Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my stop on the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop!

There will be a different book given away at each of the stops. At the bottom of this post are all the sites participating in the book hop. Make sure to visit (and follow) everyone and enter their giveaways :)

So, on to my part in the hop!

When I dream about books, I dream about myseries, so I'm giving away The Blue Rose: An English Garden Mystery by Anthony Eglin and The Best British Mysteries anthology. Simply leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you, and if you choose to follow my blog I'll enter you twice. Good luck and have fun!!!

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Oh, Those Lovely Victorians by Donna Fletcher Crow

Oh, Those Lovely Victorians

Perhaps the most fun in setting a book in the middle of nineteenth century England is that it is a period of such enormous contrasts. It was a time of great wealth for many. And it was a time of unspeakable poverty.

This was the age of the machine, of steam and of industrialization. Today we are amazed by all our electronic innovations, but the mechanical inventions were perhaps even more revolutionary in the 19th century to a people who had always had an agrarian economy. Railways were, of course, the great moving factor, linking the cities and making travel possible in ways unimagined before— although my hero Lord Danvers does prefer his somewhat eccentric hobby of aeronautics as a means of transportation.

It’s also true it was a time of enormous social problems. In the second half of the 19th century three million people moved from farms to the cities in England and Wales causing overwhelming
overcrowding and poverty. But as soon as the Victorians identified a problem, they set to work to solve it. Such Evangelical reformers as The Earl of Shaftesbury waged campaigns for child labor laws, Tractarian priests like Charles Fuge Lowder worked to clear the slums of hunger and disease, Prince Albert himself set about designing model housing for poor families.

It was a time of national stability and confidence symbolized by the queen who set the moral tone for the age by beginning her reign declaring, “I will be good.” And who represented the ideal of the family values of the age by having nine children. Lavish fashions, ornate architecture and furnishings, refined manners were all part of the Victorian code. And were all things that have come to be rejected in our far more relaxed age, but give the novelist so much to work with in a fictional reconstructed Victorian world.

And the poverty— with all the hunger, disease and crime poverty breeds. Fertile ground for the reformers of that day and perfect for the crime novelist.  Especially one, like myself, who enjoys writing true-crime

This is the world of Charles and Antonia, Lord and Lady Danvers in A TINCTURE OF MURDER, the latest in my Lord Danvers true-crime mystery series. When I found the case of William Dove, whose trial took place in York in 1856, I knew I had the perfect vehicle for presenting both sides of Victorian society.

Charles and Tonia are guests of Sir Gerald Wandseley at his elegant country manor with plenty of opportunities to be waited on by servants and revel in delicious four course dinners followed by desserts and ices.

But since York was home to some of the worst slums in England I could present the contrast of the lives of the destitute. For this we have the Reverend Frederick, Lord Danvers younger brother who has taken Holy Orders and, most shockingly, has launched his "Asylum for Poor, Degraded Females" in the worst part of the city. 

But Freddie’s saintly works may come to a scandalous end when several of the starving women who took refuge in The Magdalen House die under mysterious circumstances. Neither the asylum—nor Freddie’s career—may survive when news of these deaths spreads. William Dove, the notorious “Leeds Poisoner” is on trial for murdering his wife— he can’t be poisoning the fallen women at the Magdalen Asylum. So who is? Is another madman stalking the streets of York? And what is causing the foul stench at the orphans’ school?

A TINCTURE OF MURDER has a bonus in presenting not one, but two true crimes. The trial of William Dove established legal principles still debated in courts of law today. The other historic crime was far more bizarre than any dreamed up by Dickens, but I don’t want to give too much away.

The Lord Danvers series is available in all ebook formats:

Kindle: http://ning.it/SpI94M

Nook: http://ning.it/UsLyw6

 

Donna Fletcher Crow is the author of 43 books, mostly novels dealing with British history.  The award-winning Glastonbury, A Novel of the Holy Grail, an Arthurian grail search epic covering 15 centuries of English history, is her best-known work.  She is also the author of three mystery series. Her newest titles are: An Unholy Communion, The Monastery Murders; A Tincture of Murder, The Lord Danvers Victorian true-crime novels; and A Jane Austen Encounter coming soon in the romantic suspense series The Elizabeth & Richard Mysteries. Donna and her husband live in Boise, Idaho.  They have 4 adult children and 11 grandchildren. She is an enthusiastic gardener.

To read more about all of Donna’s books and see pictures from her garden and research trips go to: http://www.donnafletchercrow.com/ 

You can follow her on Facebook at: http://ning.it/OHi0MY

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Strung Out To Die Book Tour: Meet Willow

 

I was perfectly content rolling around in my little piece of the mud pie, nudging my way into the crowded feeding through, while spending most of my day sunning my voluptuous curves in the afternoon sun. 

One day that all changed. It was a strange day. All of my friends were starting to disappear, one-by-one the farmer man who took such good care of us (and I mean he really did feed us a lot!) was trying to get everyone in this big truck with a cage looking thing. I walked around taking a good look to see just what was going on up there, but all I could hear was the my friends snorting and crying trying to get out of that big cage. 

I ran! I ran as fast as my little hooves would carry me, diving head first into my little mud hole.  

“Aww, you’re alright.”  

I must’ve not stuck my butt far down enough into the mud, because the farmer tapped my tail. I dug deeper, trying to cover my backside, but he only chuckled. 

“I’ve got other plans for you.” He grabbed me up and took me over to the water trough, cleaning me off really good. I could even see my little dark spots that all my girlfriends were jealous of. I had to admit that I was the pretty girl there. 

“That’s her?” The man asked with sarcasm dripping from his lips. He was leaning up against his old rickety truck thinking he must be looking good. His eyes narrowed as he got a little closer to me. 

Groink, groink! I tried to wiggle my way out of the farmer’s arms. 

“Whatever. If it makes Holly happy, then I guess I take her.” The guy took out something out of his pocket and I leaped out of the farmer’s arms toward the man. I was sure he was taking out one of those tasty treats the farmer always gives me. “Whoa!” The man caught me, but his knees buckled and he tumbled to the ground.  

“Well, look at you two.” The farmer took off his John Deere hat and smacked his leg as he bent over in laughter as I sat right on top of that guy’s stomach as he was flat on his back in the dirt. 

He pushed me off, and jumped up, dusting himself off. There were a few more words exchanged between the two and I sat nice and still at their feet, waiting for that treat. The joke was on me. The guy picked me up, making a comment about my weight, and it wasn’t nice, but I ignored him. He didn’t know that I was the prettiest girl there. Then he put me in his dirty old truck! 

My hooves hooked on the window sill as I watched the farmer disappear as the man drove his truck faster and faster. He didn’t say a word to me and I was scared. He stopped the truck out in front of a little house and tooted his horn. 

“Come on out here Holly Harper!” He yelled. 

“What’s all the yelling…Oh my gosh!” The woman squealed just like I can and ran over to the truck. And she was even a curvy girl like me. “You are the sweetest little piggy I have ever seen! Your name is Willow!” 

She didn’t have a problem picking me up. I did get a little dizzy as she twirled me around, but I like her. In fact, I loved her! And I loved my name! 

Life was pretty good with Holly and what’s his name, until one night when what’s his name must’ve done something really bad. Holly grabbed me up and we left, never to return. 

She was sad and cried a lot, but I tried to cuddle up to her as much as I could. After all, she did like to snack and I got to clean up her crumbs. But life became great again when we moved into a cottage by this big lake and Holly opened a store where people come in to make jewelry. 

Those little round things they string up didn’t taste so bad. They were a little crunchy and Holly yelled at me telling me that glass beads weren’t good for my stomach, but they tasted good to me! 

Until one day when we went to the shop and beads were all over the place. I hurried around snorting up all the little round goodies that I could. They were the expensive tasty kind, as Holly referred to them. 

I took my snout and nudged the man that was sleeping on the shop floor, but he wouldn’t move.  

Groink, groink! I pushed him harder. I didn’t want to bother Holly to wake him up because she was talking to the local police officer, Noah Druck, who had stopped by the shop to visit. 

“Oh my God!” Holly came over to see what I was doing. “She left Noah Druck out!” 

Evidently the man wasn’t sleeping. He was dead! And Holly’s finger prints were all over the murder; after all, he was strangled with those expensive cat eye beads that are so tasty.  

But Holly didn’t do it! I was with her the whole time. And now it’s up to me to help figure out who was being mean to my Holly Harper!

*****************************************************************

 

Holly Harper's life is finally getting back on the right track after her divorce from "what's his name." She and a group of divorcees have formed a strong bond plotting creative ways to get back at their exes and created a self-help group known as The Divorced Divas where their meetings are held in Holly's bead store, The Beaded Dragonfly.

It’s no secret that Holly’s ex husband, Sean Harper, and the wealthiest bachelor in Swanee, Doug Sloan, don’t get along because Sean is constantly fixing all of Doug’s shoddy handy man work. Plus all the Divas would love to get their claws in some of Doug’s money.

When Doug ends up dead on the floor of The Beaded Dragonfly with a string of cat eye beads around his neck, it’s up to Holly to figure out whose framing her.

Tonya is an Amazon Movers and Shakers, and International bestselling author. She writes humorous cozy mystery and women's fiction that involves quirky characters in quirky situations.

Splitsville.com, the first novel in the Olivia Davis Mystery Series, is a double finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards in the Mystery and Humorous Categories.

Carpe Bead 'em is the winner in Amazon's eFestival of Words in the Women's Fiction/Chick-lit Category.

Become a member of Tonya's STREET TEAM! It's a gathering place of readers who love Tonya Kappes novels and Tonya gives away prizes! To sign up for Tonya's STREET TEAM, newsletter, view book trailer, and upcoming news, check out Tonya's website, Tonyakappes.com.

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Shey Stahl's Racing on the Edge Blog Tour~01/14 thru 01/24

I was extremely excited to get the chance to ask author Shey Shahl some questions about her Racing on the Edge series. I'm a huge NASCAR fan, and you just don't see much NASCAR fiction out there...hopefully with the success of this series that will change.

Be sure to leave a comment below (with your email address) for the chance to win signed paperback copies of Happy Hour and Black Flag, and use Rafflecopter to enter to win the grand prize...winner's choice of a signed set of the entire series in paperback or ebook form.

Welcome, Shey...can you tell us a little about your Racing on the Edge Series?

Thank you for having me! The Racing on the Edge series is a love story set in the world of auto racing both dirt and asphalt. It starts out with Happy Hour where Sway Reins, a track owners only daughter, is best friends with the with NASCAR rookie driver, Jameson Riley. Sway flies out to see his first Coca-Cola 600 race and the sparks fly from there. They’ve been friends since they were eleven-years-old and the bond between them has been a vital part of Jameson’s success as a driver. The story moves on from friends with benefits to a connection that neither can ignore. It’s more than a story about racing. It’s about love and what you will do for that love. Commitment to yourself and everything around you, and of course, tragedy and how it can destroy all that you worked for.

What made you decide to set your debut series in the world of NASCAR?

I grew up in the racing world, at a dirt track actually. My dad raced until I was twelve and then eventually, my husband did too. I spent most weekends at Grays Harbor Raceway and still do. For me, to write this story, it was something I had to do for myself. Once I started writing it, I decided to write it for myself and then my family and friends urged me to publish it. My main purpose for writing about racing was that’s what I knew. I’m not a big football fan or baseball, but I absolutely love the smell of methanol and a dirt track. I also don’t think the racing community gets enough attention and I wanted to bring to life what these drivers and their families go through. Hopefully I did that for them and others.

Who's your favorite driver? (I'm a Harvick girl all the way!!!)

It depends on what series we’re talking about. I have different drivers that I love in each series. NASCAR, it’s a tie between Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne. The World of Outlaws, Joey Saldana, Cody Darrah and Brad Sweet. Some others who drift from series to series that I follow are Kyle Larson, Trey Starks, Billie Workman Jr. and Dave Blaney.

If the series were made into a movie, what would your dream cast look like?

I think my dream cast is pretty much what’s on my Facebook page. It’s hard for me to choose them because I have these visions of them in my head and I haven’t found anyone who looks exactly like I imagine. Aside from Alley. I’ve always imagined Kate Hudson and Jimi will always be Dennis Quaid in my head.

What was your journey to publication like?

When I was on bed rest with my daughter, I started a rough draft of Happy Hour. Then I got into taking a writing class after she was born in 2009. I started out writing the story as project for the class I was taking because the instructor encouraged me to write fictional story. Apparently I was a little over the top in some of my papers and she saw a talent I didn’t know was there. I just thought I was really good at making up stories (which my mom and dad can agree to).

Along the way the instructor pushed me to do it more and then introduced me to fanfiction to see what people thought of the writing. From there she picked a series, Twilight, and then I wrote it to that. Once I saw that people liked my writing style, I pulled the story. It was never inspired by the Twilight characters but more as an outlet for me to see if people liked my writing style. So I pulled the story before it was finished and then finished writing the rest of Happy Hour. Then I wrote Black Flag the following month and then Trading Paint. Then I moved onto The Champion and The Legend which was essentially one book but I had to break it down to two. After the series was written completely, I moved on to publishing, found an agent and she helped me put the story out there. Offers came back but they all wanted to focus more on the love story and not Jameson’s fight in racing. To me his fight was a huge part of their love story. The passion Jameson had for the sport had no boundaries and neither did his love for Sway. There was no way to properly tell the story without the two and I wasn’t willing to take anything out. After declining most offers given, my agent turned me onto Amazon and that’s the route we eventually went. I have more control over the story and to me that’s more important than some big publishing contract.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

My only advice is to write about what you know. If you don’t know, research it to the point that you’re literally obsessed. I spent close to two years writing Racing on the Edge and there wasn’t a day that went by where I wasn’t either writing, watching racing or listening to my racing buddies talk. It was the only way for me to feel the story. Everyone has their own style of writing but that’s what worked for me. My other advice is to go with your gut instinct. Take chances, be different, and don’t settle because you think you can’t do any better.

Another thing I find helpful, notebooks. Always keep them on you in case that ending you can’t decide on suddenly comes to you when you’re driving. (Don’t try to drive and jot down notes because the cop that pulls you over might require you to take a breathalyzer based on spastic movements. Or at least the cops in Olympia do.) Just so we’re clear, stop the car first but then jot it down. By the time you get home and you’ve had to answer the “why” question for your toddler at least a hundred times from when the thought came to you, sadly, you won’t remember what you’re great idea was.

Give us a glimpse into a typical day for you.

My typical day starts with coffee (20oz iced black & white mocha). Coffee is like crack for me. I once quit and you would have thought the world ended in my house. Worst day ever with tons of crying, and sobbing, and tantrums. Very similar to my child on a day-to-day basis, only in an adult form. I wanted to ask her what she does to comfort herself when shit goes south but then again I’d probably be providing her with a negotiation tactic. She’d know my weak point.

After coffee has been delivered, I check Facebook, Twitter, YouTube videos on anything I’m researching, images that keep me inspired, music, and then I start writing. I don’t focus on any one chapter. I’m the type of writer who writes the end and middle and then eventually the beginning and ties in everything else. I usually write about eight hours a day. Not all at once because I’m constantly back and forth from writing to music and then Facebook. A group of girls called the Gearheads/Pit Lizards keep me entertained throughout the day too and keep me motivated to write more. They like me, or so they say, and make me think I have a talent here. I think they’re just messing with me but at least they stalk me. I like to be stalked. It makes me feel cooler than I really am.

I have a three-year-old little girl as well who keeps me incredibly busy too and a husband who wants a few moments of my time too. He’s the one bringing me coffee. ;-) When we’re out together you can usually find us at some sort of racing event whether it be one he’s racing in or we’re watching. It’s a big part of our lives.

All in all, I’m very busy most of the time. I still work full-time as an Administrative Assistant but only for a few more months and then I’m going to give writing a full-time effort and see where that takes me.

What are some of your favorite books/authors?

I enjoy reading S.C Stephens, Jamie McGuire, Colleen Hoover, Alice Clayton, Alexandra Richland and Stephen King novels. So far at the top of my reading lists have been Thoughtless, Effortless, and dreading Reckless and hoping it doesn’t make me want to stalk Stephens. I’ve also liked Beautiful Disaster, Gilded Cage, Slammed, Point of Retreat, The Edge of Never, Wallbanger, Forever my Girl, My Misery Muse and I know this much is True (my favorite book of all time). Classics I have to mention, The Color Purple, Mice of Men, Outsiders, East of Eden and The Shining. Some of my favorite books are true stories and biographies as I like to incorporate that style of writing into fiction. To me it gives the reader a more personal experience in story-telling.

Anything you'd like to reveal about yourself that your readers might find surprising?

What a dangerous question! I guess maybe they’d be surprised to know that I’m very shy. It may not seem that way but when first meeting someone, I’ll do anything to avoid a conversation with them. Once I get to know someone, which is hard to do when you’re avoiding a conversation with someone, but once that happens, I’m extremely goofy and like to think I’m funny. I’m actually not funny at all but I make myself laugh.

What are you working on now?

Currently I’m working on a contemporary romance, Waiting for You. A Suspenseful Sports Fiction called Delayed Penalty and another contemporary romance, One Night Only. I have more planned this year for the ROTE series but not until I get the ones I’ve already started done. Sadly for me, my brain never turns off and I’m writing all the time. Whether it’s writing small notes and on napkins and my hands, I’m always thinking of new stories and twists to incorporate. It’s kind of a problem, almost like an obsession. It might be from all that coffee but I refuse to admit that.

Blog Tour Schedule:January 14: Kindlehooked.blogspot.com
January 15: Mochasmysteriesandmore.blogspot.com
January 16: Books Books Books - Bookbitchesblog.wordpress.com
January 17: Smardy-pants.blogspot.com
January 18: Bookcrushbookreviews.com
January 19: Brei Betzold's guest interview with Jameson/Spencer on Kindlehooked
January 20: Bookboyfriendreview.blogspot.com
January 21: Sugarandspiceandeverythingnaughty.blogspot.com
January 22: iloveindiebooks.blogspot.com
January 23: Mysecretromancebookreviews.com
January 24: Flirtyanddirtybookblog.com

Links for Shey:

Racing on Edge FB page- https://www.facebook.com/RacingOnTheEdge
Shey Stahl's Author page- https://www.facebook.com/shey.stahl.
Shey's Twitter- https://twitter.com/SheyStahl
Shey's blog site- http://sheystahl.blogspot.coma Rafflecopter giveaway

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Blog the Change for Animals: Gwen Cooper's Love Saves the Day

 

I hope it's ok to have two Blog the Change posts today, but this wonderful announcement came to my attention after I'd already prepared my first post. You know Homer the Blind Wonder Cat, right? Well his mom, Gwen Cooper, has a new book out today, Love Saves the Day. First week sales are extra-important to authors, so for this reason she's hosting a contest: anyone who purchases Love Saves the Day during the first week it goes on sale is eligible to enter - the winner gets an in-person visit from Gwen plus $500 donated to the animal-related charity of their choice. Second prize is a portrait of your pet by animal artist Sue Hains. I already have my copy!!!

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Blog the Change for Animals: Santa Paws Drive

 

 

 

This Christmas I was so excited to take part in the Santa Paws Toy Drive, an annual drive to accept donations and raise money to buy toys and treats for shelter pets. It's so sad to think of the cats and dogs in the shelter for Christmas without a family to love, but it really warmed my heart to think of them still receiving gifts and having fun on the most special day of the year. The most fun has been seeing the photos and videos posted on the Santa Paws Facebook page that the shelters sent them from Christmas morning! As you'll see on their website, they almost doubled their cash donation target in 2012! I hope you'll keep them in mind for your holiday 2013 charitable donations!

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No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop



Welcome to my stop on the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop!

There will be a different book given away at each of the stops. At the bottom of this post are all the sites participating in the book hop. Make sure to visit (and follow) everyone and enter their giveaways :)

So, on to my part in the hop!

I'm giving away two trade paperback Southern fiction novels: Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews and Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg. Simply leave a comment with your email address so I can contact you. Good luck and have fun!!!

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