#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action by Darlene Foster

Good Morning, Everyone! Today, we are welcoming Darlene Foster back with a review of another of her wonderful Amanda books. Amanda in Holland is available on pre-order now for September delivery, and I’ll bet after you read this review, you’ll be eager to go do just that. Enjoy this one, and pass it along if you would, thanks!

REVIEW:

Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action
by Darlene Foster (Goodreads Author)

Jacqui‘s review 
May 27, 2019

It was amazing.

Darlene Foster’s Amanda in Holland: Missing in Action (2019) follows the heroine, Amanda Ross, as she makes a trip to Holland to visit friends and try to unravel what happened to an Uncle who never returned from WWII–declared missing in action. If you follow the Amanda series, you know that Amanda cannot travel without getting into trouble, causing mischief, or solving mysteries despite her young age. In this story, Amanda rescues a thrown-away puppy named Joey, tracks down a missing gardener, and helps to solve the theft of rare tulip bulbs. She does all this while exploring the culture and excitement that is found nowhere but Holland. Besides the Anne Frank house and the famous Holland canals, Amanda enjoys:

“…banket, a puff pastry filled with an almond paste.”
“…Hotchpotch Stamppot, a traditional Dutch dish of mashed potatoes mixed with carrots and onions,”
“…Bloemenmarkt. It is the world’s only floating flower market.”

The story is told in a conversational voice that will draw all readers in and deftly mixes the cultural details with how Amanda engages in and solves the mystery.

This book is available for pre-sale now for delivery in September 2019. This would be a great gift for a child to celebrate the end of summer or a favorite teacher to add to their classroom library (or the school librarian, of course). It’s an uncommon book in that it takes children through the clever bits and pieces of Holland not found in any other nation without feeling like a travelogue.

The series includes:
Amanda in Arabia
Amanda on the Danube
Amanda in Spain
Amanda in New Mexico

…and more. This book and the entire series is highly recommended for elementary age and Middle School children and parents. Continue reading

Want to Take Part in #ShareAReviewDay ?

I’m looking for reviews! There are Tuesday openings starting as early as day after tomorrow, if you can send me the items requested in the Share a Review Day Instructions linked at the top of the page. Pick your newest or favorite review and send it in. I’ll do all the setting up for you. Just be sure to include everything I need as listed, and I’ll make it happen. 

All review posts will be scheduled in the order in which they are received, two per Tuesday. (One in the morning & one in the afternoon.)

Hoping to hear from you soon!  🙂 ❤

Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

As usual, Staci Troilo’s “Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links” is chock-full of both. Another inspiring quote and insightful message, plus a ton of great links. Check it out, and pass it along so others can do the same. Thanks! And thanks to Staci for providing an easy way to keep up with so many good things! 🙂 ❤

Staci Troilo's avatarStaci Troilo

Ciao, amici! How was your week? Mine was a hodgepodge of work and family activities. No two days were the same. I kind of like that (although not when it involves loved ones having surgery—my dog on Tuesday and my dad today). But in general, I think variety makes my mind sharper.

I believe it makes things better, too. Felix Mendelssohn said it best:

The essence of the beautiful
is in unity of variety.

If I need a doctor for something, I absolutely want a specialist. But if we’re talking art (like writing) or even everyday life, I want variety. Melody and harmony. Warm colors and cool. Sweet and savory.

Research and outlining and writing and editing.

It’s the combination of different aspects that takes the tedious and mundane and elevates it to something wonderful.

Every day this week I had a different task to complete, and I think they…

View original post 310 more words

#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – “The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody” by Marcia Meara

This afternoon, I’m sharing one of my own reviews, and I hope you‘ll enjoy it. This is D. L. Finn’s terrific review of The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody. The Emissary books are spinoff novellas from my Riverbend series, and so much fun to write. They are currently available as eBooks, and when I get the third one written, I will combine them into a 3-book set for print. In the meantime, it’s ready and waiting for you Kindle fans for a mere $1.99. Hope you’ll download your copy today. (But read the first Emissary book before you read this one, so you’ll have a better understanding of Jake, Dodger, and Azrael. A LOT happens in that one that you’ll want to know before reading To Love Somebody.) And thanks for passing this review along, if you can. I appreciate it.

REVIEW:

5.0 out of 5 starsI can’t wait to see where the story goes next!
Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is the second novella in the series with the Emissaries, Jake and Dodger, working for Archangel Azrael. There’s the same depth and humor in this heartfelt tale that I enjoyed in “The Emissary”. I loved the developing relationship between Jake and Dodger as they work to save people from themselves. Dodger’s regret adds a new layer to this story. I can’t wait to see how that works out…and how Azrael plays into that. This is a perfect Christmas read, but would be great any time of the year. There was an amazing ending and I can’t wait to see where the story goes next. If you haven’t read the first novella–you should–then you can fully enjoy this highly recommended sequel!

BLURB:

In Marcia Meara’s second installment of The Emissary Trilogy, a Riverbend spinoff series of novellas, we find our three heroes at it again. Beautiful new places, exciting new adventures, and a whole assortment of new problems await them, bringing tears, laughter, and an extraordinary amount of love along with them. 

They’re back!

Jake and Dodger, the first (and so far, only) Emissaries to the Angels, are on the road again.

They’re looking for mortals about to take a wrong turn. You know the ones—the kid thinking about stealing from a corner market or the man planning to lie about a coworker and destroy her career. Yeah, them. People on the brink of making a mistake that could send them down that wrong road and jeopardize their mortal souls.

Of course, there are rules by which the emissaries must play, and the archangel Azrael stands ready to enforce them. First and foremost, a person’s free will must never be compromised. Emissaries are allowed to use only the smallest of mental nudges. Thankfully, a whispered suggestion here or images of a better course of action there is often all it takes. The potential mugger walks on by. The thief drops the wallet back into the unattended purse. But whether the results are obvious or not, Jake and Dodger are fully committed to making a positive difference, even as they struggle with issues of their own.

Will Dodger get over losing his chance to learn what true love is all about? Will Jake survive the grueling angelic equivalent of Boot Camp? Will Azrael ever finish the Official Emissarial Guidebook—including the chapter titled Do Not Even Think About It?

One thing’s for sure—Jake’s and Dodger’s strengths are growing daily, as they help more and more people make better choices. But is the price for so much power higher than they’re willing to pay?

Buy The Emissary HERE
Buy The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody HERE

Marcia Meara, Author

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years, four big cats, and one small dachshund.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. And she enjoys nature.  Really enjoys it. Almost all of it. From birds, to furry critters, to her favorites of all, snakes. She does, however, consider squirrels to be minions of Satan, sent to drive her mad. And she truly loathes spiders, convinced that anything with eight (count ’em, EIGHT) hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her catch and release program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, one thing Marcia thinks you should always remember is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do just that), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

Today, Marcia has published six novels, two novellas, and one book of poetry to date, all of which are available on Amazon. Her belief in the redemptive power of love is a unifying factor in both of her popular series and her poetry.  At 75, she’s still following her heart, and plans to keep on writing until she falls face down on the keyboard, which she figures would be a pretty good way to go!

BUY ALL OF MARCIA’S BOOKS HERE:
Wake-Robin Ridge
A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3 

Swamp Ghosts: A Riverbend Novel
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book 3 

The Emissary: A Riverbend Spinoff Novella
The Emissary 2: To Love Somebody 

Summer Magic: Poems of Life & Love 

Marcia’s Amazon Author Page

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

You can reach Marcia via email at marciameara16@gmail.com or on the following social media sites:

The Write Stuff
Facebook
Pinterest
Twitter: @marciameara

 

 

#ShareAReviewDay Tuesday – “Police Protection” by Kassandra Lamb

This morning, I’d like to welcome a long-time friend and supporter of this blog, Kassandra Lamb. Kass is sharing a lovely review from her latest book, Police Protection. I know you’ll find this one interesting and will be happy to pass it along. With that in mind, here’s Kass with a quick intro of her own:

“I just had to share this review with you all. I agonized some over my latest release, “Police Protection,” because it addresses the issue of “bad shoots” by police officers of unarmed Black people. I was trying to be balanced in my approach, and also trying to portray the people of color in the story realistically, without falling into stereotypes.

So this review particularly thrilled me, because it is a verified-purchase review by a Black reader!”

REVIEW:

Amazon Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars ~ Kate and the gang are back!
May 27, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition – Verified Purchase

Kate and the gang are back and I could not be happier! This is one of my favorite series of mystery/romance. Although, it has been a while since the last Kate Huntington book it never missed a beat. The characters felt like I was reuniting with long lost friends.

The mystery of who killed an African-American little boy (was it the white cop) was right out of the headlines and so engrossing. The story was so emotional knowing that we as Black people deal with this on regular basis.

As usual Kate, Skip, Rose and the rest of the gang feel so authentic in their words and actions. I love the dynamics between Kate and Skip and the long-term friendship between Kate and Rob. They are all a family and always have each other’s backs. Kate is a great mixture of her logical mind as well as her sensitivity to others and their problems. It’s good to read how her life has evolved since the beginning of the series. Her daughter Edie is now a preteen who thinks she knows everything and her rambunctious son.

This was a great book as usual with this series. A great mystery, great characters with a little romance thrown in. If you are new to the series start at book 1. You won’t be disappointed.

BLURB:

A story ripped from real-life headlines! A police detective is found in an alley standing over the body of an unarmed African-American boy. Gun in hand and groggy from a concussion, he has no memory of what happened.

To the police department’s IA division, it’s a slam-dunk. But various forces push psychotherapist Kate Huntington and her P.I. husband to investigate, and what they find doesn’t add up. Whatever happened in that alley, it’s more than just a bad shoot by a stressed-out cop.

The answers may come from unexpected sources, but Kate and Skip better find them soon… before another life is lost.


Kassandra Lamb, Author

Kassandra Lamb has never been able to decide which she loves more, psychology or writing. In her youth, she had to decide between writing and paying the bills. Partial to electricity and food, she studied psychology. Now retired from a career as a psychotherapist and college professor, she spends most of her time in an alternate universe with her characters. The magic portal to this universe (i.e., her computer) is located in Florida, where her husband and dog catch occasional glimpses of her.

She is the author of the Kate Huntington mystery series (about a psychotherapist as amateur sleuth), The Kate on Vacation novellas, and the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries (about a service dog trainer and her mentor dog), plus a guidebook for novice writers, Someday Is Here! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing and Publishing Your First Book. She also writes romantic suspense under the pen name of Jessica Dale.

BUY POLICE PROTECTION HERE:
AMAZON
APPLE
BARNES & NOBLE
KOBO
GOOGLE PLAY

GOODREADS

REACH KASS ON SOCIAL MEDIA HERE:
Website
Blog
Facebook
Goodreads

 

What I’ve Been Up To – #MondayBlogs #Marketing


(Still Playing with BookBrush, Too)

A short time ago, I shared a post I found on The Creative Penn, written by Rob Eagar and regarding using language to help promote your books free. You can read the original post HERE.

I have been busily editing all my book sales pages on Amazon (via Author Central) to do one of the things Eagar suggested: adding accolades. I had thought you needed big-name Editorial Reviews in order to do this, but after some additional research and another great post on Indies Unlimited, Amazon Author Central: A Primer ( check it out HERE), I realized I could choose quotes from my Amazon or Goodreads reviews to share in the same manner. You can quote up to five reviews on your print book pages, but so far, I’ve only been able to add one on my eBook pages. (I’ve seen others with more, so I’m still looking for the workaround to that.) 

Here’s an example of what I did for my first Wake-Robin Ridge eBook page:

And here’s the Paperback page:

The process is pretty straightforward and easy, if you follow the steps outlined in the Amazon Author Central: A Primer link provided above. The longest part of the task was scrolling through my reviews, looking for lines that I thought would work well.

I don’t know if this will boost sales or not, but it sure can’t hurt, and hey–it’s free, so why not? And this may be old news to some of you, but it was completely new to me, so I figured I’d pass it along.

Also, as you can tell from the header at the top of the page, I’ve been spending a bit of time creating new  graphics on BookBrush. A few of you know I’ve been a bit under the weather lately, and haven’t felt creative enough to write, but I truly hate wasting time. These small promotional/marketing ideas have been productive ways to spend an hour or two each day, doing things that I wanted to get around to, anyway. Hope some of you will be inspired to give them a go, yourselves. 🙂 ❤

OCD About Books? You Bet! #amwriting

Am I the only one who gets a tad OCD about her favorite books? I have now created my very own “Still Life with Crows” on the shelf directly over my monitor. Every time I look up, I’m reminded of how much I love the Pendergast books. And crows. And then I continue typing, much inspired. Silly? Possibly. But it makes me happy, and what’s better than being hard at work with a smile on your face?  

BTW, the two books on the right of this little tableau are Leigh Bardugo’s duology, Six of Crows & Crooked Kingdom, two huge favorites of mine, too. How could I resist adding those gorgeous crow covers to my little vignette? I couldn’t. And I highly recommend using your favorite books in creative ways around your work space, too. It really is inspirational. That’s my story, an’ I’m stickin’ to it! 😀

Have a great afternoon and an even greater weekend, folks! ❤

Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links

Once again, Staci Troilo has come up with a fantastic Author Inspiration and This Week’s Writing Links post. Good stuff here, folks. Check it out, and pass it along. Thanks, and thanks to Staci for such a great recap of the week! 🙂

Staci Troilo's avatarStaci Troilo

Ciao, amici! I’ve been busy with rewrites and revisions this week, which (for me) is a combination of glee, stress, and oh-my-god-how-do-I-suck-this-much.

I’ll admit to writing a few beautiful sentences, but I also have to admit to writing a few that simply made no sense. Maybe they would to Lewis Carroll readers (any fans of Jabberwocky here?), but not to many others. There are instances of questionable spelling (and that’s being kind) and sentence structure so poor, I’m amazed I can figure out what I meant. I’ve even found one that just stops. It didn’t end, mind you. There was no completion of thought followed by a period or other punctuation mark. It just dropped off, mid-thought.

The worst part? I have no idea what I wanted to say there.

It’s a process like this which makes Reba McEntire’s words resonate with me:

To succeed in life, you need…

View original post 397 more words

A Wonderful Article on The Creative Penn by guest author Rob Eagar #amwriting

Check this one out, folks! Lots of practical advice for how to use words to increase your books sales, with plenty of examples included. This is something we can all do and it doesn’t cost a cent! I’m going to be working on some of these ideas as soon as possible, and I feel sure some of you will try them out, if you haven’t already been using these methods. (Don’t forget to share!) 🙂 

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2019/05/31/book-marketing-3-ways-to-use-language-to-sell-more-books/