Wednesday, July 24, 2019

the Fragments of Fear


About the Book


Book: Fragments of Fear
Author: Carrie Stuart Parks
Genre: Suspense
Release date: July 23, 2019

 From award-winning author Carrie Stuart Parks comes a new novel with danger that reaches from a New Mexico Anasazi archaeological dig to micro- and nano-chip technology.

Evelyn Yvonne McTavish-Tavish to her friends-had her almost perfect world in Albuquerque, New Mexico, come to a crashing end with the suicide of her fiancé. As she struggles to put her life back together and make a living from her art, she’s given the news that her dog is about to be destroyed at the dog pound. Except she doesn’t own a dog. The shelter is adamant that the microchip embedded in the canine-with her name and address-makes it hers. Tavish recognizes the dog as one owned by an archaeologist named Pat Caron because she did a commissioned drawing of the two of them months earlier. The simple solution is to return the dog to his owner, but she arrives only to discover Caron’s murdered body. After meeting undercover FBI agent Sawyer Price the mystery deepens as more people start disappearing and Tavish becomes a target as well. Her only solution is to find the links between microchip technology, an Anasazi site in the desert, her fiancé’s death, a late-night radio show, and the dog. And the clock is ticking.

My Thoughts:  This is an interesting suspense mystery novel.  The author has a whimsical way of writing, that puts a little humor into the storyline. When the story begins, we have a young woman at the funeral of her fiance, then finds herself with a dog she doesn't really want and then discovers that it's the owner has been murdered.    No wonder Tavish had so many panic attacks.    I really enjoyed this novel.  It kept my attention from the beginning and did not disappoint me throughout the story.  

 I enjoyed this novel,  the one point I did like about this novel, is that the main character does come to Christ, and learns to overcome her fears by leaning on God.

 I look forward to more from Carrie Stuart Parks.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Click here to purchase your copy.  

About the Author


Carrie Stuart Parks is a Christy finalist as well as a Carol Award-winning author. She has won numerous awards for her fine art as well. An internationally known forensic artist, she travels with her husband, Rick, across the US and Canada teaching courses in forensic art to law-enforcement professionals. The author/illustrator of numerous books on drawing and painting, Carrie continues to create dramatic watercolors from her studio in the mountains of Idaho.  

More from Carrie

Using Art to Solve Crime: Techniques Used by Forensic Artists   Since 1981, I’ve been a forensic artist—an amazing feat since I’m only . . .um. . . well, younger than that. In those years, I’ve seen some shifts and trends, but some things have never changed. Despite the overwhelming prevalence of computers in almost every other field, they have never been able to replace a trained forensic artist. Artists have an amazing toolbox of techniques we use to gather the information we need to help solve crime.
  1. The pencil. Any forensic artist worth her weight in graphite knows the power of the lowly pencil and a sketchpad. Law enforcement would love a photographic image of the suspect, but all we have to work with is memory…and memory is faulty. The more the image looks perfect, the more imperfect it is for helping to identify a suspect. We want the drawing to just suggest a likeness and eliminate those not similar.
  2. Now that we brought up the subject of memory, a forensic artist needs to understand how memory works. The average witness will remember between four and five facial features. When they describe the person they saw, they will do so from their strongest memory to their weakest memory, from most important to least important. We listen carefully to the order of facial features.
  3. Whole vs Parts. We don’t look at faces as individual parts, although a particularly outstanding nose or Marty Feldman eyes might catch our attention. We will remember the face as a whole, with the proportions of the face an unacknowledged part of that. Forensic artist prefer to use reference photographs where the whole face is viewed.
Want more? Check out the rest of my article at The Strand Magazine

Blog Stops

The Avid Reader, July 24
CarpeDiem, July 24
Livin’ Lit, July 26
The Becca Files, July 26
Cathe Swanson, July 27
Bigreadersite, July 29
Simple Harvest Reads, July 29 (Guest post from Mindy Houng)
Mary Hake, July 29
EmpowerMoms, July 30
By The Book, August 1
Remembrancy, August 2
amandainpa, August 2
Pause for Tales, August 3
Hallie Reads, August 4

Giveaway


To celebrate her tour, Carrie is giving away a grand prize of her book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway!




 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”


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Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Hugo (Painter Place Saga Book #2) Promo Blast




Back Cover Copy:

On September 21, 1989, Hurricane Hugo came in the dead of night, slamming Category 4 power into Charleston, South Carolina at the worst possible time—high tide. Painter Place is scoured by the writing Atlantic storm surge, forcing Caroline Painter Gregory to say goodbye to a life she loves and face a future that may hold the worst that might happen. On the devastated South Carolina coastline of 1989 and then in Arles, France during the centennial of Van Gogh's life there, Hugo continues the saga of Painter Place.

 My Thoughts:  This book will not disappoint readers who fell in love with "Painter Place"  the first book in the series.  In this story, we see how the family copes with the historic hurricane Hugo a category 4 hurricane that wreaked havoc on south Carolina's shores in 1989.

 In this story, we see how the family comes together as they begin to rebuild, not only the buildings and studios on White Island, where Painter place has been since the early 1600's; but we watch as family is rebuilt, and more relationships are built.  

 Hurricane's are dangerous, they can be frightening.  When people evacuate, they have no idea what they will return home to.  Pamela Poole has written an accurate account of what people feel when they have encountered a hurricane.   Readers who loved the first book will definitely enjoy the second.  I personally look forward to reading the third book in the series.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Author Bio :
Pamela Poole's love for the South inspires all her books and paintings. She has written three novels and two short stories that take place on the fictional island in the Painter Place Saga, and she will launch the fourth book in 2019. Pamela is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and various author and artist organizations. She and her husband Mark live in Raleigh, North Carolina.






author Social Media Pamela Poole, Artist and Author, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PamelaPooleArt 

Pamela Poole, Artist and Author, Twitter: https://twitter.com/PamelaPooleArt 

Pamela P. Poole, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamelapooleart  Author blog on Southern Sky Publishing: https://www.southernskypublishing.com/blog 




Get your copy here:


"Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20,21 

 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”




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Friday, July 19, 2019

No Greater Love


About the Book



Book: No Greater Love  
Author: Gina Holder  
Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense  
Release date: April 30, 2019  

He said he’d never risk leaving a widow. She said she’d never love a man in uniform.

Paige McDonald collects antique literature and works at the largest bookstore in Portland, Oregon. When her grandfather, a firefighter, was killed, she vowed never to fall in love with a first responder. An old Bible leads to an unexpected discovery and disrupts everything she knows about herself, her family, and God. Her desire to know the truth sends her to the town of Whitman directly into the radar of Patrol Officer Hamilton Bryant. After the loss of his best friend and fellow officer, Hamilton vowed never to marry. He won’t risk leaving a widow. Instead, he reserves his passion for serving his family and the town he’s sworn to protect. When a series of robberies and threats against the mayor correspond with Paige’s sudden appearance in Whitman, their paths intersect.

What a fitting title for this novel.  Not only does the author give us a wonderful gospel message of salvation, and of the Father's love for us, but Gina Holder shows us through her words that this applies to all of us.  In this novel about a young woman who finds out that she is adopted, sets out to find her birth mother.  Not only does she find her mother, but she finds love in all the unexpected places.   This is a novel of love, filled with mystery and suspense. 

 This is a novel that the reader will be unable to put down until the final word is read.  A wonderful story of God's love, putting our faith in God and learning to trust in Him for everything.  The author has spun a cast of characters that will keep the reader entertained, to feel empathy and compassion for.  

 I truly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it to others to read.  

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author



Gina Holder completed the Long Ridge Writer’s Group “Breaking into Print” course and graduated from Faith Bible Institute. In August 2017, she published her first novel, Whither Shall I Go. She is active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads. Her Website and Blog is found at http://storiesbygina.wordpress.com. She lives in Colorado with her husband and daughter. When she’s not working on her next novel, she enjoys reading, watching movies, singing, and playing the piano and organ.

More from Gina

Fun Facts about No Greater Love (Don’t worry, spoilers weren’t invited to this party.)
  1. I love the smell of coffee, but I don’t like the taste. I asked my coffee-loving friends on social media for their favorite coffee drinks to use in the story.
  2. Tyler, Tony, and Timothy Thorne were modeled after three brothers I saw playing on a beach in Hurgadah, Egypt.
  3. R. Electronics was based on an actual store my husband and I saw in a mall.
  4. When Paige and Hamilton meet, he is looking for a runaway goat. This happened to my husband and me. We were out admiring large mansions, when a police officer pulled up behind us. We thought we were in trouble for loitering. Instead, he asked if we’d seen a goat running around the neighborhood.
  5. Hamilton’s deceased best friend is named after my childhood friend, William Donnelly. Will was a U.S. Marine killed in battle in Afghanistan. Like the character in the story, he got married only two months before his death and was killed on Thanksgiving Day. No Greater Love is dedicated in his memory.
  6. The character Jessie Faye is named after an elderly woman my husband knew while living in Fossil, Oregon.
  7. The diners in the food court scene were written from personal observations at a food court in Colorado Springs.
  8. While Whitman is a fictional town, it is modeled after the real town of Enterprise, Oregon, at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains.
  9. Several locations in the book are real establishments in Enterprise, including Heavenly’s Restaurant, the Espresso and Car Wash, El Bajios, and the Bowlby stone courthouse.
  10. There are several beloved pets in No Greater Love, including a parrot named Gerald, a Persian cat named Delilah, and a labradoodle named Bruce. All the pets have names except for Aunt Hattie’s Dalmatians.
  11. Paige McDonald works at Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon when the story opens. Powell’s lays claim to the status of the “largest independent used and new bookstore in the world.”
  12. Portland is the fifth city in America with the most coffee shops per capita.
  13. The statistics for the Whitman school—100% graduation rate and a 1:13 student-teacher ratio is not fictional. They are the actual statistics of the Enterprise High School.
  14. Behind the cash registers at Powell’s, there is a fake dictionary definition—“Smell bound: held as if under the spell by the scent of books.” This is the inspiration behind the opening scene of No Greater Love. The word, Bibliosmia, means the smell of old books.

Blog Stops

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Gina is giving away a grand prize of a signed paperback copy of No Greater Love and Whither Shall I Go plus a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! 


  I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Monday, July 15, 2019

Blessing Bentley


About the Book



Book: Blessing Bentley  
Author: Chautona Havig  
Genre: Fiction / Christian / Romantic Women’s Fiction  
Release date: June 13, 2019  

Bentley Girard’s about to propose… to a guy she doesn’t even love. Not THAT way anyway. After studying everything the Bible has to say about marriage, she’s decided she wants in. Now. So who’s going to take her up on that offer? And just why did no one reminded her that those vows include that little word, “love.” Oops! With her Bible in her hip pocket, and a shiny new ring on her finger, Bentley navigates this new world of marriage with grace and… oh, who is she kidding? She flounders until she gets a sure footing and hangs on tight.

   Readers will enjoy this whimsical story about a young woman looking into Biblical marriage.  In a town that has slim pickings for Christian bachelors what is  Bently to do?

 Chautona Havig has created a series and characters that her readers will certainly enjoy.  Situated in a small town where everyone knows everyone and finding true love can be difficult, but Bently sets out to find what marriage is all about.  Will it be her best friend Tait or someone else?  Fans of  Chautona Havig will enjoy her humor as they follow Bently and the gang through this series that relates to finding true love.  

 A truly enjoyable, lighthearted book that takes the readers through the lives of singles in the town of Fairbury.    A wonderful fun read for everyone.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
 
Get your copy here!
   

About the Author



Chautona Havig lives in an oxymoron, escapes into imaginary worlds that look startlingly similar to ours and writes the stories that emerge. An irrepressible optimist, Chautona sees everything through a kaleidoscope of It’s a Wonderful Life sprinkled with fairy tales. Find her on the web and say howdy—if you can remember how to spell her name.  

More from Chautona

If You Need to Save Time, Don’t Ask for Help

Not from my friend anyway. It all started with a conversation about Bentley… She pops up now and then—the most ubiquitous (and yet not) of my unpublished characters, you might say. Who is this unsung Bentley, and why should we care about her? For that matter, why has her story been languishing in my “to be edited” pile for over a decade?” It’s worse than that. Bentley isn’t the only book that’s been sitting there, unedited, waiting for a chance at daylight. There’s also Tait’s story. Andi’s story. Ami’s story… all the unpublished stories. Those don’t even include the partially done ones. It’s an illness, I tell ya. Some people may not know this about me, but I plot out my books while I’m driving. I get in the car, turn on my voice recorder, and talk to myself. You can’t know how grateful I am for cellphones. I don’t own or use one, but man I’m glad they exist. Know why? Because people don’t give you weird looks when you talk to yourself in the car now. When I was a kid, that wasn’t true. Not that I know from personal experience or anything. *whistles* So one trip down south (it’s an hour and a half to go anywhere from my house, and most of my trips are at least three hours one way), I realized that Tait and Bentley’s stories could be merged. It would be awesome. Two books. One stone. If I did that to a bunch of my languishing manuscripts, I could clear out that unfinished file in no time! (Okay, let me dream here. Eternal optimist, remember?)
And that brings us back to Blessing Bentley
I was at my friend Sandy’s house (if you know Celebrate Lit, yes, that Sandy), and I told her I needed a new title. Why? Because now it included Tait and his story. We talked. We schemed and plotted. Sandy wanted something to happen that just can’t. I’d seriously have to rewrite the entire series. Oh, and then there would be issues with already published books. Ahem. Then it happened. She said the words. “It needs to be two books.” I could have put an ice cube down her shirt. Do you remember how excited I was to have two combined into one??? Now we’re back to two books. Still, they were written as two. I just don’t have a satisfactory ending for Tait’s. That’s when things got fun. Sandy tossed out one idea. I tossed it back. She remolded it and flipped it in the air. I caught it, made a few changes, and voila! We had a BOOK. And it would be adorable.
Then she swore at me.
Okay, so she actually just said, “You really need a third book, friend.” Anyone who has ever heard her talk, can hear her voice there. I know you can. Still, as sweet and kind as she might have meant to sound, I heard swearing. Another book. You’ve got to be kidding me! I went from having two books morphed into one being split back in two, and now you want to add one? I’m trying to reduce the to-do pile! But then I remembered another story that’s been percolating since I wrote 31 Kisses. Carson’s brother is newly single. And well… Yep. Enter trilogy. Marriage of Conviction—that was supposed to be the title of Blessing Bentley. Who knew that when I started writing that book fifteen years ago—who knew it would end up being the title of a series instead. Marriages of Conviction. Blessing Bentley, Tempting Tait, and Charming Chloe. Welcome to a new look on marriage and a wild ride with these characters! And remember… if you think I have too many series… Well, this one’s Sandy’s fault.  

Blog Stops

 

Giveaway



To celebrate her tour, Chautona is giving away a Blessing Bentley grand prize package that includes a paperback copy of the book, a book cozy, a Blessing Bentley Candle, and a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway!


 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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