GIVEAWAY:  3 e-book copies of HYPE! Leave a comment below for your chance to win! 

High school student, Cici, is at the center of Yvette Calleiro’s NEW RELEASE and it is a good one! Keep reading for an introduction to HYPE.

High School Life

How many of you can recall your high school years? Or perhaps you’re in high school right now. For me, that was many moons ago, but I remember it so clearly. Join me for a short trip down memory lane…

Everyone always told me that high school would be the best years of my life, but it didn’t turn out that way for me. For many, those years are the most difficult. Teens try to shed their childlike ways and grow into independent, young adults while still being treated like children. They both struggle to fit in and stand out. They attempt to have relationships while dealing with raging hormones and inexperience. As if that wasn’t enough, they strive to do well in their classes to set themselves up for a successful future. Honestly, I would never want to go back to those years! Lol!

When I started writing HYPE ten years ago, I was teaching ninth and tenth grade. I also sponsored the Key Club, which consisted of students in all high school grade levels. I was surrounded, day in and day out, with students. They spoke freely around me about their relationships, their insecurities, their hopes and dreams, and their frustrations. I admired their tenacity and their vulnerability. So, when I created my characters, I wanted them to be authentic and relatable.

Here is a scene from a moment when Cici’s emotions get the better of her:

I button my jeans and shove the front of my shirt into the waistband and inspect myself in the mirror. “Why can’t my life be normal?”

I lean against the counter as the tears flow down my cheeks. The hard sobs come so I lower the toilet seat and plop myself on it to allow my heart to have a strong cry. Every painful memory rams through me as the waterfall of tears cascades down my face. I pull my legs up and hug them close to me, lowering my head to my knees.

Eventually, the tears subside as the numbness coats me again. I lower my legs and rise. I splash water on my face to remove the salty traces of my breakdown. Facing the mirror again, I roll my puffy eyes. I open the drawer and pull out the hardcore concealer. I’ve got to cover this weakness as best as I can. I really hate hormones.

My phone bings the reminder I’ve set to make sure I’m not late for school, and I’m nowhere near ready. I quickly finish my make-up and throw my hair into a loose ponytail. It’ll have to do. I rush to the closet and grab the closest pair of tennis shoes and shove my feet into them. I grab my bag and run down the stairs to the kitchen to grab a banana. I’m out the door, praying I’m not late.

I hate all the symptoms that come with my period. I guess this meltdown is overdue, especially since I’ve used the whole PMS excuse one time too many with Dee. Mother Nature’s payback sucks.

I park in my usual spot and check my makeup one last time in the mirror. I take a deep breath, put on my emotionless mask, and exit the car, ready to take on the day. I avoid conversations with everyone as much as I can. I tell Dee I have my period, and she leaves me alone. I’m grateful for small gestures of kindness.

HYPE is a young adult contemporary story that takes place in Cici’s high school years. Teens will definitely connect with the story, but I believe adults will enjoy reliving their high school moments through Cici’s activities and classes. I must warn you: it isn’t all pep rallies and parties. Come for the fun but be prepared for the drama because Cici gets it all. 😉

Yvette M. Calleiro is a heavily addicted reader of both young adult and adult novels. She spends most of her time pseudo-living in paranormal worlds with her fictional friends (and boyfriends). When she’s living among real people, Yvette M. Calleiro is a middle school Reading and Language Arts teacher. She’s been sharing her love of literature with her students for over twenty years. Besides writing about the various characters that whisper (and sometimes scream) in her head, she enjoys traveling, watching movies, spending quality time with family and friends, and enjoying the beauty of the ocean.

Yvette lives in Miami, Florida, with her incredible son who has embraced her love for paranormal and adventurous stories. She also shares her space with an assortment of crazy saltwater animals in her 300-gallon tank.

Amazon Links:

Hype – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09L7BFNXG

The One Discovered (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 1) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I4L2Q40

The One Enlightened (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 2) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R0QI51I

The One Betrayed (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 3) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0191O1892

The One Revealed (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 4) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBKJHIO

The One Awakened (Chronicles of the Diasodz, Book 5) – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0781WT73J

The One Chosen – A Diasodz Short Story – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0986Q6P1D

Breathless – A Short Story – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BLVDHQX

To follow along with the rest of this tour, please visit Yvette M Calleiro’s tour page.

GIVEAWAY:  $25 Amazon Gift Card & 1 e-book or paperback copy of one book in the Haunted Shores series (Winner’s choice).  Simply leave a comment below for your chance to win! 

For those of you who haven’t discovered Randy Overbeck, it is my pleasure to introduce him. For those of you who already know him, you won’t be surprised to see another Haunted Shores Mystery that will keep you turning the pages!

But first, Randy has shared some background about Crystal River and why his latest mystery is set in that quaint Florida town.

Why Crystal River?

            As my readers know, my settings are as important to my best-selling novels as the whodunit puzzles and the engaging characters. In selecting a venue for my Haunted Shores Mysteries, I search for remarkable resort locations, but those probably less well known. No place like Myrtle Beach or Malibu or Fort Lauderdale will do. I hope part of the fun of reading my novels is discovering another gem of a location to put on readers’ “to visit” list.

            In completing the research for the third entry in the series, I had already decided to take my protagonist, Darrell, and his new wife, Erin, to someplace in Florida for their honeymoon. So I did a considerable amount of advance research on various locations in the Sunshine State and then began the onsite Investigations. To make a long story short, after checking out different possibilities, I fell in love with Crystal River. The small town has a charm all its own and turned out to be the perfect setting for my story. Here are just a few of the reasons it is a “must visit” place.

1. Crystal River is a quaint town that has an “old Florida charm,” unlike most Florida tourist stops. Located on the Gulf coast about an hour north of Tampa, the town is populated with retro hotels like the Plantation at Crystal River—featured in my novel, by the way—even including one called Port Paradise where Elvis Presley filmed Follow That Dream in the ‘60s. (Insert pic of Follow That Dream)
2. The coastal section of the town—and indeed the whole of Citrus County— boasts a bit of everything. A few miles outside of town, visitors can enjoy a charming, if small, white sand beach with enough surf to enjoy the fun waters of the Gulf. (Insert pic of beach) Other sections of the coastline are still wild and unspoiled with forests running right to the water. Still other parts of the coast merge with swamp lands extending inland, creating vibrant eco-systems for fish and wildlife.
3. The town has cultivated a small park called the Three Sisters’ Springs, whose warm waters welcome hundreds of manatees every year, from December through February. In fact, this fresh water spring is the only place in the US where visitors can swim with the massive, gentle creatures. (Insert a pic of manatees) This alone makes the trip to Crystal River well worth it. It’s an experience visitors say they never forget.
4. If you’re a biker or runner, Crystal River offers six incredible bike/running trails which run through all the eco-systems, along the shore, through vine-tangled forests and over salt marshes. Although none of the trails are too strenuous, all labeled easy to moderate, they provide various lengths of breathtaking beauty and glimpses of wildlife, both birds and mammals.
5. The town of Crystal River sits at the mouth of Kings Bay—which dumps into the Gulf of Mexico—and faces due west. This creates the perfect setting for an evening seafood meal at one the fine restaurants like Charlie’s Fish House—also featured in the novel—all while watching the sunset ignite the blue-green waters of the Bay. As Darrel and Erin learn, it’s the perfect romantic way to end a day, especially after a day on the trails or swimming with the manatees. (Insert pic of sunset)
6. If you’re an avid water sportsman, you’d be hard pressed to find a more attractive location. Because the area offers both salt and fresh water habitats, visitors can choose from boating, kayaking, scuba diving, water skiing and some of the best fishing anywhere. In fact, Crystal River is one of the few places you can dive for scallops in the summer.

I have to admit, like many others, I’d never heard of Crystal River before I completed my research. When I had the chance to visit—right before the pandemic closed everything down, thank heaven—I was taken by the small town charm and beauty of the area. After meeting the locals, I decided it was the perfect setting for my Christmas ghost story/mystery, SCARLET AT CRYSTAL RIVER. (Insert cover of SCARLET) I think when you read my new novel, you may fall in love with the beautiful town as well.

“Overbeck’s writing transports you into real-life landscapes and imagined locations with a seamlessness that makes it hard to tell one from the other. The beauties of the Florida Gulf coast, the swampy growth that borders the greenery of well-fertilized fields, the posh interior of an ag magnate’s two story, all create a land that is seen, heard, smelled and felt.”—KRL News and Reviews

All Darrell Henshaw wanted was to enjoy his honeymoon with his beautiful wife, Erin, in the charming town of Crystal River on the sunny Gulf Coast of Florida. Only a pair of ghosts decide to intrude on their celebration. And not just any ghosts, the spirits of two young Latino children. Unwilling at first to derail the honeymoon for yet another ghost hunt, Darrell finally concedes when a painting of the kids comes alive, weeping and pleading for his help.

            When he and Erin track down the artist, they discover the children’s family were migrant workers the next county over. But when they travel there, their questions about the kids gets their car shot up and Erin hospitalized. Torn between fear and rage, Darrell must decide how far he will go to get justice for two young children he never even knew.

            Darrell and Erin thought they were heading to Florida for a carefree honeymoon, but the ghosts of two immigrants children haunt them, pleading for help.

“Scarlet at Crystal River is an eerie paranormal mystery I couldn’t stop reading. Randy Overbeck is a masterful writer of the paranormal, drawing the reader in before instilling shivers down the spine. 5+ stars.” –N. N. Light’s Book Heaven

“A rollercoaster of a mystery, hurtling up and down hills and sharp corners until the very end, when the reader is left slightly breathless, waiting for their hearts to beat back to a normal rhythm. ★★★★★—ReadersView

“Scarlet at Crystal River is a suspenseful paranormal novel with compelling characters and an enigmatic mystery that drives the story to a riveting conclusion. Overbeck is a master at building tension–-this is easily a one-sitting read.” ★★★★★—Literary Titan

“This is another masterpiece from Randy Overbeck. His excellent writing style has left me speechless for one more time. He writes in a way that makes you feel what the characters feel and you have no choice but to partake in the journey with them.” ★★★★★—Ioanna’s Reviews, Greece

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/scarlet-at-crystal-river-randy-overbeck/1139873947?ean=9781509237876

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57841458-scarlet-at-crystal-river?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=RTpsYLU6mO&rank=3

https://www.bookbub.com/books/scarlet-at-crystal-river-by-randy-overbeck

Dr. Randy Overbeck is an award-winning educator, author and speaker. As an educator, he served children for four decades in a range of roles captured in his novels, from teacher and coach to principal and superintendent. His thriller, Leave No Child Behind (2012) and his recent mysteries, the Amazon No. 1 Best Seller, Blood on the Chesapeake, Crimson at Cape May and Scarlet at Crystal River have earned five star reviews and garnered national awards including “Thriller of the Year–ReadersFavorite.com, “Gold Award”—Literary Titan, “Mystery of the Year”—ReadersView.com and “Crowned Heart of Excellence”—InD’Tale Magazine. As a member of the Mystery Writers of America, Dr. Overbeck is an active member of the literary community, contributing to a writers’ critique group, serving as a mentor to emerging writers and participating in writing conferences such as Sleuthfest, Killer Nashville and the Midwest Writers Workshop. When he’s not writing or researching his next exciting novel or sharing his presentation, “Things Still Go Bump in the Night,” he’s spending time with his incredible family of wife, three children (and their spouses) and seven wonderful grandchildren.

https://twitter.com/OverbeckRandy/media

https://www.facebook.com/authorrandyoverbeck

https://www.instagram.com/authorrandyoverbeck/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KOC0LH2GQRSAjwxOFr5rg

Tik Tok @authorrandyo

• Release by Wild Rose Press—September 13, 2021
• Paranormal mystery
• 364 pp.
• Mild

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the authors’ tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and his work!
 

Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, came into being via the Celtic festival of Samhain, a celebration of the end of summer and the bounty from autumn harvest. But the Celts also believed that once a year, from October 31^st to November 1^st, the spirits could leave their realm and interact with humans. It is with that in mind, that I wrote JOIN ME.

JOIN ME

He walked along the corridor, with slippers slapping on the floor. The air was foggy, damp and cold. The man was tired, sad, and old. His friend was waiting down the hall. He moved with care. He must not fall. Just once each year, she came at night and stayed until the dawn’s first light.

She was his special childhood friend, but he felt he had caused her end. Although she was alive no more, she’d meet him by the kitchen door. Electric failed when she got there, and lavender would fill the air. But candles would provide the light. They’d flicker through the cold dark night.

She’d laugh and tell him she had come to play. She wanted to have fun. This night was special, Halloween! It was twelve months, since last he’d seen his faithful friend of many years. When she arrived, sometimes his tears still fell, as he remembered when she left him. She was only ten.

They’d been close to the railroad track. He often wished he could go back to that October thirty-first. That cold, dark night he made the worst decision of his early life. He let her walk alone that night. They’d talked of costumes, tricks and treats, and after dinner where they’d meet.

Renee was picking lavender. Having such fun, she never heard the train. It rumbled down the track and struck her squarely in the back. A momentary jolt of pain, her life extinguished by the train. Her spirit floated to his side and there she wanted to abide.

It happened sixty years ago. Since then he’d never truly known a peaceful day in all his life. Her death had filled it with such strife. She never blamed him for her death, but told him she could never rest without her friend and so she stayed in every place they’d ever played.

Rejecting the light’s brilliant ray, she said she would not go. She’d stay. He only saw her once each year, but every single day he’d hear her plea for him to leave the earth, to die, then join her in rebirth. He walked along the corridor to coax her toward the light once more.

###

 

Happy Halloween, everyone!

If you enjoy unique stories of intrigue with a touch of romance, this author’s short story is for you. It is my pleasure to introduce Pat Garcia, musician, songwriter, and author of TURN THE LIGHT ON.

Pat is passionate about her writing, as is evident from the following essay and an excerpt from her book.

WRITING CRAFT

Writing is a craft that must be developed. I am not one of those writers who believes that everyone can write a book.  I don’t think a well-written book falls from Heaven.

If a writer wants their work read, then they must know something about point of view, deep point of view, structure, sentence styling, and how to weave back story into their stories so that it doesn’t seem like they are just dumping words on the reader.

I have many craft books on writing, but I admit that I haven’t read them all the way through.

I choose what I need to read to help me write a specific chapter or even one or two paragraphs.  When I was trying to grasp point of view, I picked up Sol Stein’s books:  How to Grow A Novel and Stein On Writing.  I have other books on the point of view, but Stein does an excellent job helping me.

The structure of a story was another thing that I needed to learn, and the book that I have sitting on my desk always is The Hero’s Journey by Christoph Vogler. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have studied this book until I grasped the essence of what Vogler was saying in a particular chapter. As I began Turn The Light On, I wanted to show Della in her ordinary world. Vogler says, and I quote him here, “If you’re going to show a fish out of his customary element, you first have to show him in that ordinary world to create a vivid contrast with the strange new world he is about to enter.” That is what I wanted to achieve with the opening. I wanted to show Della’s fear, curiosity, and inability to say no to a journey that would forever change her life.

Turn The Light On opens with a Bible Verse that mirrors Della’s dilemma and her fears. Her ordinary world has begun to tumble.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For you are with me. Psalm 23:4 (NKJV)

EXCERPT:

Della Cartwright sat in Macey Bergstein’s office in Frankfurt, Germany. She balled her hands into fists, flexing them, waiting for Macey, her boss, to express her opinion about the unexplained money transfers in Della’s private bank account. A plane flew over their building, and Della’s eyes followed its path as she gazed out of the window behind Macey. How she could have gotten involved with a man in a counter-terrorist group was puzzling. Downright despicable. Until now, she had made a name for herself as the Foreign Exchange Settlements department’s queen. Everyone in the department acknowledged her magical abilities. Her intuitiveness and her strong sense of discernment had caught errors and even settled deals, which would have cost dealers their jobs if she had not noticed the mistakes. Yet, she had managed to let a man whose name she didn’t even know wrap her in his web.

Fear engulfed her. What if he was not only a counterterrorist, but also using her to launder money? Her hands shook as she considered the consequences of the mistakes she’d made, and what could happen to her. She didn’t relish standing before a disbelieving judge trying to explain her stupidity.

AUTHOR BIO

Pat Garcia can’t remember a day when she didn’t desire to write. At the age of three, Pat wrote her first story. No one could understand it because she hadn’t learned to write. So, she read the scribble on her paper to whoever would listen. Born in Blythe, Georgia, (USA), she is also a musician, singer, and songwriter and has released five CDs.

BOOK BLURB

Would you ever accept a dinner invitation to meet a stranger who never spoke one word to you during your time together? Would you accept that you could not even sit at the same table with them? How about, you don’t even know their name and you continue this “game” for months?

Meet Della Cartwright. A superstar at what she does professionally, but when the tall, mysterious, Italian stranger, Alessio Terracina, enters her world, she begins to question her judgment and everything about her.

In this short story which takes place over the course of one day, this otherwise savvy businesswoman is led into making decisions that could jeopardize her professional life and maybe even cost her her freedom. But the greatest danger…just might be to her fragile heart.

CONTACTS

Author website – https://patgarciaauthor.com/

Facebook FanPage – https://www.facebook.com/patgarciaauthor

Twitter – @pat_garcia

Thanks for supporting the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB’S October Spotlight Author! To learn more about this author and all the wonderful perks she is receiving under this spotlight, please visit the RRBC SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR forum.

For those who don’t know her, I am delighted to introduce Roberta Eaton Cheadle and her latest novel, A GHOST AND HIS GOLD. Roberta combines history with fiction and weaves a story that is educational as well as entertaining. Leave a comment below for a chance to win one of four copies of this historical fiction.

A Ghost and His Gold

The gun used by the Boers during the Second Anglo Boer War

Mauser Model 93/95

Prior to the Second Anglo Boer War, Imperial Germany supplied the two Boer Republics with tens of thousands of modern Mauser rifles. The most common of these was the Mauser Model 93/95 chambered for the 7x57mm cartridge.

This is how Tactical Life Magazine describes the Mauser Model 93/95:

“Paul Mauser’s first smokeless-powder, bolt-action, charger-loaded, magazine-fed rifle featured a tubular receiver that held a one-piece both with dual front-locking lugs. The bolt was drilled out from the rear to allow insertion of the firing mechanism. The cock-on-closing bolt, with its non-rotating extractor, prevented double-feeds and made bolt manipulations smoother. It also featured a staggered-row-style box magazine that could be reloaded and fed cartridges more smoothly, and because it was completely enclosed by the stock, it was hard to damage.” Source: https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/second-boer-war-rifles/

Picture credits: https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/longgun_reviews_st_boermodel_201007/99362

The Boers treasured their guns. Here is a short extract from A Ghost and His Gold about Pieter’s Mauser:

“Something’s wrong.

Clambering out of bed, he stumbles across the uneven floor of the bedroom and down the passageway. By the time he reaches the front door, his eyes have adjusted fully to the darkness, and he can make out the shapes of the furniture in the voorkamer, a large room at the front of the farmhouse where Marta receives visitors.

Grabbing his loaded Mauser rifle from its hooks on the wall near the door, he hesitates for a moment to admire its smooth and shiny wooden length. The feel of the gun in his hands gives him confidence; he is an excellent marksman.

This gun brought me a lot of respect.

His ability with a gun had been his saving grace when, as a young man, his peers had been mystified by his interest in books and writing and had liked to share their derogatory thoughts in that regard.

The chilly wind strikes him as he opens the door in his nightclothes and bare feet, the gun raised cautiously, ready to fire. The wind blows straight through his clothing, leaving him feeling vulnerable and naked, despite his trusty weapon. The cold front that arrived during the night has dropped the temperatures below freezing.

I’m tired of winter and it’s only June. We still have the whole of July and August to get through.

He shivers as he peers into the heavy dark, searching for the owner of the voice. “Who’s there?””

BOOK BLURB:

After Tom and Michelle Cleveland move into their recently built, modern townhouse, their housewarming party is disrupted when a drunken game with an Ouija board goes wrong and summons a sinister poltergeist, Estelle, who died in 1904.

Estelle makes her presence known in a series of terrifying events, culminating in her attacking Tom in his sleep with a knife. But, Estelle isn’t alone. Who are the shadows lurking in the background – one in an old-fashioned slouch hat and the other, a soldier, carrying a rifle?

After discovering their house has been built on the site of one of the original farms in Irene, Michelle becomes convinced that the answer to her horrifying visions lie in the past. She must unravel the stories of the three phantoms’ lives, and the circumstances surrounding their untimely deaths during the Second Anglo Boer War, in order to understand how they are tied together and why they are trapped in the world of ghosts between life and death. As the reasons behind Estelle’s malevolent behaviour towards Tom unfold, Michelle’s marriage comes under severe pressure and both their lives are threatened.

AUTHOR BIO:

Roberta Eaton Cheadle is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has short stories and poems in several anthologies and has 2 published novels, Through the Nethergate, a historical supernatural fantasy, and A Ghost and His Gold, a historical paranormal novel set in South Africa.

Roberta has 9 children’s books published under the name Robbie Cheadle.

Roberta was educated at the University of South Africa where she achieved a Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1996 and a Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1997. She was admitted as a member of The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2000.

Roberta has worked in corporate finance from 2001 until the present date and has written 7 publications relating to investing in Africa. She has won several awards over her 20-year career in the category of Transactional Support Services.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Robbie Cheadle

Website

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog

https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

Twitter

Tweets by bakeandwrite

Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Website

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog

https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19631306.Roberta_Eaton_Cheadle

Twitter

Tweets by RobertaEaton17

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/?modal=admin_todo_tour

AMAZON OR OTHER PURCHASE LINKS:

TSL Publications:

A Ghost and His Gold – Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Lulu.com:

https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/robert-eaton-cheadle/a-ghost-and-his-gold/ebook/product-d858km.html?page=1&pageSize=4

_{Amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096H39FG3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0}

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!

Monday, August 9th, is the start of RRBC’s 6th Annual Writers’  Conference & Book Expo. There will be games, prizes, surprises and other goodies, so be sure to visit each Author Booth, take a look around, and for a chance to win a door prize, leave a comment. Every Author is giving away a door prize and visitor comments are the entries. The more booths you comment on, the more chances you’ll have to win a door prize.

How about a virtual Scavenger Hunt? In each Author Booth, you will find a clue. If you find the correct answer to all the clues and are the first to submit your answers, you could be the prize winner. There’s also a game called “Two Truths and a Lie” which is always fun. The author will tell you three things, but only two are true. Can you see through the lie?

 The conference will include a READING ROOM and one of our members is going to blow you away showcasing their talent!

If you’re into BINGO, purchase your BINGO cards and join us for a game or two!

And what we all wait for every year – the RAFFLE!  Enter for your chance to win one of (7) $100 Amazon gift cards, a variety of gift certificates, ebooks and more. The raffle is open to the public. Raffle tickets are only $5, so snag your tickets today. The more tickets you buy, the greater your chances of winning, but  please do not purchase more than 7 tickets.

This year for the first time ever, we’ve added our BEST BOOK COVER CONTEST!  This contest is open to the general public so go ahead and enter your book cover(s) now!  Share your comments with us and let us know which one you think is best.

Click for a full ITINERARY OF EVENTS.

 The venue opens at 5 PM CT on Monday, 8/9/21.  I hope to see you there! 

In the event of minor time delays, please check the sidebar of the RRBC website for updates.

Greetings, everyone.

Those of you who have been here before will notice a difference. Stories by Karen got a facelift! I don’t mind the wrinkles around my eyes, but it was time to eliminate the wrinkles on this website. A nonsurgical overhaul solved the problem. Please take a minute to visit the links above. You’ll learn a little bit about me and the writing that I’ve done.

With the new look comes a new agenda. Book reviews, author interviews, short stories, book previews, and writing tips are being lined up for your reading pleasure. Authors who would like to be featured on Stories by Karen, are invited to send their author bio and contact information to: Features4StoriesbyKaren@yahoo.com.

I am planning to showcase a few authors each month. Flash fiction, poetry, and book previews, if available, will be included with author introductions and interviews. There is a lot of talent in the writing world and I’m looking forward to sharing some of it.

Thank you for stopping by. Best wishes for a wonderful August!

It is my pleasure to shine a spotlight on Nonnie Jules. Not only an accomplished author, Nonnie is also the President of Rave Reviews Book Club and the founder of Rave Writers International Society of Authors. Her goal is to instill the importance of professionalism and reputation in the literary arena, and she works tirelessly toward that end.

E-QUAL-I-TY

If only there was no color, dividing like a wall…

If only there was tolerance, extended to us all…

If only there was understanding…

There would be no need to hate…

If only there was unity…

Peace would be our state.

If we only took the time, we would have the chance to learn…

That respect should be a given – no need to work to earn…

If only there was patience…

Our hearts and minds would be…

Open to the concept… 

Of this world of E-QUAL-I-TY.

~Nonnie Jules

NO PEDIGREE – https://www.amazon.com/NO-PEDIGREE-Really-Short-Story-ebook/dp/B083SB1RMN/

Author: Nonnie Jules
Blurb:  Growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, Baylee never quite fit in…anywhere. She was taunted and teased because her clothes had no designer labels, and spit upon because her only pair of shoes had holes in the bottom. The butt of many jokes, she was excluded from all social activities, sneered at by the parents of her peers after school as she waited for the bus, watching them drive away in their fancy cars; assaulted in the most unthinkable fashion.
Having been born to a white father and a black native American mother didn’t make things any easier. In fact, that circumstance made her life ten times harder – until the day she made them all stand up, take notice, and regret every ugly word and deed they had inflicted upon her.

Social Media:  Twitter:  @Nonnie Jules

Facebook:  facebook.com/nonnie.jules

Blog:  NonnieWrites.wordpress.com

Thank you for supporting the books and authors along the RRBC ’20 WC&BE SPONSORS BLOG TOUR!  These authors are generous in their support of others so we want to show our support of them in return.  You may follow along each day of the tour by visiting the tour’s home page.  Be sure to leave a comment below to ensure that you have a chance at winning a $20 Amazon Gift Card!

Welcome to Day 5 of the RWISA “REVOLUTION” Blog Tour!  I would like to introduce you to an amazingly supportive RWISA member, Author, Linnea Tanner.  Take a peek at her writing below…

DANCE OF SOULS

Universal souls dance together

One takes the lead as another follows

Lifting our hands in unison, we twirl into a cloud

Floating high, the sun warming our faces

Yet we can fall as rain, our souls in free fall

Souls metamorphose into fluttering butterflies

Wrens chasing us, snapping their beaks to devour us

We abruptly shift flight and transmute into foxes

Leaping and snatching songbirds into our jaws

Our souls melding, singing, and clapping in rhythmic dance

Memories twist our fibers into rope

Past voices connect to the depths of our essence

Summoning ancestral souls, we embrace their power

Mortal and divine moving together toward light’s truth

Past, present, future merging as one in the dance of souls

One would think that authors had more opportunities to write in 2020 with social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Creative processes would enhance in cocoons of isolation. Instead, I struggled as an author to finish my fourth book in the Curse of Clansmen and Kings series. At times, the significance of events in 2020 overwhelmed me. I found myself grieving the loss of my lifestyle and the ability to interact closely with family and friends. Yet, the unsettling period made me reconsider the theme of my book and replot several scenes. Some would call this a writer’s block. I considered this a sign that the story needed to be transformed into a tale that resonates with readers.

Last year was a time of reflection for me as contrasting forces in juxtapose sometimes maintained balance in our chaotic world. As everything locked down at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, air quality improved globally. With the threat of global warming from carbon emissions, oil demand fell rapidly in 2020 as governments closed businesses and restricted travel due to the pandemic. Automakers, foreseeing a more profitable future, began to develop electric cars in earnest. The revolution of new technology and vaccines provided hope that humans could reverse the ill effects of climate change and virulent disease.

As white supremacy groups inflamed fear and hate through their rhetoric, anger over racial inequities ignited widespread protests demanding change. As an invisible virus took control over our lifestyle, corrupt politicians grasped for the illusion of power. But still, when people learned they had voted in a unifying leader to replace a divisive president, a dance of joy erupted on the streets.

In essence, Charles Dickens summed up the year 2020: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

What resonated most with me last year are universal truths in past civilizations are similar to modern-day times. Disease, warfare, and accidents wantonly take the lives of rich and poor, young and old, and male and female. Without the ability to control what happens in their lives, people often turn to superstition and conspiracy theories to explain what they can’t understand. In the Roman Empire, slaves were treated as property and abused without rights, similar to what the United States experienced before the Civil War. Lust for power corrupts absolutely. Yet, power is nothing but an illusion that one surrenders to another.

As I reflected on the unsettling events in 2020, it became clear to me that I needed to transform my work in progress in the series to capture the theme that opposing forces often provide insight into what we must do to achieve our dreams. Only in the depths of our darkness can we see the light and view the world with a new lens—a revolution that explores new possibilities.

I’m inspired to explore new forms of writing and balance my life by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. So that I have the vitality to create, one of my goals is to adjust my diet and exercise three to five days per week. I want to stay connected with family, friends, authors, and the community through phone calls, e-mails, and Zoom for my emotional well-being. Hopefully, by the end of summer, I’ll be able to participate in live events where I can chat face-to-face with readers and other authors. I’ll continue to expand my knowledge by reading various books, researching topics that support my writing, and traveling to locations in my books (stretch goal, whenever it is safe to do so).

My primary goal as an author is to release my latest project at the end of 2021, hoping that the story will resonate with readers. The characters will experience a gamut of emotions of love and hate, compassion and retribution, and corruption and virtue. They must decide from a range of possibilities on how they will move toward their destinies. One of the subplots, based on the impact that Black Lives Matter had on me, is that a warrior grieving the loss of his murdered wife finds redemption and love by aiding a female slave to escape her brutal predicament. Another goal is to draft a novella that will be a prequel to the first book in the series.

I want to transcend my writing into other realms and become more focused. One of the beneficial aspects of being in a writer’s support group such asRWISA is that other authors inspire and support each other. As a result, I would like to explore the possibility of composing poetry, short stories, novellas, different genres, and nonfiction. As a member of RWISA, I wrote my first short story in 2020 but plan to write more in 2021. Most of all, I’d like to expand my support for other authors by hosting blog tours and reviewing their books. We all succeed as authors when we support each other in a dance of souls.

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Did you enjoy Linnea’s writing?  Then please, help us support her and her work along this REVOLUTION tour! Just click on the author’s RWISA Profile below and visit all of Linnea’s profile pages – some offering more insight into the member and others showcasing the author’s talent.

You can also support this member as well as the host of this blog, by sharing this page and the author’s profile pages across all your social media platforms.

RWISA Profile

What Linnea has to say about RWISA…

Check out Linnea’s book…

“APOLLO’S RAVEN”

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Are you interested in a chance to promote your writing?

Have you written that book or short story you want the whole world to know about? Are you looking for a great way to promote your creative endeavors? Perhaps you’re seeking to add some prestige to your body of work. If this sounds like you, come on over to RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS, otherwise known as RWISA.

RWISA membership includes only the very best writers the Indie community has to offer.

If your work is exemplary and speaks for itself, stop by the RWISA website today at RaveWriters.wordpress.com and find out how you can submit your sample of writing for consideration.

We’re an exclusive bunch but we’d love to have you join us!

NOTE:  If you’re looking to improve your writing while taking another route to membership into RWISA, visit RWISA UNIVERSITY!

Thanks for dropping by and don’t forget to leave the author a comment below!  To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the tour’s home page!