Not Without My Father Release Day Blitz

We're happy to be hosting Andra Watkins and her NOT WITHOUT MY FATHER Release Day Blitz today!

About the Book:

Title: Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444 Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace

Author: Andra Watkins
Publisher: Word Hermit Press
Pages: 240
Genre: Memoir
Format: Paperback/Kindle

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Can an epic adventure succeed without a hero?

Andra Watkins needed a wingman to help her become the first living person to walk the historic 444-mile Natchez Trace as the pioneers did. She planned to walk fifteen miles a day. For thirty-four days.

After striking out with everyone in her life, she was left with her disinterested eighty-year-old father. And his gas. The sleep apnea machine and self-scratching. Sharing a bathroom with a man whose gut obliterated his aim.

As Watkins trudged America’s forgotten highway, she lost herself in despair and pain. Nothing happened according to plan, and her tenuous connection to her father started to unravel. Through arguments and laughter, tears and fried chicken, they fought to rebuild their relationship before it was too late. In Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace, Watkins invites readers to join her dysfunctional family adventure in a humorous and heartbreaking memoir that asks if one can really turn I wish I had into I’m glad I did.

About the Author: 

Andra Watkins lives in Charleston, South Carolina. A non-practicing CPA, she has a degree in accounting from Francis Marion University. She’s still mad at her mother for refusing to let her major in musical theater, because her mom was convinced she’d end up starring in porn films. In addition to her writing talent, Andra is an accomplished public speaker. Her acclaimed debut novel To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis was published by Word Hermit Press in 2014.

Her latest book is the memoir, Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444 Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace.

For More Information

• Visit Andra Watkins’ website.
• Connect with Andra on Facebook and Twitter.
• Find out more about Andra at Goodreads.
• More books by Andra Watkins.
• Contact Andra.

 

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A Taste of Merlot by Heather Heyford Book Review

Title: A Taste of Merlot
Author: Heather Heyford
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Pages: 187
Genre: Romance
Format: Paperback/Kindle

 Raise your glass and join Heather Heyford as she pours a second serving in her series following these headstrong wine heiresses in their quest to strike out on their own… Merlot St. Pierre is struggling to break free from her family name. Her college classmates whisper behind her back that her passion for jewelry design is little more than a hobby, since she’ll always have her father’s fortune. But Meri is determined to prove them wrong, and with the help of a handsome jewelry buyer, she just may taste her first sip of success—as long as she can hide who she really is… Mark Newman’s family owns a chain of high-end jewelry stores, and he’s working hard to get out from under his aunt’s thumb and prove he has a good eye and a head for business. He’s certain Meri’s designs could be the next big thing, but he’ll have to convince her that she can use her famous last name to her advantage. As their business partnership takes root, an attraction begins to flourish—but they’ll both find that love, like wine, takes time to perfect…

  For More Information

• A Taste of Merlot is available at Amazon.
• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.

My Review:

This is the first book that I have read by Heather and I really enjoyed it. This is the second book in the Napa Wine Heiress Series but I never felt like I was missing anything by not reading the first book.

The author does a great job of character development and plot, and while I didn't love Merlot (Meri) I did admire her for trying to make it on her own and not using the family name to skate through life. The romance between Mark and Meri is very well written and I do plan on going back to read the first in the series to see what led to this book.

   

Born in the Northeast, Heather Heyford learned to walk and talk in Texas, and then moved to England.(“Ya’ll want some scones?”) While in Europe, Heather was forced by her cruel parents to spend Saturdays in the leopard vinyl back seat of their Peugeot, motoring from one medieval pile to the next for the lame purpose of ‘learning something.’ What she soon learned was how to allay the boredom by stashing a Cosmo under the seat. Now a recovering teacher, Heather writes love stories, feeds hardboiled eggs to suburban foxes, and makes art in the Mid-Atlantic. She is represented by the Nancy Yost Literary Agency (NYLA, @nyliterary) in New York City.

For More Information
Visit Heather’s website.
Connect with Heather on Twitter and Facebook 

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Amy by William Clifford Book Feature

Title: Amy
Author: William A. Clifford
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Pages: 268
Genre: Fiction
Format: Ebook/Paperback
Purchase at AMAZON

 An experiment in creation, with some religious views, that shows the reasons why, we may not want, what we think we want. How plans take on a life of their own, and there is no going back.  

  Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Raised in Ancaster, in the country setting. Attended Ancaster High and Vocational School, where I got my diploma. After that I enrolled in the working world until my retirement. I am married with three grown children and six grandchildren. I build miniatures and like to build landscapes of my own design.

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Finding Hope by Stacy Finz Book Review

Title: Finding Hope
Author: Stacy Finz
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Pages: 276
Genre: Romance
Format: Paperback/Kindle

The small mountain town of Nugget, California, is way off the beaten path. But somehow it helps the lost and lonely find a new beginning in life—and in love

One solitary day at a time is the only way cookbook writer Emily Mathews can restart her life—and cope with consuming loss. Still, the former city girl is finding all kinds of odd inspiration and advice from Nugget’s proudly eccentric residents on everything from new recipes to opening her heart again. Especially when it comes to her rugged rancher landlord …

His no-drama new tenant is the first break Clay McCreedy has had in a long time. He’s got his hands full enough dealing with his wife’s scandalous death and his sons’ unresolved grief. Clay can’t help but be drawn to Emily’s quiet understanding and strength. When their fragile trust turns into passionate healing, he longs for much more. And when both their pasts come calling, he’s determined not to walk away…

For More Information

• Finding Hope is available at Amazon.
• Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.

Book Review

It has been a long time since I have read a good romance novel. So I am thrilled that the first one of  2015 was Finding Hope by Stacy Finz. I loved the relationship that forms between Emily and Clay. Both of them are trying to overcome heartbreaking circumstances, and the way the author works them toward each other is fabulous. The grief that the characters have gone through is written in such a realistic way, I just fell in love with the way she writes.

This is the first book that I have read by Stacy, but it will be far from the last.

Stacy Finz is an award-winning journalist. After more than seventeen years covering notorious serial killers, naked-tractor-driving farmers, fanatical foodies, aging rock stars and weird Western towns for the San Francisco Chronicle, she figured she finally had enough material to launch a career writing fiction. In 2012 she won the Daphne du Maurier Award for unpublished single-title mystery/suspense. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband.

For More Information

Visit Stacy’s website.
Connect with Stacy on Twitter and Facebook 

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Bad Can Be Broken by Raven White Book Feature

Title: Bad Can Be Broken
Author: Raven White
Publisher: iUniverse
Pages: 186
Genre: Biography
Format: Ebook/Paperback
 Purchase at AMAZON

 A rebellious and willful woman, author Raven White spent years stewing her organs in lethal concoctions of alcohol, meth, marijuana, and cocaine. Running from relationships and self-medicating was routine. Colon cancer and a life expectancy of three to five years became the “cure” she needed to hear God’s voice. In Bad Can Be Broken, she narrates the story of how stage four colon cancer at first was her nemesis, but how it ultimately became the reason she now lives a life filled with love, joy, and peace. This memoir details her specific struggles, including being a cancer warrior, and it also discusses the challenges she faced long before accepting God. White tells how she believes the karma racked up in her teens through her late thirties led to having to swallow the weight of a life-threatening illness. Touching on spirituality and maturing as a human being, Bad Can Be Broken offers hope and inspiration. White shows how she found peace and purpose and tells how it is available for others facing the same challenges.
   

Raven White creates poetry, loves to read, is a sketch artist, and is a fanatical music lover. Her hobbies include: reading, research, drafting prayers, spending time in nature, and being with her three children, grandchild, and husband.

Raven is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash.
• This giveaway begins December 29 and ends on January 9.
• Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, January 12.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Crystal Lotus by Jinna Van Vliet Book Feature

Title: Crystal Lotus
Author: Jinna Van Vliet
Publisher: Xlibris
Pages: 129
Genre: Biography/Autobiography
Format: Ebook
 Purchase at AMAZON

 The Harmonic convergence in 1987 launched the awakening of the Mass Consciousness into the realization that human consciousness is rising into a higher frequency. Coined as the Big Shift it created many guidelines to help with this transition process. Crystal Lotus is just one such guide gifted to us by the Divine Feminine Creator Energy through one of her Aspects, the Goddess Quan Yin.

   

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Wake Up, Lien. Think for Yourself! by William Van Vynck Book Feature

Title: Wake Up, Lien. Think for Yourself!
Author: William Van Vynck
Publisher: iUniverse
Pages: 313
Genre: Religious
Format: Ebook/Paperback
 Purchase at AMAZON

 “Wake up, Lien. Think for yourself!” describes the origins and some of the history and the excesses of Christianity and Islam. It shows how mind-control enters into the formation of these religions, and it urges the reader to free himself or herself from the out-dated notions that may have been implanted in his mind by parents, teachers, and religious functionaries. It suggests the Eastern teaching of reincarnation as a possible substitute as that appears to be a more satisfying and logical belief system.
 
 When during World War II the Germans forced the author into slave labor and forced him to dig trenches during the night in the no-man's-land along the Russian front, he faced death every hour of every night. He prayed to God to get him out of that hell but to no avail.  

William is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash.
• This giveaway begins December 29 and ends on January 9.
• Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, January 12.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Amy by William A. Clifford Book Feature

Title: Amy
Author: William A. Clifford
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Pages: 268
Genre: Fiction
Format: Ebook/Paperback
Purchase at AMAZON

 An experiment in creation, with some religious views, that shows the reasons why, we may not want, what we think we want. How plans take on a life of their own, and there is no going back.

   

  Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Raised in Ancaster, in the country setting. Attended Ancaster High and Vocational School, where I got my diploma. After that I enrolled in the working world until my retirement. I am married with three grown children and six grandchildren. I build miniatures and like to build landscapes of my own design.

William is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Amazon Gift Certificate or Paypal Cash.
• This giveaway begins December 29 and ends on January 9.
• Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, January 12.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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2015 Reading Challenge

I saw Debbie Macomber post this and thought this one might be a lot of fun. The picture is below but I am going to list the items to see if I can complete them. Join me, this one might be a lot of fun!

A book with more than 500 pages
A classic romance
A book that became a movie
A book published this year
A book with a number in the title
A book written by someone under 30
A book with nonhuman characters
A funny book
A book by a female author
A mystery or thriller
A book with a one word title
A book of short stories
A book set in another country
A nonfiction book
A popular author's first book
A book from an author you love but haven't read yet
A book a friend recommended
A Pulitzer Prize winning book
A book based on a true story
A book at the bottom of your to-read list
A book your mom loves
A book that scares you
A book more than 100 years old
A book based entirely on its cover
A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't
A memoir
A book you can finish in a day - The Tea House by Paul Elwork
A book with antonyms in the title
A book set somewhere you want to visit
A book that came out the year you were born
A book with bad reviews
A trilogy
A book from your childhood
A book with a love triangle
A book set in the future
A book set in high school
A book with a color in the title
A book that made you cry
A book with magic
A graphic novel
A book by an author you've never read before
A book you own but have never read
A book that takes place in your hometown
A book that was originally written in a different language
A book set during Christmas
A book written by an author with your same initials
A play
A banned book
A book based on or turned into a tv show
A book you started but never finished

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The Tea House by Paul Elwork Book Review

Title: The Tea House
Author: Paul Elwork
Pages: 172
Publisher: Casperian Books LLC (October 1, 2007)
Received From: My Library

About the Book:

The innocence of childhood, the unknown of adulthood, and the search for forgiveness . . .

Emily Stewart is the girl who claims to stand between the living and the dead. During the quiet summer of 1925, she and her brother, Michael, are thirteen-year-old twins-privileged, precocious, wandering aimlessly around their family's estate. One day, Emily discovers that she can secretly crack her ankle in such a way that a sound appears to burst through the stillness of midair. Emily and Michael gather the neighborhood children to fool them with these "spirit knockings."

 Soon, however, this game of contacting the dead creeps into a world of adults still reeling from World War I. When the twins find themselves dabbling in the uncertain territory of human grief and family secrets- knock, knock-everything spins wildly out of control.

My Review:

My husband read this book years ago and it has been sitting on my bookshelf since then. I know that he enjoyed it so when I was making my list of books to read this year I figured I would add it this time around.

At 172 pages, it will be one of the shorter books I will read, but I thought that might be the perfect length to begin the new year. I am sorry to say that even at 172 pages I struggled to make it through.

I was very intrigued by the premise of the story. Twins Michael and Emily (age 13) are growing up in 1925. Michael became fairly withdrawn when he was 10 so when Emily discovers she can make a 'knocking' sound through a tendon snap in her ankle, she keeps it from her brother for a short time. When he finds out he comes up with an idea, and idea that will fool people into thinking Emily is able to connect with the dead. He calls it 'spirit knocking'. What starts as something they do with their friends and other children escalates into a group of women and the father of Michael's best friend Albert, who lost his son Patrick to the war.

There is also a backstory between the twins mother Naomi, housekeeper Mary, and friend of their deceased father, Stan. But, even though this story had a lot of potential, I found myself struggling to finish it, and just hoping it would be over soon. The writing seemed tedious and slow, and while at times the plot seemed like it was about to pick up, it just wasn't enough for me.

I would not recommend this book to most people as I just didn't feel any connection to the story or characters. Here's hoping my next book of the year will be better.

 2 stars

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