Book Tour/Giveaway - Kennedy Deveraux by Bernadette Marie

 

Kennedy Deveraux by Bernadette Marie 

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 GENRE: Contemporary Romance 

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BLURB: Kennedy Devereaux, owner of Kennedy Devereaux Designs, is a sight to behold in her signature pink colors, accented with custom designed jewelry. Intriguing enough that Joel Kingsley, the man building the new business next door, can’t help but keep coming around, just to get to know the woman in the designer clothes. He finds she’s not such a mystery, and his charm easily wins her over--until she finds that he’s forgotten to let her in on the secrets of his past. 

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Excerpt: Pink doors, crystal light fixtures, white shelves. Joel cupped his hands around his eyes to get a better look at the feminine interior of the store he stood in front of. Kennedy Devereaux Designs, the lettering on the door said. Costume jewelry, purses, and a few pieces of clothing were elegantly displayed on uncluttered shelves. He could see a small sitting area toward the back of the store with white chairs on a plush pink rug. When he stepped back from the door, he inhaled. Could he even smell the store and all of its femininity? “Can I help you?” A soft voice had him turning to see a woman, as feminine as the store, standing behind him. She was the smell—sweet and floral. Soft golden hair framed a delicate face, and her lipstick matched the soft pastel pink of the doors he’d been looking through. Sharp blue eyes watched him as he stared at her. Joel Kingsley was no idiot around women, but this one seemed to render him speechless. 

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From The Author:

Guest post by Bernadette Marie

December 31

Saying Goodbye to 2020

I image there aren’t many of us who aren’t looking forward to the numbers changing on the year. 2020 has challenged each and every person in the world. Looking back at the days at home, the new norm of wearing a mask, and ordering food to be delivered or eaten outside, I find that there were a lot of good takeaways as well.

One of the takeaways was getting my writing back on track. In 2018 my life took a little detour with the death of my father. Though still productive that year and in the following year, I just didn’t feel as if my career was going in the right direction. After a decade of hard work, I didn’t want to lose what I’d built. 2020 forced me to put that focus back on myself and my career. During quarantine, I made sure my alarm was set every morning. I got up, worked out, and got in those words. The time to rebuild my routine helped me to focus on moving forward with my writing. Series that were five years in the making were wrapped up and new series were created. The need to write everyday, as if my life depended on it, filled me again, and my passion was back.

I could sit and list the hundreds of things that were changed, canceled, or taken away this year, but I find focusing on the positive helps me look at the good things that came from this year. Getting back to my passion is very high on that list.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: Bestselling Author Bernadette Marie is known for building families readers want to be part of. Her series The Keller Family has graced bestseller charts since its release in 2011. Since then she has authored and published over thirty-five books. The married mother of five sons promises romances with a Happily Ever After always…and says she can write it because she lives it. Obsessed with the art of writing and the business of publishing, chronic entrepreneur Bernadette Marie established her own publishing house, 5 Prince Publishing, in 2011 to bring her own work to market as well as offer an opportunity for fresh voices in fiction to find a home as well. When not immersed in the writing/publishing world, Bernadette Marie and her husband are shuffling their five hockey playing boys around town to practices and games as well as running their family business. She is a lover of a good stout craft beer and might have an unhealthy addiction to chocolate. 

 SOCIAL MEDIA/CONTACT 

Email: info@bernadettemarie.com 

Website: www.bernadettemarie.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorbernadettemarie 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/writesromance 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorbernadettemarie 

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/writerofromance 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Kennedy-Devereaux-Family-Book-ebook/dp/B08JZK8KKV 

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Bernadette Marie will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 RAFFLECOPTER: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour/Giveaway - The Calling by Branwen Oshea

The Calling by Branwen OShea 

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GENRE: YA Sci-fi 

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BLURB: Humanity’s wake-up call. Answer it or face extinction. When Bleu’s little sister shows symptoms of the deadly Sickness, a strange vision directs him to leave humanity’s subterranean haven and seek the cure on Earth’s glacial surface. Joining the expedition team, Bleu expects extreme temperatures, not a surface ruled by ingenious predators. Rana and her fellow star beings have co-existed with Earth’s top carnivores since the humans disappeared. But when her peers transform into Crowned Ones, the final stage of star being development, she fears remaining Uncrowned like her parents. To prove her worth, she undertakes a dangerous mission—contacting the hostile and nearly extinct humans. But Rana’s plan backfires, and Bleu’s team retaliates. As war with the more advanced star being civilization looms, both Rana and Bleu separately seek a way to save their people. 

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 Excerpt: She knelt, and with trembling hands, she grabbed the extra piece of soaked wood. If she put one log in the back of the cave and kept one in the entrance, then maybe she’d be safe between them until daybreak. Of course, that assumed whatever predator lurked outside lost interest in her by daybreak. Two fires were her best chance. Her only chance. She quickly placed the second piece of wood, filled its opening with tinder, and grabbed her stones. The growling grew closer. At this rate, she’d never get the log lit in time. Her mind raced through possibilities, but they all required skills she lacked and ended with her death. Wait. Furred ones sense energy. In desperation, she expanded her energy to appear larger and hoped her fake size might give the predator pause. In this enlarged-energy state, she struck the flint and fire stone together. They sparked, but the log remained unlit. Long claws scraped against the floor. She peered up from the flint. The pale light of the first log reflected off two eyes.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: As a young girl, Branwen wanted to become an ambassador for aliens. Since the aliens never hired her, she now writes about them. Branwen OShea has a Bachelors in Biology from Colgate University, a Bachelors in Psychology, and a Masters in Social Work. She lives in Connecticut with her family and a menagerie of pets, and enjoys hiking, meditating, and star-gazing. Her previously published works include contributing to a nonfiction yoga book, wellness magazines, and her published science fiction novella, Silence of the Song Trees. 

Website: www.branwenoshea.com 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/branwenoshea 

Instagram: www.instagram.com/branwenoshea 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/branwenoshea 

Order Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735915998 

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Branwen OShea will be awarding a prize pack of 1) One signed paperback,2) One Tote bag with the Finding Humanity Series logo (Savas' Compass)and 3) Two different bookmarks for The Calling, one signed by the author, to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour/Giveaway - The Entitled by Nancy Boyarsky

The Entitled by Nancy Boyarsky 

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GENRE: Mystery 

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BLURB: A deceptively complicated retrieval throws Nicole into London's criminal underworld Travel to London and retrieve Abigail Fletcher, a 17-year-old in a study abroad program at the prestigious King’s College in London. The assignment sounds simple enough. But Abigail’s return is put on indefinite hold when she’s charged with the murder of her boyfriend, a former student at King’s. Nicole believes Abigail has been framed, but the victim’s tight- knit circle of friends and relatives are most unwilling to talk to an American detective. Further complicating the case, is Abigail’s defiant and uncooperative demeanor. As evidence stacks up against Abigail, Nicole discovers that she herself has become the next target. Nicole’s first solo case abroad as a private detective has just turned a lot deadlier than she ever anticipated. 

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Excerpt: With her phone pressed to her ear, Abigail started down the stairs. Two men entered the building and started climbing toward her. They were dressed alike, in jeans and black hoodies with the hoods pulled up. She stood aside to let them pass, but when they reached her, they stopped. Meanwhile Nicole had answered. Abigail turned away from the men to focus on her call. One of the men snatched the phone out of her hand. “Let go!” she said. “Give it back!” As she fought to wrestle the phone away from him, he punched her in the face. A moment later, he drove his fist into her stomach. As she doubled over in pain, she felt the sharp stab of a needle go into her arm. 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: Nancy Boyarsky is the bestselling author of the award-winning Nicole Graves Mysteries. Reviews compared The Swap to the mysteries of Mary Higgins Clark and praised Nancy for contributing to the "women-driven mystery field with panache" (Foreword Reviews) as well as for their "hold-onto-the-bar roller coaster" plots (RT Book Reviews). Kirkus had special praise for The Bequest, concluding, "Boyarsky's weightless complications expertly combine menace with bling, making the heroine's adventures both nightmarish and dreamy." Her most recent mystery, The Entitled, fifth in the series, received praise from Foreword Reviews for "vibrant street scenes, swift pacing, and Nicole's steely nerve." It was chosen by Apple Books as one of the most anticipated books of the fall. Before turning to mysteries, Nancy coauthored Backroom Politics, a New York Times notable book, with her husband, Bill Boyarsky. She has written several textbooks on the justice system as well as articles for publications including the Los Angeles Times, Forbes, and McCall's. She also contributed to political anthologies, including In the Running, about women's political campaigns. In addition to her writing career, she was communications director for political affairs for ARCO. The first book in the series, The Swap, won a gold medal Erik Hoffer Book Award. In response to the controversial and incendiary themes explored in the third Nicole Graves mystery, Liar Liar, Nancy Boyarsky was invited to present at the American Library Association Annual Conference in 2018 on "Women-Driven Mysteries in a Post #MeToo World." Each book of the Nicole Graves mystery series can be read as a stand alone. 

Readers are invited to connect with Nancy through her website at nancyboyarsky.com. https://www.amazon.com/Entitled-Nicole-Graves-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/1611533244 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-entitled-nancy-boyarsky/1136434135 

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Nancy Boyarsky will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. 

 RAFFLECOPTER: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour/Giveaway - Parallax by Dixie Jackson

 Parallax by Dixie Jackson 

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 GENRE: Romance Suspense 

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BLURB: Six years later, Trent Wayland still isn’t over his spring fling. Probably because he was convinced when he married Captain Leila O’Neil, their fling would go on a lifetime. Leila is his soul mate and Trent knows it. He might not admit it on a regular basis, but that doesn’t negate the raw emotion she draws out of him each and every time he thinks about her. Forget the fact his heart splits in two all over again when he’s afforded the luxury of hearing her voice. That doesn’t happen often, however. Leila only tosses a handful of words his way when she initiates the weekly video calls he’s allowed with the other love of his life, their daughter Lucy. Once upon a time, Leila O’Neil wanted to be a Marine when she grew up. She worked hard, she landed a seat at the Academy, and she was the head of her class. Then her dream was destroyed and she traded it in for a new one at the nearest Coterie portal. She wears so many faces and so many hats, at some point she lost track of her soul. That didn’t really bother her until Trent Wayland came along and almost peeled her dressing room curtain back nearly exposing her innermost person. The real person, the real Leila, who once upon a time wanted to be a Marine when she grew up. Leila misses the real person, and realizes it at the worst possible moment. With her daughter’s life on the line and Trent on the scene of the crime, Leila figures out she’s been using her hurt and anger to fuel all the wrong goals. In a daring move, she puts it all on the line, hoping it’s enough to gain her freedom from her handlers and her husband’s forgiveness. 

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EXCERPT: “Can this wait?” she asked, clearing her throat and speaking in a much lower, calmer voice than she felt like using on him at the moment. “I need to compartmentalize everything that’s coming at me all at once so I can process it in some sort of orderly fashion and manage to not get us killed before we get the chance to talk about what may or may not be going on between us.” “Do you have a label for that box?” Trent drilled, glaring at her. “Which one?” She tapped her fingernails against the table and pursed her lips, trying to stay the wellspring of anger bubbling up at his completely inappropriate timing. And if he only knew. Leila had so many boxes she neatly placed things in it’d be easy to completely lose track of the exact number and location inside her head of all them. “The one you stuff us in every time things reach a point you might actually have to say it.” When his nostrils flared, Leila could no longer hold back the sarcastic cynic she could be so easily. “Say what?” She quirked one side of her mouth up and all but batted her lashes, daring him to continue down this path. “You know very well what,” Trent roared, slamming a fist against the table causing the silverware still setting on the edges of plates on the other end of it to rattle and tea to spill out over the top of her unfinished cup, which was most likely cold and bitter by now. “You’ve not said it in a long while, either, you know.” Leila pulled her now drying hair behind her ears and gnawed on the inside of her lip. Trent didn’t answer, instead just sat back down and grabbed his phone. “I have my reasons but they’re not the same as yours, you coward. You’re afraid.” 

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From The Author: 

Through My Eyes

First, I’d like to thank Gimme the Scoop Reviews for hosting my tour today. It’s a pleasure to be here!

One of the things I get asked most about are the things that inspire me and help me build the world in which my characters live. That leads me to remember the first, and best, piece of advice I got when I first began my journey to publication. Write what you know, and if you don’t know it, learn it. That bit of advice rings true today, yesterday, and forever. Researching, honestly, is one of my favorite parts of the job. I love learning knew things and I love digging around for facts.

For the most part, I do write what I know and put a spin on it. It is fiction, after all, so stretching the truth creatively but still within reason is totally acceptable. And what is it I write that I know? The military aspects I incorporate into my romantic suspense stories. My husband recently retired after thirty years of service in the Marine Corps, and if there’s anything I know, it’s military life. That life also took us on many adventures. I routinely use my knowledge of people, places, and things to draw inspiration and do lend realism to my writing.

The S3 series is a bit different from my other more mainstream military romances in that I’ve created a world in which there are dark ops agencies playing by their own rules. That gave me the latitude to create situations and consequences that might not hold true in real life but work in a fictitious world of my creating. In Parallax, book one of the series, it was also fun making the heroine the star of the show through Leila O’Neil who’s a kick-butt kind of gal who can hold her own in a firefight and still manage to look pretty at the end of the day. She’s a collage of hard-charging female marines I was acquainted with during my husband’s active duty days. We don’t often see the female lead in romantic suspense taking on the role of being the one to save the day and take names. I wanted to expand on that twist and thus Leila was born.

The places Parallax is set in include the east coast of North Carolina, the Middle East, Spain and Morocco. I spent many years on the east coast of North Carolina so it’s a favorite backdrop of mine to use since I’m so familiar with it. While I’ve not visited the Middle East, Spain, or Morocco, my husband has ported all over the world at one point or other and is a great research consultant when it comes to locations. Having all the travels under our belt helps in being able to describe things accurately.

I’d say, overall, I try to let my characters live through my eyes and see, feel, smell, taste, and hear everything I have over the years, which gives them a wide-ranging collection of experiences.

Thanks again for hosting me today and thanks to the readers for dropping in to chat with me.

Dixie Jackson

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: Born and raised in the heart of the Ozarks, Dixie Jackson learned a love of the written word at a young age. She remembers spinning tales before she could even write them down, but it was the encouragement of her sixth-grade creative writing teacher which would plant the idea that just never seemed to go away. She wanted to someday see her works in print. Dixie makes her home in the Great Smoky Mountains with her retired Marine husband, two rescue dogs, and her beloved chickens. When she’s not writing, you can find her digging in the dirt and nurturing her plants while plotting the next step in one story line or another. She also loves experimenting in her kitchen, embroidering, quilting, crocheting, tracing her family’s twisted tree, and of course reading. 

You can find Dixie at: 

Blog: https://www.dixiejackson.net 

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/sweetteamafia/ 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19160992

Instagram: @dixiejwriter 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dixiejacksonauthor/ 

Amazon: amazon.com/author/dixiejackson 

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dixie-jackson 

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Dixie Jackson will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 RAFFLECOPTER: a Rafflecopter giveaway