Thursday, April 30, 2020

Book Review - Social Leads by Shay Banks





We're thrilled to host the virtual book tour for SOCIAL LEADS: YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYBOOK TO GENERATING MORE LEADS IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS by Shay Banks. Scroll down to find out how you can pick up a copy of her book!



SOCIAL LEADS: YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYBOOK TO GENERATING MORE LEADS IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS

By Shay Banks

Nonfiction


Struggling To Profit From Social Media?


It’s more than likely not your fault. There is a lot of
misinformation (and outright lies) being told about how social media is supposed to work. In Social Leads you will discover post ideas to use on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and more!




Your Very Own Social Media Playbook You Can Use Over and Over

If you want to add social media to your marketing plan, this is the
playbook you need to get started. Understand how each platform works and
how so you can achieve your business’s goals. Inside this
action-oriented book, you’ll learn:
  • How to get traffic to your social media pages for free
  • What to do when you’ve tried everything on social media and you’re not getting results
  • Example social media posts (with pictures) to help get your creative juices going
  • Plus more!

My Thoughts:  Although short, Social Leads packs a wealth of information on helping you get your online business up and running. Whether  setting up a physical shop or online ones the same issue comes into play....you need to find customers.

Shay goes over each of the different platforms and step by step with examples. Her book was quick to read, and very easy to understand. Most books like this are what they say "over my head" and hard for me to contemplate but not Social Leads. I look forward to trying out a few of the ideas she has presented!



Amazon → https://amzn.to/3awrSVf









What To Expect From This Book

Back in the day, building a business seemed pretty straight forward. You found a building, you got a loan, you opened up shop, and the people came to your store.

Except, that’s not exactly what happened?

People found office space, got the loan, opened up shop, and no one came. The savvy business owners would discover marketing tactics that would generate foot traffic. Tactics like direct mail, radio advertising, catalog advertising, classified ads, etc.

After some trial and error, they saw results.

Nowadays, the storefront is different.

People go online and build websites. No loan needed, just a monthly payment for hosting and an annual fee for your domain registration.

But many people have discovered that though it’s easier to “set up shop” now than a few decades ago, they run into the same problem: getting customers.

The savvy business owners will start looking at different online marketing tactics such as blogging, email marketing, SEO, and social media marketing.

“Build it and they will come” mentality crippled/cripples many businesses.

If you are reading this book, kudos to you for putting forth effort to “figuring it out”. It’s important to get as much knowledge as possible. But as Dale Carnegie infamously said, “knowledge isn’t power until it is applied.”

If you are not action oriented, then this book is definitely not for you. I’m sorry to tell you that this book is nothing but words filled with actions you must take if you want your business to have a chance in hell of survival.

Yes, I know, with a title like Social Leads: Your Social Media Playbook to Generating More Leads in The Next 90 Days, there should be some magic. There should be some snap-your-fingers-and-boom-it-works instructions. Sadly there is none of that in this book.

This book is for action-takers.

Implementers.

Persistent and determined individuals who will, by golly, make this business work; it’s this or bust. If that is you, then you’re in luck.

What’s on the pages that follow is action plan that will help you start attracting leads organically using social media.

Why are we focused on social media?

According to the statistics, the average person is on social media between 2 – 6 hours every single day.

Marketing 101 says “Go where the people are.” And the people are on social media. Chances are high, you will be able to sell your products and services on social media.

But…(there’s always a but isn’t there)…

Social media is always changing. The algorithms, the rules, and the available platforms all can change at the drop of a hat. It’s this constant change that makes social media marketing difficult for many to grasp and understand. In my ten plus years of using social media to generate traffic to websites in a variety of industries, I have seen it all.

And yet, despite the changes, I have managed to attract clients and money with less followers and fans than many of my competitors. (I made $500 my first 6 weeks on Instagram with a meager 40 followers. To date, I have made thousands of dollars on Instagram alone and I have under 300 followers.)

How is that possible?

You’ll discover all of that and more in this book. Turn the page and let’s get started.























Introduction

“It doesn’t work!” a woman, we’ll call her Julie, said as she approached my expo booth and scowled at my signage.

Thinking that I must have misheard her, I said, politely “I’m sorry?”

“It doesn’t work. This social media stuff. It doesn’t work. You’re all liars.”

“Well…I’m sorry that it’s been tough,” I said with a strained smile. I mean…what am I supposed to say to that? Yes, you’re right. Many people that do social media ARE liars. Many don’t know how to turn a profit, but they know how to get your some fake followers.

In a way, I truly was sorry for her.

“I don’t want your sorry,” she grabbed a business card off the table and looked at my name. “Shay? Is that I how I pronounce your name” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, I don’t want your sorry Shay. I want you to fix it! Here’s my Facebook.” She handed me her phone with her Facebook business page open and ready for my analysis.

I don’t usually do impromptu social media analysis at live events, but it was early. Not too many people were there just yet so I let this interaction happen. Plus, this lady was not backing down. I could tell that she was not going to take no for an answer.

I grabbed her phone and scrolled down a bit. I immediately knew what was missing.

“Yea, I see what—” I began. She interrupted me before I could even finish the sentence. She was definitely trying my patience.

“Nuh huh,” she said, finger pointed up. “I need you to check my Pinterest too.”

She clicked on the Pinterest app, went to her profile and handed me the phone again. I scrolled through her Pinterest page and knew immediately what was missing and why she wasn’t getting results.

Have you ever heard the saying “How you do one thing is how you do everything?” Well it applied here as well. I knew that all of her social media pages were making the same mistake. But to appease her, I looked at all of them.  Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

And then, I looked at her, sternly, and then gave her 3 actions to take right now to turn her social media pages around.

This book is an extension of that conversation with her.

Why The Majority Are Not Making Money

Did you know that 70% of small business owners who create online content make $0, as in zero, nada, zilch, $0 from social media, or from any content that they create online?

This is a good thing because that means 30% of small business owners are making money. So if you can ignore the 70 and follow the 30, you will be okay.

I know those Instagram “influencers” want you to believe that it’s all easy. Just post a selfie and BOOM, watch that cash roll in baby!

It doesn’t quite work that way. Or, shall I say, it worked that way in the early days, but nothing lasts forever.

Nowadays, you better know what the hell you’re doing on social media or you can

1) waste a TON of time getting likes and engagement but getting NO dinero and

2) waste a TON of money on Facebook ads, influencer shout outs, or high-end e-courses that promise you’ll make 6 figures in 6 days. (it never works out like they promise, but you don’t realize that until AFTER the 30-day money back guarantee)

Let’s face it, consumers are smarter now. They are armed with information and they know when someone is trying to sell them. If you plan on using social media to market your business, you better bring your A game!

The Zero Profit Attorney

I did a discovery call with a well-known attorney in Dallas who wanted me to help her generate more leads from her social media pages. She and I met at a local networking event and exchanged cards. At the event she expressed that her social media person was gonna put her in the poor house if she didn’t get this thing turned around.

I was shocked she asked me to help her since, based on all the advertising I’d seen of her online and offline, I assumed she was doing quite well.

Turns out, she was breaking even. If she spent $20,000/month in ads online, she would bring in $20,000 worth of business.

That’s certainly not good because you want to be able to have a profit. I mean, that’s what a business is, right? Products and services sold in order to make a profit.

She was skeptical of working with me because she’d spent upwards of $15,000 already on e-courses and her current social media person.  Both were not panning out like she’d hoped. I told her I don’t have an e-course that could fix her problem and honestly, an e-course wouldn’t do her any justice.

She was neck-deep in this social media ocean and it was not something she could navigate out of by herself.

What she needed was a full on 4-hour session with me, one on one.

And that is what we did. A 4-hour session where I showed her step by step how to tweak her Facebook advertising campaign (on her own), what to post, and how to select better targeting. As a result, she slashed her ad costs from $20,000/month to $5,000/month.

Without doing anything else differently, she was able to profit $15,000/month.

Doing the wrong thing on the right platform is costly. This is what the majority do. They follow an influencer or a marketing guru, they follow their “rules” and then they end up not getting the results that were promised.

The reason it doesn’t work is because the influencer or marketing guru has a different target market, spends more money on advertising, has a more established social media reputation, and has access to partners who will happily promote them.

Follow marketing gurus and influencers at your own risk.

Common Characteristics Of Social Media Posts That Make No Money

  1. Too many stock photos
  2. Perfectly shot photos of people on the beach with their laptop
  3. Generic questions asked in an attempt to “boost engagement”
  4. Lots of branded content
  5. No videos or photos of the person running the page
  6. Too many quotes
  7. Inconsistent posting
  8. No engagement with followers
  9. Too many topics covered
  10. Unclear business message
What I'm going to share with you in this book is stuff that I've used in my own business as well as what I've assisted other entrepreneurs and small business owners use in their business.

These strategies work online as well as offline. You will see some similarities, or things that you can take from social media and use offline or take from offline and apply it to social media.

Both work hand-in-hand.

The Difference Between A Social Media Strategist And A Social Media Manager

We need to address the elephant in the room.

 I get asked this question all the time when I tell people what I do. People think I am in my office all day posting social media content for businesses.

That’s not an accurate description of what I do. So let’s break down the differences so you get a clear understanding.

A Social Media Manager, by definition, manages your social media pages. They interact with your audience on your behalf. They comment on your followers’ posts. They are basically people who boost engagement.

A social media manager’s main job is to increase your followers organically and post the content you create. That’s it. They are acting on your behalf to save you time.

A Social Media Strategist, by definition, shows you a strategy to achieve your business goals using social media. They do a ton of market research on your target audience and use that information to create a specific social media campaign for your business.

A social media strategist’s main job is to get you leads so you can boost your business. That’s it. They do not post the content, but they may create the content for you to save you time. Depends on the services that strategist offers.

If you already have content and just need someone to post it on your social media pages, or you don’t have the time to get on social media every day and you need someone to do it for you, then you need a Social Media Manager.

If you need to know what to do on which platform in order to attract your ideal client using social media or you have a specific goal you would like to achieve using social media, then you need a Social Media Strategist.

What’s Your Motivation?

Before we get into the actions you need to take, you might want to get out some pen and paper. We're going to do a quick little exercise, because I want to tap into your why.

What's your why? Why do you want a business? Why are you trying to make this business grow?

I always do this with my clients because this entrepreneurial journey is tough! I can speak firsthand to that. If you don't have a strong enough why, you will not move forward, you will give up, and you may give up too soon when you were super close to a win.

I don't want you to fall prey to that. Take a quick second and answer these questions:

Three months from now, I will earn ___________________.

I will earn this amount because ____________________________________________________________________________.

I commit to ________________, ______________________, and ___________________ in order to achieve my goal income.

I want you to keep the answers above handy. Keep them around you, because, let me tell you, you will find obstacle. Well, actually, you won't find them, they will find you.

There will be several obstacles for you to overcome on your journey. And it's constant. It never stops. I don't care whatever success you're looking for, there are more obstacles on the other side of that. So keep these answers front and center so that you can stay focused when things get tough.

About Me

“I’m so thankful I had a childhood before technology took over.” -Unknown

I'm going to send you back, waaay back in time when this grown woman was a little six-year-old girl in the first grade.

My first series of novels that I read were the Babysitters Club. The series was about these 4  best friends who started a babysitting business. And I was just so intrigued by that. I thought, oh my gosh, that is my calling. That is what I'm going to do. I am going to have a babysitting club business. But I’ve got to wait until I'm in the eighth grade. Right now, I'm six years old. What kind of business should I do now, I would ask myself.

I knew that a kid that lived down the street from me, delivered newspapers.

I remember asking my mom if I could deliver newspapers like the kid down the street. Without even a second to think, my mom said no because “that's a boy's job.” As a sidenote: there were also a few child kidnappings that had happened in my small town that made her leery too.

Through my search, I was able to find one business that my mom could not say no to: BeautiControl Consultant. If you know Avon or Mary Kay, you may know what BeautiControl is, because it's very similar.

They do make up, they do facial cleansers, and all that good stuff. I remember I gathered up my $100, which was my birthday money and part of my allowance. I scraped it all together to get a starter kit. My first customer was one of my aunts. She bought a moisturizer from me.

It was the first $12 I’d ever earned on my own.

I didn't do BeautiControl for very long, though. But I knew I was meant to be in business for myself because I was already looking for business opportunities at six years old! Now if we fast forward a little while, I have gone through high school, I've gone through college. I lived in South Korea for a year teaching English as a Second Language, and then I came back to Texas, and I was a teacher. So let’s just fast forward 20 or so years after earning that first $12 on my own.

It was around this time, in 2008, I was done with teaching. I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. But I didn’t know what my next move would be. But I knew for sure, it was not teaching.

And so I started looking for business opportunities online. Three days into my search, I became intrigued by a young lady who said she was a business coach. I bought some of her online programs, I read her blog, I commented on her blog, I did some more online research, and then I joined her mastermind.

This business coach advised me that I could have an online business sharing my gifts and passion. (Vague, I know! But I was so eager to jump at the possibility that I didn’t let logic enter in my mind!)

She was like, "All you need is a blog! You already have a powerful voice, you can just write, and you'll make six figures."

And so I followed her instructions. I started my blog. I would work at my school from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and then I would go home and be in front of the computer from 6:00 PM to midnight.

I did this every single day for over a month. I was determined to make this business a success.

After about the first 40 days of doing this, I looked at the analytics. I’d been blogging like a mad woman for over a month and I wondered how many people have come to my website, because I haven't seen anything in my PayPal account.

I knew something was wrong because the equation was blog and BOOM, make six figures.

When I didn’t see anything in my PayPal account, I went to the analytics. I go to the analytics and I saw that only two people had come to my website. Do you know who those two people were? Me and my mama!

 That was not okay because the two of us were not going to help me make the six figures that I wanted.

I quickly learned that this big-time guru/business coach I chose to follow was leaving some important elements out of this “blog and make six figures” equation.

There was more to making money online and I had to figure it out on my own. It took me a long while, a lot of trial and error, lots of money spent, lots of time wasted, but once I figured it out, I started making money.

It started off by getting organic traffic to my website and then getting that traffic to get on my email list. I did that by applying all the SEO tactics I’d learned while reading sites like Copyblogger and ProBlogger. Using the tactics I learned from those websites, I ended up making $50 a day.

This was all free traffic because it was all about using the right keywords and backlinking strategies. I then stumbled upon advertising through Google Adwords, Facebook ads, banner ads, mobile ads, in-app ads. As a result, I started making $100+ a day.

And then, 3 years later, I was able to quit my teaching job.

You can actually shorten your learning curve by just listening to what I'm telling you in this book. Unlike my first business coach, I won’t be holding anything back.

I know what that feels like when someone gives you only part of the plan and then looks at you like you’re crazy for not making money.  This book is all about giving you the whole enchilada, so that way you can start getting leads and you can start making sales really quickly.

So without further adieu, let's get into the social media strategies that will get you more leads in the next ninety days.















Shay Banks helps entrepreneurs get more
leads and sales with social media. If you’re not filling your pipeline
with new leads, Shay can show you how to use your social media pages to
do just that. Get more leads now by grabbing your free social media
toolkit at: www.shaybanks.com.

 





http://www.pumpupyourbook.com



Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Book Tour/Giveaway - Escucha Means Listen by Talia Aikens-Nunez


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Talia Aikens-Nunez will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Take a journey through the world — just listening. Escucha Means Listen helps children discover sounds around them in both English and Spanish. A beautiful picture book with lyrical prose and delightful illustrations, from lawn mowing to the splish-splashing of rain puddles.


Read an Excerpt


Buzz. Buzz. Qué oyes? (What do you hear?)

Las abejas (The bees) circling the flowers.

Woosh. Woosh. What do you hear?

El viento (The wind) is whistling by.

Shh. Shh. Qué oyes? (What do you hear?)

Las hojas (The leaves) are dancing on the trees.


About the Author:
Talia Aikens-Nuñez wanted to be a meteorologist, a politician and a lawyer. She never thought she would be an author. It was the birth of her daughter that caused her to start writing. Raising a bilingual child inspired Talia to write multicultural children’s books.

Talia’s family loves nature so much that she and her husband vowed that they willalways try to live close to water. She and her family live in Connecticut with a little pond.



Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/talia_n

Website: Http://www.kidslitbytalia.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/taliaaikensnunezchildrenswriter


Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Escucha-Means-Listen-Talia-Aikens-Nu%C3%B1ez-ebook/dp/B01AP0I57O/ref=sr_1_1


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, April 27, 2020

Book Review - The Earl Not Taken by A. S. Fenichel




We're thrilled to be a part of the virtual book tour for THE EARL NOT TAKEN by historical fiction author A.S. Fenichel. Scroll down and find out how you can pick up your copy!



THE EARL NOT TAKEN

By A.S. Fenichel

Historical Fiction



Left standing on the side while their contemporaries
marry into society, four young ladies forge a bond to guard each other from a similar fate . . .



Finishing school failed to make a proper lady of Penelope Arrington. But as a Wallflower of West Lane, Poppy has a far more vital role—she and her three best friends have made a pact to protect each other from the clutches of dangerous, disreputable men. So when one of them is
about to be married off to a duke sight unseen, Poppy makes it her mission to divine the prospective husband’s true character. If only she didn’t require the aid of London’s most unsuitable rake.


Rhys Draper, Earl of Marsden, has known the headstrong Poppy since she was a young girl, naïve to the ways of men. To her eternal chagrin—and to his vague amusement—they have been at odds over the memory of their embarrassing first encounter all these years. Now, with his services in need, Rhys sees a chance to finally clear the air between them. Instead, he is surprised by the heat of their feelings. If the two do not tread carefully, they may end up in a most agreeably compromising position . . .


My Thoughts: I've been wanting to try a Regency style historical romance and so when the chance came up I jumped at the opportunity to read The Earl Not Taken. I found it to be an fairly easy read and some scenes were quite comical in fact and the characters were fun which is always a plus but I also found some of them to behave in a rather childish way!

I was provided a copy of this story for an honest review.



Amazon → https://amzn.to/2P0nS6S

 Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/32a3J3X

KOBO → https://bit.ly/2uPJEDE

Google Play → https://bit.ly/2Hr2DqD








“I want you, Penelope Arrington. I’ve never desired anyone as I do you, now, in this place.” He waited for her to slap his face, but the strike never came.

Her nose scrunched up as it did whenever she gave something a lot of thought. “Then you do not hate me.”

Holding in a laugh that would have given away how uncomfortable he was with his behavior over the last six years, his shame swelled in his chest. “I have never hated you, Poppy. I have always thought you a beautiful, smart, incorrigible woman. I won’t deny that your antics and attitude toward me have inspired behavior I am not proud of.”

Those sweet lips that set his blood on fire pulled down, and a crease formed between her eyes. “I have long thought you were off bedding everything in a skirt you could catch.”

“I am not a saint. However, your assessment was a vast exaggeration.”

She stepped back like an emerald in a room filled with every other color. Poppy shined the brightest in a room filled with jewels. “Do you remember our first meeting at George’s when you escorted me home and said you hoped I would someday tell you my wants in life?”

While he wanted her back in his arms, he respected her personal space. The moment she spoke of had changed his presumptions about her. “I remember.”

She toyed with the fringe on one of dozens of pillows tossed haphazardly on an oversized red chaise. All the furniture might fit nicely in a sheik’s harem. Sitting, she sighed. “I want to have a different kind of life.”

Following her, he sat close. “Tell me about the life you dream of.”

“My dreams do not include a husband to boss me about and keep me at his convenience.” An angry edge laced her words.

“Is that what all husbands do?”












A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful IT
career in New York City to pursue her lifelong dream of being a
professional writer. She adores writing stories filled with love,
passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good
measure. Originally from New York, she grew up in New Jersey, and now
lives in Missouri with her real-life hero, her wonderful husband and two
temperamental cats.

 


http://www.pumpupyourbook.com



Thursday, April 23, 2020

Book Tour - Love, marriage, and Other Disasters by Shilpa Suraj

~ Book Tour ~
Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters by Shilpa Suraj

10th to 30th April



About the Book:

She believes in love, family and…squiggles!

Alisha Rana is not your typical single desi girl. For one, she is on the wrong side of 30.  For another, she is divorced. And last but definitely not least, she is still, gasp, a virgin!

Alisha doesn’t want much. But what she does want is that elusive thing all women search for – A man who gets her…but a man who gets her hot! She calls it “feeling the squiggle.”

Enter Dr. Vivaan Kapoor, cute, hot, squiggle-worthy. The younger brother of her cousin's prospective groom, he’s got the squiggle factor in spades. The only catch? He's never been married and is years younger than Alisha. Basically, completely off-limits.

And then there is Arjun. Widowed, older than her by the right number of years and a genuinely nice guy. He's Vivaan’s cousin and a so-called perfect match for Alisha. The problem is, Alisha’s squiggle-o-meter refuses to budge for him.

What will Alisha choose? A lifetime together with the 'right' man or a chance at happiness with the 'wrong' one?



Book Links:




Read an Excerpt from Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters by Shilpa Suraj


She closed her eyes and let the nippy breeze cool her flushed cheeks. This moment of solitude in the middle of all the chaos felt like heaven.

“Private moment? Or can I interrupt?”

Resigned to her fate, Alisha looked up. “Are you stalking me?”

“No.” Sitting down next to her and stretching his long legs out, Vivaan laced his hands on his stomach. “It was getting a little stifling in there, so I thought I’d come out for fresh air. I saw you sitting here alone and figured I’d see if you wanted some company.”

“Terrible,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“What?”

“Your excuse for being out here is terrible. If I wanted company, I would have stayed in there. And the only thing stifling you in there were the women throwing themselves at you.”

Grinning, he pointed out, “You weren’t.”

Tossing her hair, she said, “I have taste.”

“Ouch.” Wincing, he straightened from his slouch. “That hurt. I don’t know if I’ll ever recover from that.”

“Oh please. Go in there and let one of those girls slobber all over you. You’ll be fine in minutes.”

“All those tasteless girls in there? No thanks. I think I prefer the discerning one out here.” Reaching out to touch a lock of her hair he twined it around his fingers and watched her reaction.

“Cut it out.” Slapping at his hand, Alisha stood up. “You shouldn’t be flirting with me.”

Rising with her, he faced her. “Why?”

“Because I don’t cradle snatch and I certainly don’t intend to start with my younger cousin’s brother in law.” She tried for both their family’s sakes to take the sting out of her words but knew she’d failed when she saw the expression on his face.

“How old do you think I am?”

Alisha sighed. “Do we have to do this?”

“I’m trying to understand,” Vivaan said. “The age thing matters so much?”

 Alisha stared past him to the crowd now leaving the bar and yelling out goodbyes to each other. Drunk, happy and carefree. She felt every inch of her exhausting thirty three years at that moment.

“For the record, I’m twenty nine years old.” His low murmur had her closing her eyes. Twenty nine. Shit.

“I don’t think we should be having this conversation,” she said, starting to walk past him to the foyer.

Vivaan caught her hand as she crossed him and yanked her back, his grip firm and compelling. “Answer me. My age matters so much?”

“Yes,” she said, finally.

“Why? Does it make that much of a difference to who I am?”

“Why? What do you mean why? I’m older than you and divorced to add to that. You need any more reasons?” Giving her hand a slight tug, she groaned when his grasp only tightened. “Let go of my hand.”

“Does being older and divorced mean you can’t be friends with me?”

“It means I can’t stand around holding hands with you.” Staring pointedly at their hands until he released hers, she stepped back and started to move away.

“What makes you think any of it matters to me?” His question had her stopping in her tracks and turning to look at him. “I don’t care, Alisha. I like you.”

“It doesn’t make a difference if none of it matters to you. All of it matters to me.” This time when she made her way into the crowd, she didn’t look back.




About Shilpa Suraj:



Shilpa Suraj wears many hats - corporate drone, homemaker, mother to a fabulous toddler and author.

An avid reader with an overactive imagination, Shilpa has weaved stories in her head since she was a child. Her previous stints at Google, in an ad agency and as an entrepreneur provide colour to her present day stories, both fiction and non-fiction.



Shilpa on the Web:


Book Review - Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder by MaryAnn Kempger





MOCHA, MOONLIGHT, AND MURDER

By MaryAnn Kempher

Romance/Mystery

Synopsis: One night, 28-year-old, Katherine O’Brian, decides to walk to an all-night diner. The only problem? It’s midnight, but Katherine lives in Reno Nevada, a city that never sleeps; she can clearly see the diner’s lights in the distance. It’s no big deal, until she passes someone’s garage where a man is loading a dead body into the trunk of his car.

And now, she’s in trouble. She outran the man that night, and while she has no idea who he is, he knows who she is. And he wants her dead.

As if attempts on her life weren’t stressful enough, Katherine has gone back to college. She’s determined to finally finish her degree, but her lab partner is driving her crazy. He’s hot, but annoying. And she’s not sure which she wants more—a night of mad, passionate sex or a new lab partner. It varies from day to day.

Will Katherine give in to her lust for her partner or will she give in to her desire to throttle him? If she’s in the ground before graduation, it won’t matter.

Not your typical romance, not your typical mystery.


My Thoughts: Be prepared to hit the floor running "literally" when you start reading this wild blend of murder and romance. The action starts straightaway and keeps you going with surprising twists and lots of fun. The romance was a bit lacking  and slow drawn out but overall I enjoyed the story. Loved the cover! Thought it had a good creepy factor.





Amazon → https://amzn.to/2OkHlii












Monday afternoon, the raspy wind snarled Katherine O’Brian’s long hair and reddened her face as she quickly walked into the building. She pulled her gloves off and blew on her hands for a few seconds before weaving her way through the thick crowd in the college’s hallway. It was the first night of class and she was nearly late.

She looked around the classroom self-consciously; she seemed to be the oldest person in the room. Well, that’s what you get for putting off college. You get to take classes with kids barely out of high school.

All the desks had been placed in a circle and the professor was moving from one student to another, having them introduce themselves. Katherine’s eyes widened when the teacher got to the man directly across from her.

The day before she’d stopped at a nearby Starbucks. After placing her order, she’d casually looked around. Her eyes had met those of a woman sitting across the room. When the woman smiled, Katherine had blushed. She was a he, dressed in drag.

Slap on some eye shadow and a pair of high heels and that’s the guy I saw yesterday, minus the dress.

Once everyone had introduced themselves, the professor began talking about the term project.

“You’ll be working in pairs, and this assignment is worth seventy percent of your grade, so obviously you’ll need to work together to do a good job.”

Katherine quickly looked at her syllabus. There it was: the class term project. Very writing-intensive. Even PowerPoint slides were required. This was why she’d put off taking the class—writing wasn’t her strongest subject.

 “You’ll find your partner listed there,” the professor continued, pointing toward the chalk board, to which a piece of paper was taped.

After all the details of the project had been covered, class was dismissed. Katherine quickly looked at the paper on the board. Oh, this just gets better and better. She looked around for her new partner, but he was speaking to the teacher.

I’ll talk to him about the project on Wednesday.

She hugged her book to her chest and walked toward the exit. When she dropped her purse and stopped suddenly to pick it up, she heard a deep voice.

“Hey.”

Katherine looked up—and up—to the face that went with the deep voice.

“Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t realize you were behind me.”

He was smiling. Not that it matters, but of all the men in the class, why do I get the one that wears dresses?

“I’m Scott Mitchell. We’re partners on the project.”

She turned back and held out her hand. “I'm Katherine.”

As he pulled on his coat, he said, “I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go get something to eat or drink, to talk about it.”

Katherine stalled by moving closer to the wall, as if to let other students hurry past. Her first instinct was to say no, but then she remembered her resolve to do well in the class.

“Sure, where?”

They started walking outside together.

“There’s a Starbucks near here,” he said. “We could meet there.”

Coffee was always the magic word for Katherine, or chocolate.

“Sure, I’ll see you there.”

As she sat in her car waiting for it to heat up, she noticed her hands were shaking slightly. She looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. Jeez, it’s just a guy. Get a grip.

They arrived at the same time. The hard part came after they’d gotten their drinks and sat down. Katherine could hardly put two words together; it had been a long time since she’d had a decent conversation, especially with a man. After a few minutes, Scott broke the silence.

“So, how about that project?” he said, a little too loudly. Katherine flinched and turned pink. When she answered, the words flew out. “Going to be an avalanche of work: slides and an oral presentation, thousand words each. A monster.”

“Yeah,” said Scott, “and not really what I expected from a history course. Doing a biography from birth to death is a big deal, especially with all the details the professor wants. Do you have any ideas who we should do it on?”

“How about van Gogh?” suggested Katherine.

“He committed suicide, didn’t he?”

“So?”

Scott sighed. “Well, I don’t know. I’d just prefer to do the biography on someone I can respect. For me, it’s hard to respect anyone who kills themselves. Seems so cowardly.”

“That’s very presumptuous of you,” said Katherine. “To assume the man was a coward because he killed himself. And such a generalization. Sometimes people are just in pain, and that’s the only way they see to end that pain.”

Scott held his hands up defensively. “Sorry. Didn’t know you were such a fan of van Gogh.”

Katherine rolled her eyes. “That’s what you take away from what I said?” Jeez, this guy’s hot, but what an idiot.

Scott tipped his cup forward and backwards, side to side. Katherine held her cup to her lips, blowing on the coffee. Judging by the attention their cups received, Starbucks’ coffee had never tasted so good. Scott sat up, leaning forward, his arms folded in front of him. He seemed to take up the whole table. Katherine sat back in her chair.

“We should probably plan on getting together at least a few times during the week,” he said.

The prospect of seeing him so often filled Katherine with both dread and excitement - dread, because she wasn’t sure she even liked him, and excitement because his baritone voice made her unwilling heart flutter, and his mahogany eyes made her blush. He’s right, though, she thought, if I’m serious about getting a good grade, this project will need a lot of attention.

“You’re probably right,” she answered, her eyes avoiding his. “When do you want to meet?”

“How about tomorrow at the library,” Scott replied. “The one on Virginia Street near the mall, does five thirty work for you?”

“Sure.”

After exchanging numbers, Katherine stood. “I should go,” she said. “It’s getting late.”

They walked out together, Scott holding the door for her.












For many years, MaryAnn Kempher lived in Reno Nevada where most of
her stories are set. Her books are an entertaining mix of mystery and
humor. She lives in the Tampa Florida area with her husband, two
children, and a very snooty Chorkie.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

 



http://www.pumpupyourbook.com



Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Book Blast/Giveaway - The Edge of all the Worlds by Matt Betts



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Enter to win a physical copy of the paperback of Carson of Venus: The Edge of All Worlds (continental US only). Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.



Carson of Venus is back in the first novel of groundbreaking Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe series!



When a mysterious enemy attacks his adopted nation of Korva, Earthman Carson Napier discovers his own arrival on Venus years ago may have unknowingly triggered the strike. The invaders' trail of death and destruction leads Carson and his beloved princess Duare headlong into battle against a seemingly invincible, primordial race. But that is not Carson's only challenge, for an uncanny phenomenon has entangled him with two strange individuals from beyond spacetime. Will Carson be able to solve the mysteries of his past and the enigmatic visitors before the entire planet descends into chaos?



Also includes the bonus novelette "Pellucidar: Dark of the Sun" by Christopher Paul Carey, introducing Victory Harben, the ERB Universe's newest heroine:



The very principle of physics behind the Gridley Wave has mysteriously failed, cutting off all communication between the hollow world of Pellucidar and the outer crust, and now inventor Jason Gridley must seek help from his brilliant young protégé, Victory Harben. Together they recover timeworn records from deep in the ruins of a dead Mahar city, hoping to use knowledge of Pellucidar's former reptilian overlords to jumpstart the Gridley Wave. But when their experiment goes terribly wrong, Jason and Victory suddenly find themselves drawn into the inscrutable machinations of an ancient evil.



THE FIRST UNIVERSE OF ITS KIND



A century before the term "crossover" became a buzzword in popular culture, Edgar Rice Burroughs created the first expansive, fully cohesive literary universe. Coexisting in this vast cosmos was a pantheon of immortal heroes and heroines--Tarzan of the Apes, Jane Clayton, John Carter, Dejah Thoris, Carson Napier, and David Innes being only the best known among them. In Burroughs' 80-plus novels, their epic adventures transported them to the strange and exotic worlds of Barsoom, Amtor, Pellucidar, Caspak, and Va-nah, as well as the lost civilizations of Earth and even realms beyond the farthest star. Now the Edgar Rice Burroughs Universe expands in an all-new series of canonical novels written by today's talented authors!


Read an Excerpt



“You should not have come here,” Yron interrupted. He looked over my friends and then opened his mouth repeatedly, as if he were straining for air. “You should turn around now and go back home in that strange flying vessel of yours.” He waited, as if he truly expected us to go.



Duare broke the awkward silence. “We are here to ask for help, or at the very least, some information.”



“I have none of that,” Yron said.



“Help or information?” I asked.



“Neither. Both.” The jong appeared flustered by the request, and by our very presence. I wondered why our appearances here had so obviously upset this usually cunning and devious leader. Had I known that it was Yron we were dealing with, I certainly would have thought twice about meeting with him so far down in his own element.



“What are you doing out here?” I asked. Yron and his people lived thousands of miles to the north in the city of Mypos, so what had prompted them to establish such a far-flung outpost? And who had built it? I had been to Mypos and seen firsthand the fish-people’s poor sense of art and architecture. They certainly hadn’t constructed this outpost on their own.



Before Yron could respond, Ero Shan stepped forward and demanded to hear anything that Yron knew about Nalte and the strange soldiers who had taken her. Duare interjected and described the creatures we had encountered, their craft, and how they had absconded with our companion.



Yron looked anxious, if his rapidly flapping gill slits meant anything, and said, “It sounds like you’ve run afoul of the Linneauns.”



Copyright © Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. All rights reserved. All logos, characters, names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks or registered trademarks of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Used by permission.



About the Author:

Matt Betts worked for years in radio as an on-air personality, anchor and reporter. His fiction and poetry have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. His work includes the steampunk novel, Odd Men Out, urban fantasy crime novel Indelible Ink, and his recent cryptid/horror novel White Anvil: Sasquatch Onslaught. His current release Carson of Venus: The Edge of all Worlds continues a series begun by Edgar Rice Burroughs.







Sales links:



ERB: https://bit.ly/3cmkrAU

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RFrcGa



Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Betts_Matt

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattbetts_author/

Website: http://www.mattbetts.com



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Friday, April 17, 2020

Book Blast - Lost Before You by Brooke O' Brien




★★ 99¢ for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! ★★

"Most addicting, steamy and well-written friends-to-lovers romance I've ever read!" -- Goodreads Reviewer

What can you expect in Lost Before You?
✓ Friends to Lovers trope
✓ Big city meets small town romance
✓ Angst overload
✓ You'll SWOON over Mason Reid and want him as your best friend!
✓ Interconnected standalone

Grab your copy of LOST BEFORE YOU for 99¢ ➟ books2read.com/lby

Blurb:
I wish someone would've warned me about the dangers of falling in love with your best friend.

I was no stranger to covering up my problems with meaningless sex and alcohol.

​When Brea asked me for one night to help her forget, I craved being the man she needed.

Just sex. No commitment.

​Then she begged me to promise her nothing would change between us. I couldn’t bring myself to lie to her.

​One night. One broken promise.

​I will never forget the night I fell in love with my best friend, and now nothing will ever be the same.
 
Do you love steamy, slow burn friends-to-lovers romances? You'll love the Lost Before You by @authorbrookeo. Grab your copy now 99¢ for a LIMITED TIME! ➟ books2read.com/lby
 
 

 


Stuck in the house? We’ve got you covered!
Get ready to set your e-reader on fire! Over twenty of your favorite bestselling authors have teamed up to bring you the most contagious romances filled with the sexy heroes and strong heroines you crave! All in the name of charity!
LOVE IS CONTAGIOUS is only available for a limited time. Catch it now before it’s gone!
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Monday, April 13, 2020

Book Review - A Man's Late Night Thoughts by J. Richman




We're thrilled to kick off the virtual book tour for A MAN'S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS by J. Richman. Scroll down and you can find out how to pick up a copy of his book!



A MAN'S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS

By J. Richman

Memoir/Narrative

A MAN’S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS by J. Richman is a creative and life-affirming collection of ponderings that expose the deep thoughts and feelings of a man who has lived a life full of diverse experiences and challenges. This uniquely constructed compilation of more than 300 reflections focuses on several areas of living, including intimate relationships and acceptance of human frailty, as well as the author’s internal conflicts.

A MAN’S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS homes in on the complications inherent in intimate relationships from the opening pages of the book: “Problems accrue when we confuse how a woman looks with who she is.” Richman brings the perspective of a mature man to the lessons on love presented in the book, including, “Exploitation of another depreciates both parties,” and “The reason we fall in love with flawed people is that that’s the only kind of people there are.”

In addition to offering a brief study of intimate relationships, A MAN’S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS
probes human frailty and offers readers guidance in accepting this fact. “We must learn to be strong enough to be gentle,” brings into focus the need to deliberately work at treating people well. The author also encourages readers to show self-compassion when dealing with their own baggage: “Sometimes it’s difficult to see beyond the wreckage of our lives, but we must! Take heart! We are more than our mistakes.”

In A MAN’S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS, Richman further challenges readers to take the reins of their lives when he says, “Name those things that you would do if you had no fear then do something about it.” He offers words of caution regarding political rhetoric: “Beware of politicians who whip up emotions to make us suspicious of others unlike us.” And rounds the book out by sharing his internal conflicts: “The world has bent me more than I have bent it”; “too often my logical mind and my emotional mind are hostile enemies”; “every time I look in the mirror, I expect to see a younger man.”

A MAN’S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS began as a series of notes that Richman wrote to himself. “I found that if I do not write out my true, and often painful, thoughts and feelings, I do not deal with them.” Richman wishes a book like this one had been available when he was a boy because the knowledge enclosed could have assisted him in navigating his teenage and young adult years. He hopes A MAN’S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS will assure men that they are not alone in their quiet musings. For women, Richman believes the book will provide a window into men’s unexpressed emotions.
  


Amazon → https://amzn.to/2RVEoqX

 Barnes & Noble → https://bit.ly/3b7HaRo














“introspection requires us to be an interested spectator of our own life.” …can this me be a better me…what happens when unimportant me wants to be important me...can anyone understand us and love us anyway…why must we clutch desperately to or fantasy…what happens when we need for from life than is available...do you frolic  and run with the deer in deer hunting season?...not to worry it’s all in the grand plan that you can change anytime.”










Richman is the author of A MAN’S LATE NIGHT THOUGHTS, a collection of thoughts about life, relationships, and humanity.

Richman’s work history includes his service
as an undercover intelligence officer in the US Air Force; later, he
established a thriving business in real estate investment. For 16 years,
Richman owned and operated Modify My Mortgage, a company that worked
with homeowners to prevent foreclosures. His business success allowed
Richman the time to pursue his passions, which included serving as the
president of Nova, a workshop that provided work and life skills
training for clients with disabilities; cofounding A Way Across, a
drop-in center for teenagers with emotional and substance abuse
problems; and fundraising for several more public service groups.

Richman enjoys writing and editing at night
after allowing his ideas to blossom and expand during the day. The
author is married with three sons and five grandsons.


http://www.pumpupyourbook.com