleased with my hideaway. Thanks for tagging along on my writer space tour!



About the Author


C.J Burright is a native Oregonian and refuses to leave. A member of Romance Writers of America and the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal special interest chapter, while she has worked for years in a law office, she chooses to avoid writing legal thrillers (for now) and instead invades the world of paranormal romance, fantasy, and contemporary romance. C.J. also has her 4th Dan Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and believes a story isn’t complete without at least one fight scene. Her meager spare time is spent working out, refueling with mochas, gardening, gorging on Assassin’s Creed, and rooting on the Seattle Mariners…always with music. She shares life with her husband, daughter, and a devoted cat herd.


Contact Links



Purchase Links




RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Friday, May 22, 2020

Release Blitz: A Rite of Hearts Undone by Lauren C. Sergeant #promo #releaseday #youngadult #yafantasy #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @INtensePub @LaurenCSergeant
12:00 AM0 Comments


Children of the Glaring Dawn, Book 2
Young Adult Fantasy
Published Date: May 22, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

As they journey into the land of the Jini, Ihva grapples with her divinely-appointed role and Jasper struggles to resolve the fearful nature of his existence. With things at home deteriorating and Gant on the brink of war, Ihva presents a solution, and Jasper must decide how far he’s willing to go to see his purpose through.

With the world upending and their feelings dividing them, can Ihva and Jasper find a way to reconcile their differences to overcome the Shadow's conquest?



About the Author

Lauren C. Sergeant, author of the Children of the Glaring Dawn series, adventures through life as a wife, mother, author, and assistant property manager. Having dabbled in over a dozen languages and taken more than a handful of international trips, she expresses her fascination with people in the novels she writes. The relationships of her characters with each other and with themselves draw readers into her keen attentiveness to what it means to be human. She spins epic tales of love, humor, and struggle, but in the end, she is just another individual on this quest called life.

Contact Links



Purchase Links



RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Pre-Order Blitz: Ancient Dreams by JP Roth #promo #yamythical #youngadult #romance #preorder #giveaway #rabtbooktours @IamJPRoth @RABTBookTours @brwpublisher
12:00 AM0 Comments


YA Mythical Romance
Date Published: 5/21/20
Publisher: Black Rose Writing

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

"My tale starts with a 'once upon a time' -- A long time ago, beings lived who could control the elements, immortality, and time. We called them gods and gave them our worship. They played with us like toys, took our lives and sabotaged our love. Now, the gods are myths. Stories in books--not to be confused with our modern world. I believed this until I found myself tumbling into a dream. This dream takes me to another life. To a forgotten time in a bloody age. I dream of Hades's son and a lustful goddess. I dream of limitless power and revolving time. I dream a death and love that was mine...
My name is Cara Wynter-- and this is my story."
Cara Wynter is a literature student living with her twin sister, Lily, in Fairhaven Washington. A daughter of witches, touch brings Cara only pain, and dark visions of pasts and futures she can rarely change. Already fighting to exist in her strange reality, she begins to crumble when the reoccurring dreams of her own death begin. In a desperate attempt to unlock the secrets in the violent images, she finds herself lost in a contest between love--and the will of the ancient gods. With only forgotten memories and the pages of a book to guide her, she struggles to understand her past and break a deadly curse. Cara must face her worst fears--to save the soul of a god she has treasured for centuries, and a love she cannot live without.


About the Author


Author, dreamer and wild child extraordinaire: JP Roth is an American Novelist, and owner of Rothic comics, founded in 2012, through which she has produced and published five of her original series. JP Roth lives in Long Beach, CA with her beautiful family, and their adorable Bichon Frise. Her days are spent writing fanciful stories, walking on the beach, and attending comic conventions across the globe. While JP Roth enjoys travelling to exotic locations, she admittedly prefers to stay home, wrapped in a soft fluffy blanket, drinking tea and penning her next novel.

Contact Links

Purchase Links



RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Monday, May 18, 2020

Book Tour: A Dragonfly's Wing by Jeremy C. Bradley-Silverio Donato #booktour #bookreview #lgbt #politicalthriller #thriller #rabtbooktours @jeremycbradley @RABTBookTours
7:44 AM1 Comments



LGBT Political Thriller
Date Published: May 1, 2020
Publisher: Eiffel Tower Press

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

What happens when you mix Britain’s new prime minister and her secret past; a writer whose new book seems all too real; his former roommate, now a French cultural attaché; and a young gay man who needs to escape from his mother and her abusive boyfriend? Prepare for intrigue as all of their paths converge.

Sat in London, Paris, and Vienna, A Dragonfly’s Wing is the new novel by the bestselling author of My Memory Told Me a Secret.




Review

My takeaways: Great story line, and the characters keep you wanting more. 

This is really a mystery crime novel with teeth. 

So many aspects of this book that will keep you engaged and on your toes, it's a book with many layers. 

Jeremy's ability to write this kind of story that enthralls his reader is a real talent. 


About the Author


Named 2020 Writer of the Year, Jeremy C Bradley-Silverio Donato’s debut novel, My Memory Told Me a Secret, reached number 1 on the Hot New Releases chart. Jeremy lives in Paris. He has visited fifty countries and writes wherever he happens to be.

Contact Links



Purchase Links

a Rafflecopter giveaway


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:
Book Blitz: Seductive Santino by Anne Marie Citro #promo #giveaway #romance #rabtbooktours @AnneMarieCitro @RABTBookTours
7:20 AM0 Comments


Savage's Buck & Doe #4
Adult Romance
Date Published: January 30st, 2020

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Words like love and hate invoke strong feelings that can change a person, but the word revenge can make a seemingly normal person pure evil. Santino Savage understands all these feelings because he lost his dad and oldest brother to a madman in a mass shooting. Everyone asks: how do you move on after such a loss? Santino would say he survived because he had to. The choice wasn’t his to make. The family left behind needed him.
The same protective instincts Santino has for his family kicks in when the captivating, soon-to-be bride, Chloe Marsh, shows up at his family’s resort for her bachelorette and bachelor party. Deep in his bones, he knows something is off with her fiancé. Santino will have to betray those closest to him to do what he knows is intrinsically right.
Chloe has felt the sting of wickedness that life has to offer. For the soft-spoken woman, trust is a word that is the hardest to achieve and the easiest to be broken. However, she is ready to leave the past behind and start afresh. But then the four-day, mini-vacation brings back the ghosts from her past and thrusts her into a nightmare of epic proportions.
Can Santino save Chloe from the ghosts of her past and the evilness of the present? Is saving a woman he is instantly attracted to worth the sanity of the woman he has always protected? Santino has to discover if truth is a word consisting of facts or feelings. Or if both depend on the beholden.


About the Author


Anne Marie Citro grew born and raised in the greater Toronto area of Ontario, Canada. She grew up in a large, loving family. Anne Marie is married to a very patient man. He is the love of her life. They have four very cool sons, and the girls they brought into their family that have become daughters of her heart. She has been blessed enough to finally have two beautiful granddaughters after four sons. She has her own personal gaggle of girlfriends, who enrich her life on a daily basis and make her laugh. Caesar Friday is her favorite day of the week. Caesars with the girls and date night with her hubby. She worked with special-needs teenagers, that taught her how to appreciate life and see it through gentler eyes. Anne Marie was encouraged by her husband to follow her lifelong dream to write. She loves the characters that take over imagination and haunts her dreams. She loves the arts and she has tried her hand at painting, wood sculpting, chainsaw carving, wood burning, metal and wire sculptures. Yes, her husband is a very patient man! Anne Marie is an avid reader and enjoys about three books per week. But nothing makes her happier than riding on the back of her husband's Harley and throwing her arms out and feeling the wind race by. Anne Marie and her husband take a few weeks every year to travel to spectacular destination around the world. Anne Marie is excited and can't wait to see what the next chapter holds for her life.

Contact Links
Facebook: Anne Marie Citro
Twitter: @AnneMarieCitro
Pinterest: Anne-Marie Citro

Purchase Link




RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time:

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Release Blitz: A Boy Called Preacher by @cherylschuerma2 #promo #middlegrade #mghistorical #newrelease #rabtbooktours @INTensePub @RABTBookTours
12:30 AM0 Comments
Middle-Grade Historical Fiction
Release Day: May 16, 2020
Publisher: INtense Publications LLC

 photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png


Johnny “Preacher” Wilcox never expected to be “man of the farm” at the age of twelve. Faced with a broken tractor, wheat land to plow, and the mysterious disappearance of the farm’s water supply, he must solve a truckload of problems. To top it off, he may lose his best friend, Earl Floyd. 






About the Author


Cheryl Schuermann loved her many years in the classroom as a Special Educator and Reading Specialist. Always a literacy advocate, she spent many more years consulting with teachers across the United States. Whether working with students or teachers, her desire is for students everywhere to be proficient readers who can hardly wait to open a new book.

Cheryl lives in Oklahoma with her illustrator husband, Stan. They raised four sons and have thirteen grandchildren. Recently, they built a 1920s style farmhouse in the country and can be found fishing, playing, and nature hiking with their family. The farmhouse is Cheryl’s favorite place to write and where she wishes she had a dog just like Deke.

Other published works: When the Water Runs: Growing Up With Alaska (2019), Jordan Tang: Think...Create...Discover (2015).


Contact Links

Facebook: @cherylschuermannauthor
Twitter: @cherylschuerma2
Instagram: cheryl_schuermann
LinkedIn: Cheryl Schuermann.
Goodreads: Cheryl Schuermann


Purchase Links


RABT Book Tours & PR
Reading Time: