Tag: books

Posted in Book Tours

The Broken Circle #BookTour

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

In her new book series “Beyond Cedar Cove,” Cynthia Ulmer brings readers back to the Jansan family and continues the family saga as she tells a moving story about hope, resilience, and the bonds that unite a community in times of crisis.

The Broken Circle

Beyond Cedar Cove Book 2

by Cynthia Ulmer

Genre: Christian Drama Fiction

In “The Broken Circle, Beyond Cedar Cove,” Cynthia Ulmer tells a moving story about hope, resilience, and the bonds that unite a community in times of crisis.

In this second part of the series, we find the tranquil town of Cedar Cove on the brink of chaos; the local Baptist Church, a cornerstone of the community, is thrown into turmoil when its pastor, Joe Marley, crashes his car into the Jansans’ feed store. James Jansan, the respectable head deacon, must find a substitute preacher to take over while the community grapples with various issues that threaten to unravel its tight-knit fabric.

Meg Kerwood, known for her abusive and neglectful behavior toward her six-year-old daughter, wants to have a baby boy. She believes that unwavering faith and divine intervention will answer her prayers. But her journey toward motherhood takes an unexpected turn, leading her down a path of heartache and turmoil. Adding to the chaos, someone from Grandma Cal’s past resurfaces, bringing secrets and complications that test the town’s unity.

As the truth comes to light, Meg’s life takes a frightening turn, leaving her shattered and on the brink of disaster. Will Cedar Cove find the strength to overcome the challenges that threaten to tear them apart, or will they succumb to the weight of their secrets?

In this captivating novel, join us on a breathtaking journey filled with compassion, redemption, and the power of faith.

**Only .99cents!**

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Underneath the Honeysuckle Vine

Beyond Cedar Cove Book 1

It began underneath the honeysuckle vine. Meg Evans came from a privileged background. She thought she was better than most around her. She had beauty, money, and prestige. She lived in a fantasy world, ignoring the mistakes she made. When it all crashed and crumbled, she blamed her illegitimate daughter Carin for her misfortune. What will happen as she lies, cheats, and steals to return to the life she believes she deserves? Will her daughter Carin survive the abuse? Will Meg change? Will a return visit to the honeysuckle vine help?

**Only .99cents!**

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Award medal recipient and acclaimed writer Cynthia Ulmer was born in Newport News, Virginia, and raised in Leland, North Carolina. Her wholesome ‘Southern Family Fictional’ book series, The Cedar Cove Chronicles, is an award-winning series of books.

It is a Christian-themed realistic drama series that follows the Jansan family and their friends and neighbors in the fictional community of Cedar Cove, North Carolina, during the 1940s and 1950s. Books one and four of “The Cedar Cove Chronicles” have won medals from the ‘Wishing Shelf Indie Book Awards’ and several have received several 5-star book reviews from Readers Favorite.

Now ready to bring readers to the present, she has released a new book series called Beyond Cedar Cove. Book one, Underneath The Honeysuckle Vine, was released in 2021, and book two, Broken Circle, is set to release soon. Her titles are available on Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and many other online bookstores and literary publications.

Cynthia shares, “Some people grapple with their life’s purpose, while others are born knowing it. At an early age, I knew I would be a writer–as the narratives were always alive in my mind.” The author’s characters are so rich and relatable that readers will feel an intimate connection with them and eagerly anticipate the next chapter in their lives. The author hopes her books resonate with readers, stirring their hearts and inspiring them to foster deeper faith-filled connections with the Lord.

When Cynthia isn’t writing, she finds joy in cooking, crocheting, immersing herself in music, and delving into the works of her favorite authors, Catherine Hyde Ryan, Lucinda Berry, and Wiley Cash. Above all, she treasures the time spent with her extensive family, particularly her grandchildren. Cynthia and her husband continue to call North Carolina home.

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Signed Copies of Both Books,

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Posted in Book Tours

The Golden Sword #BookTour

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Enslaved on the planet Silistra tomorrow’s most beautiful courtesan unleashes the powers of the gods.

The Golden Sword

Silistra Quartet Book 2

by Janet Morris

Genre: Epic Dystopian SciFi Fantasy

Dystopia.

Biology shapes reality.

The further adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in the galaxies of tomorrow.

She had the power to create planets.
The sixty carved bones of the Yris-tera foretold her ancient fate.
Her heritage of power took her beyond time and space and stole from her the one man she loved.

Enslaved on the planet Silistra tomorrow’s most beautiful courtesan unleashes the powers of the gods.

ON A PLANET DESPERATE FOR POPULATION, WOMEN HOLD THE KEYS TO POWER.

But power brings enemies.

Estri, holder of Silistra’s highest office, never suspected the intrigues moving against her…until her rivals attacked.

Her betrayal toppled more than a single well-Keepress.

Estri’s enemies threatened all of Silistra.

Their plan: to reveal the planet’s precious secret of extending life in exchange for off-world technology — the technology which decimated Silistra’s population long ago.

“Engrossing characters in a marvelous adventure.” — C. Brown, Locus

The amazing and exotic adventures of the most beautiful courtesan in tomorrow’s universe.” — Frederik Pohl.

**Get all 4 volumes On Sale for Only $2.99 each all month long!!**

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Best selling author Janet Morris began writing in 1976 and has since published more than 30 novels, many co-authored with her husband Chris Morris or others. Most of her fiction work has been in the fantasy and science fiction genres, although she has also written historical and other novels. Morris has written, contributed to, or edited several book-length works of non-fiction, as well as papers and articles on nonlethal weapons, developmental military technology and other defense and national security topics.

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Choice of print or ebook copy of The Golden Sword ,

$10 Amazon giftcard

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Posted in Book Tours

The Nite Fire Series #BookTour

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree
Murder, mystery, mayhem – and dragons!

Flash Point

Nite Fire Book 1

by C.L. Schneider

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Supernatural Thriller, Paranormal Mystery

What if the legends are true? What if monsters are real? What if there are worlds beyond our own?

Slated for execution, shapeshifting assassin, Dahlia Nite, flees her world to hide in the human realm. As payment for the shelter they unknowingly provide, Dahlia dedicates herself to protecting humans from what truly lives in the shadows. Moving from town to town, she hunts the creatures that threaten an unsuspecting human race; burying the truth that could destroy them all.

But the shadows are shifting. The lies are adding up. And when Sentinel City is threatened by a series of bizarre brutal murders, light is shed on what should never be seen. The secrets that have kept humanity in the dark for centuries are in danger of being exposed.

Wrestling with a lifetime of her own deceptions, Dahlia investigates the killings while simultaneously working to conceal their circumstances. But with each new murder, the little bit of peace she has found in this world begins to crumble. Each new clue leads her to the one place she thought to never go again. Home.

Flash Point is the award-winning first book in the Nite Fire Series, an immersive mashup of urban fantasy and murder mystery—with shapeshifters, dragons, and parallel worlds.

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Chain Reaction

Nite Fire Book 2

Murder, mystery, mayhem, dragons–and mutants!

If anyone can tell the difference between monsters and humans, it’s Dahlia Nite. For nearly a century, she’s hunted one to protect the other; safeguarding humanity from the creatures that slip through the torn veil between the worlds–creatures like her. But the lines are blurring. As people begin mutating and combusting on the streets, Dahlia realizes a strange affliction has descended upon Sentinel City. The mysterious ailment strikes all walks of life, from the posh, high-end nightclub district to the homeless community. Its victims, driven to random acts of savagery, are drawing attention too fast to cover up.

Assigned to the case, Dahlia and her human partner, Detective Alex Creed, investigate the deaths. But all they have are questions and bodies, and a public on the verge of panic. Working behind the scenes with her self-appointed sidekick, Casey Evans, Dahlia struggles to discover what, or who, is behind the alarming transformations. As the violence spreads and the mystery unfolds, she wonders: are the victims still human? Were they ever?

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Smoke & Mirrors

Nite Fire Book 3

She knows monsters are real because she is one. But how long can she hide the truth?

Secrets are a dragon’s best friend. Deception is a close second. Both provide a sturdy armor, allowing half-dragon shapeshifter, Dahlia Nite, to live undetected among the humans. Walking in two worlds, belonging in neither, she wraps herself in a shroud of lies to hide in plain sight. But nothing stays hidden forever.

When dismembered bodies of multiple species are dumped on the riverbank, the case falls to Dahlia and Detective Alex Creed. Backed by Sentinel City’s new task force, the pair find themselves urged along by clues that seem too good to be true. Bouncing from one crime scene to the next, they hunt for a clear motive in a murky sea of conflicting evidence. Already on edge from the recent string of unexplained crimes, the city begins to unravel.

Drowning in missing creatures, slaughtered remains, masked men–and the search for her sidekick’s missing sister–Dahlia burns the candle at both ends. Seeking answers, she employs her empathic abilities, and uncovers something deeper and more sinister than a simple serial killer’s web. As the dots connect, and worlds collide, she struggles to shields her friends from the truth. But secrets can be deadly. And Dahlia’s not the only one who keeps them.

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Slash & Burn

Nite Fire Book 4

Time is running out. Change is coming, and the linked worlds will never be the same.

Surviving her ordeal on Drimera was only the beginning. Forced to pick up the remains of her life and move on, Dahlia returns to her vigilante ways: hunting monsters by the cover of darkness. Backed by a new team, she vows to keep the streets safe while training to harness the eye’s abilities. But the city has become a time bomb, and every day the clock ticks faster–as the creatures pour in and the blight spreads. Dahlia worries she will never be enough to stop the impending destruction. How can she be the answer to saving them all?

Already stretched thin, Dahlia shies away from investigating the Sentinel’s latest murder spree. But the victims’ identities confound her. And the fragile thread tying the postmortem mutilations to Ella Chandler is impossible to ignore. Compelled to unravel the truth, what she uncovers only deepens the mystery. Who engineered the sinister plot? Why does everything lead back to that first case–the one that brought Dahlia out of the shadows and into the light?

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Exit Strategy

Nite Fire Book 5

All good things come to an end. Not if she can help it.

The life Dahlia built in Sentinel City is over, shattered by betrayal and crushed beneath the rubble of a world she’s come to love. But, in the apocalypse, grief is a luxury none can afford. Least of all, the scaled vigilante fighting to protect them.

With half her team MIA, creatures rampaging the streets, and humanity facing destruction, Dahlia struggles to put out more fires than one shapeshifter can handle. All the while, the damaged veil between the worlds is eroding faster. Exits are multiplying, giving the blight free reign to devour all in its path. Relishing in the chaos: the mad scientist bent on seizing Earth for his own devious plan.

In a race against time, Dahlia must find a way to save what remains of this tragic new reality—before the Renewal extinguishes all life on the linked worlds. The dragon inside her is done sitting quietly in the background.

Exit Strategy is the 5th and final book in the Nite Fire Series.

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Born in a small Kansas town on the Missouri river, C.L. Schneider grew up in a house of avid readers and overflowing bookshelves. Her first full-length novel took shape while she was still in high school, on a typewriter in her parent’s living room. Though Schneider has been writing all of her life, Magic-Price (the award-winning first installment in The Crown of Stones Trilogy) was her first published novel.

While her main focus is epic and urban fantasy for adults, she dabbles in all areas of speculative fiction. Her stories tend to be dark, conflict-laden tales full of magic and mystery, action and intrigue, antiheroes and villains, monsters and myths, friendship, love, loss and sacrifice—with enough twists to give you whiplash.

Learn more about C.L. Schneider, and the magical worlds she creates, at clschneiderauthor.com, where you can read reviews, excerpts, sneak peeks and teasers, subscribe to her newsletter, and join her Street Team. An active part of the online indie author community, you can connect with her on social media, or visit the News and Events page on her website for a full list of C.L. Schneider’s in-person appearances in the NY, NJ, and CT area.

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Signed Paperback of Flash Point,

$20 Amazon giftcard

– 1 winner each!

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Posted in Book Tours

Sandstorm #BookTour

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

A pitch-perfect, heartfelt, and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption.

Sandstorm

by Joyce Yarrow

Genre: Urban Fiction

GOLD MEDAL WINNER – Cipa Evvy Award for Women’s Fiction


When you trade the straight and narrow for the crooked pathways of crime, it’s likely to become a permanent arrangement. Unless, like Sandie Donovan, you’re a born grifter, determined to use your knack for deception and crime to restart your life and achieve success as an actor.

A pitch-perfect, heartfelt, and enthralling story of survival, coming-of-age and redemption. Sandstorm is a suspenseful, pacy read about a compelling character whose adventures and misadventures are dramatic and exciting.

**ebook is on sale for Only $3.99 OR is in Kindle Unlimited!**

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Joyce Yarrow is an award-winning author of literary novels of suspense that, according to Library Journal, “appeal to readers who enjoy unusual mysteries with an international setting.”

Her coming-of-age novel SANDSTORM, won a the 2022 gold medal in Women’s Fiction at the CIPA/Evvy Awards and her historical thriller, ZAHARA AND THE LOST BOOKS OF LIGHT, has been awarded 5 Stars by Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and translated into Spanish and Portuguese. Joyce’s other published novels of suspense include ASK THE DEAD, RUSSIAN RECKONING, and RIVERS RUN BACK (co-authored with Arindam Roy).

A New York City transplant now living in Seattle, Yarrow began her writing life scribbling poems on the subway and observing human behavior from every walk of life. She is a Pushcart Prize Nominee with short stories and essays that have appeared in Inkwell Journal, Whistling Shade, Descant, Arabesques, and Weber: The Contemporary West and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Yarrow is a member of the Sisters in Crime organization and has presented workshops on “The Place of Place in Mystery Writing” at conferences in the US and India.

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Posted in My Likes and Dislikes

Tracking Your Books

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

I do a lot of reading, I mean A LOT of reading! But sometimes I just can’t remember how many books I’ve read in a given month. My husband asked me that not too long ago. Imagine my surprise when I realized I had absolutely no idea!

This realization sent me on a search for a workable way to track my reading. There are several ways you can do this. I plan to try 2 ways, Spreadsheet and Journal.

Spreadsheet

Here’s a link to the spreadsheet that I want to use. It seems simple enough and will even give you statistics on what you read.

2024 Reading and Books Spreadsheet for Tracking

Journal

This is the Journal that I am using. One of the things about it that I really like is the ability to include a picture of the cover. It links from the basic page shown in the photo below to a book review page where you can record your thoughts. It also gives you the ability to list all the books in a series. I really like that!

Etsy

What about you?