Book Tour/Giveaway - Gumbeaux Love by Jax Frey

Gumbeaux Love by Jax Frey 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

GENRE: Southern Women's Fiction 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

 

BLURB: The adventures of the Gumbeaux Sistahs continues. Five, fiery southern women wage wars against their unique problems using their improbable friendships, hilarious evil-genius schemes, strategy sessions with oh-so-many cocktails, and a shared passion for good gumbo. Single, Southern artist, Judith Lafferty, casually confesses to her Gumbeaux Sistahs that she is occasionally lonely and would like to fall in love again. Seriously - you'd think she would know to keep her mouth shut around these women by now. The sistahs tackle her problem along with their own with their usual unreasonable, extreme plots and schemes, including a kidnapping, a cupid costume, trying out pick-up lines at the cheese counter, and blind dates from hell. In helping out their friend, the sistahs help each other out as well and bring to light the many flavors of love in all of our lives. Be ready for twists, turns, laugh-out-loud times, and heart-wrenching moments. You'll be sure to recognize yourself and your best friends in the unstoppable sistahs.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Excerpt: Judith rinsed her juice glass in the kitchen sink just as the doorbell rang. “Who in the world at this hour?” she thought, shaking her head and glancing at the clock on the wall. “It’s not even eight o’clock.” She walked to the front door and started to open it, but before she could swing it open all the way, a hand clutching a paper coffee cup shoved its way inside, barely missing her face. “What?” she yelped. Then she laughed. “Oh no, are you kidding me?” She opened the door to five Gumbeaux Sistahs, including Bea, Helen, Dawn, Lola, and Trinity who stood on her front stoop holding coffee. It was especially a surprise to see Trinity there since she lived across the lake and had a long way to come. But the most unexpected thing of all was Dawn, who stood there looking embarrassed as all get-out, wearing a big, red Cupid costume. “Not again!” said Judith, rolling her eyes and remembering that this was exactly the way that the sistahs had originally kidnapped her and become her best friends in the world. Dawn grimaced and said, “I don’t know why I’m always the one who has to wear a stupid costume.” 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

From The Author:

What inspired me to write the Gumbeaux Sistahs novels?

First you have to know that I’m an artist. So, about nine years ago I created a series of paintings I called the Gumbeaux Sistahs.  They were images of strong, supportive, fierce women having the time of their lives together. I painted many versions of the Sistahs over the years.  Then about two years ago I realized that the women had a story to tell – not just a visual story, but a pen-to-paper one. The story haunted me for a while until one day I just threw up my hands and said, “Alright, already!  I’ll write it!” That’s how it started.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links: Born in New Orleans, Jax came into this world with a sense of celebration of southern culture, food, family and fun. Translating that celebration into her writing and onto canvas is her true calling. Her colorful art depicts everything from her dancing Gumbeaux Sistahs paintings to her popular line of original Mini paintings of southern icons. Because over 25,000 of the mini paintings have been created and sold into art collections worldwide, Jax holds a world’s record for The Most Original Acrylic Paintings on Canvas by One Artist from the World's Record Academy. Jax art and gifts can be seen at www.artbyjax.com. Jax is also the co-founder of the Women of Infinite Possibilities, an empowering women’s organization started in Covington, LA, where Jax lives today with her loveable, tornado-of-a-pug named Lucy. The Gumbeaux Sistahs' series of novels is a work of love for Jax After painting the Sistahs for many years, she finally gives voice to these women characters who have something to say and constantly make Jax laugh when she writes about them. 

http://www.gumbeauxsistahs.com/ 

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Gumbeaux-Love-Book-Sistahs-novels-ebook/dp/B08GJ9FZX5/ 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Jax Frey will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour/Giveaway - Kennedy Deveraux by Bernadette Marie

 

Kennedy Deveraux by Bernadette Marie 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 GENRE: Contemporary Romance 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

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 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

GENRE: YA Sci-fi 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 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.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

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 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

GENRE: Mystery 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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. 

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

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 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

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

 RAFFLECOPTER: a Rafflecopter giveaway