PUYB Virtual Book Club Presents Linda West's The Magical Christmas Do Over Book Blast! @morningmayan



Title: THE MAGICAL CHRISTMAS DO OVER
Author: Linda West
Publisher: Morningmayan Publishing
Pages: 320
Genre: Holiday

BOOK BLURB:

Three women, thrown together by fate, get a second chance to go back in time and change their lives forever.

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Amazon

    It was a cold December eve, some say the coldest in decades, and a blizzard warning was in effect. It was the Friday before Christmas and most of the other workers of Kennedy and Crane had already left for the Christmas holiday weekend.

      Samantha looked at the clock and groaned inwardly. It was after 8 o’clock and her boss was in an extra foul mood even for her.
    “Shouldn’t you be getting home to put on that awesome Chanel dress you bought for the big night?” She asked.

     Macy spun around enraged, and Samantha sunk back.
     Macy’s dark brows knit together and her brown eyes looked nearly black with the size of her pupils. She ran her hands through her short dark hair and then stared at Samantha with disbelief on her face.

     “I got a text from Todd an hour ago. He’s gone off to LA with some friends for Christmas!”
Samantha’s mouth fell open. “What, why?” She stopped herself. “I’m sure he has a good reason Macy.”
     Macy snorted. “Yeah, good reasons usually don’t come in a text. I’m losing him Sam.”

     Macy plopped down in her chair and stared out the large picture window of her sleek office, and tapped her long manicured nails on her desk like a woodpecker.
     “Says he’ll call me when he gets back…in a month.”
     Samantha’s groaned inwardly. Poor Macy, it looked like she was getting the ultimate big let down. Broken up with at Christmas. No engagement celebration after all.

    “Here’s a piece of mail you didn’t get.” Sam offered up happily as she placed it on Macy’s desk.

    “Send it back.” Macy said dully without turning.

     Samantha continued hopefully. “It’s not the annual Christmas invite from your mother Macy, that one is always in a red envelope. I always send that back. This is something different.”
    Samantha looked at the pretty Tiffany blue colored envelope.
     “It’s addressed to you personally, not the company.”
    Macy cocked her head to the side intrigued.
    Sam rushed on eager to bring some sort of happiness to her boss. “Maybe it’s a love letter from Todd with two tickets to Paris for when he gets back?”
    Macy let out a big huff and gazed out the window at the oncoming storm. They both knew that wasn’t the case. Todd’s last minute text was just a breakup in disguise.
     But if not Todd then who? Macy really didn’t have any close friends that would send her a Christmas card. Anyone that did know her at all, knew she abhorred Christmas. Too much money being spent in the name of sentimentality and tricky marketers as her father always said.

     Macy waved her hand without looking back at Samantha as if she were a servant.
     “Read it.”
     Samantha scanned the letter, then suddenly, caught her breath and brought her hand to her heart.
     “Macy.”
     Something in Samantha’s tone made Macy spin her chair around.
    “What?”
      “Its from a friend of your mothers, a Ms. Carol Landers.”
      “You have got to be kidding me!” Macy threw her hands up in the air.
Now my mother is having her friends beg me to come home and visit her? How utterly selfish!”
      She shook her head in disbelief. “What is it with my mother? She ruins my life and then she stalks me! Can’t she see no matter how many times she begs me to come home for Christmas - I’m not going to Kissing Bridge to see her?”
      Samantha swallowed uncomfortably and croaked out, “I’m so sorry Macy. But this letter says that your mother passed away yesterday, and you’re the only relative left to claim her body.”
      She looked up sadly and met Macy’s stunned eyes.
     “You have to go home to Kissing Bridge.”



 






Linda West is an Amazon best seller and author of the best selling series ‘Christmas Kisses and Cookies.’ She writes books that feature food and fun and includes her own recipes from her quaint beach café in Malibu.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK


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PUYB Virtual Book Club Presents Marie Drake's You Can't Force Love Book Excerpt Tour - Excerpt 1 @mariedrake72



Title: YOU CAN’T FORCE LOVE
Author: Marie Drake  
Publisher: RedBird Books
Pages: 286  
Genre: Realistic Fiction

“A battered butterfly, he’d build Kimberly up, nurture her strength and watch her return to flight. He repressed the visions dancing in the back of his mind; her naked body brandished red flags and spurred him to stampede. Bulls and butterflies did not mix.”

Jordan Fry’s obsession is born in “You Can’t Force Love” by Marie Drake, Book I in the Locked Hearts Series.

From different towns and social backgrounds, Jordan Fry and Kimberly Orvine experience life-altering abuse, lose a parent and land in the same foster home. Angry, and self-deprecating, fiery redheaded Kimberly is deadset on lousy behavior and suffering the consequences, punishing herself for former sins. Scared by his inner darkness, pyromaniac Jordan has vowed to change for the better. He focuses on Kimberly as the key to his success, but she intends to make him break his promises. Unaware of Jordan’s atrocious actions in the past, she’s dangerously close to unleashing the evil he struggles to contain during their epic battle of wills. Can they both survive?

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon



Book Excerpt #1 –

July 1986
Crescent Hollar Trailer Park
Gloucester City, New Jersey

Fresh, black pavement radiated visible heat; scorched grass crunched beneath Jordan’s feet; sweat drenched his shoulder-length, blonde hair, and it clung to his neck. The mobile home park’s road ended at a small store; he paid twenty-five cents for two ring-shaped lollipops, saved a pink candy, unwrapped a blue one and reclined on a canopy shaded bench.

A black and yellow butterfly fluttered toward him; sunlight clarified its translucent wings and turned it magical, otherworldly. Jordan stared at the creature hovering above his leg. It glided to his knee. Tiny feet danced on his bare skin, a slight tickle. Sparkling like gold dust; glowing, powdery residue transferred on his fingers. Airborn again, impulsively, he reached and knocked it to the ground; one wing beat up and down.

Humming distracted him, and he stepped on the butterfly as he crossed the road. Lily skipped across the grass in pink, canvas sneakers. Her long, cinnamon-colored hair billowed; it tapped her thin, white blouse below her shoulder blades and bounced with each step. A faint halo highlighted her lovely features. Enhanced by sapphire-colored stones in her ears, her blue eyes shined brighter than the butterfly. She smiled. Calescent stomach pain folded him in half. With gritted teeth, he straightened, took a step, smiled back at her, and offered the ring-pop from his pocket.




 



Follow rest of tour here!


Award-winning author, Marie Drake lives in a small town near Lake Ontario with her husband, four sons, and three rescue pups. With many years of experience in the Foster Care community and advocating for other victims and survivors, she specializes in realistic and psychological fiction depicting the lives of abuse sufferers; their obstacles, their triumphs, and their downfalls.


http://www.pumpupyourbook.com

I Am Number 13 by Andra Watkins @andrawatkins #paranormal #historical #fantasy #thriller



I AM NUMBER 13 by Andra Watkins, Paranormal/Historical/Fantasy/Thriller, 275 pp., $16.99 (paperback) $6.99 (kindle)


Title: I AM NUMBER 13
Author: Andra Watkins
Publisher: Word Hermit Press
Pages: 275
Genre: Paranormal Historical Fantasy Thriller Speculative Fiction



When Emmaline Cagney’s father dies on her graduation day, she foregoes college and heads to Honduras to volunteer with Nicaraguan refugees. It’s 1986. The Sandinista-Contra war rages in the jungles all around her. But when General James Wilkinson reenters her life during a hurricane, can she trust him? Or should she flee?

Because of his unsolved death, Wilkinson is stuck in an in-between world called Nowhere, a place he’s always used for his evil designs. Will he stick to his mission to help the Contras? Or will he ditch his mission to finally possess Emmaline?

As they fight to keep refugees safe and American involvement with the Contras secret from Congress, Em and Wilkinson careen toward a showdown that outstrips space and time, a place where nothing she knew about herself is true. And Em must confront the one person she never wanted to see again: her craven mother. Will Emmaline outwit the two people who peddled her childhood innocence before she runs out of time?

I Am Number 13 is the third book in the Nowhere Series, a speculative blend of riveting suspense, forgotten history, and a dash of paranormal fiction. If you like edge-of-your-seat action, compelling characters, and white-knuckle emotion, you’ll love the latest installment in Andra Watkins’ page-turning series.

“Teeming with creativity, Andra writes with grit, wit and lots of heart. She is an earnest, humble storyteller.” Jenny Sanford, former First Lady of South Carolina and NYT best selling author of Staying True

“One of the most imaginative series I’ve ever read!” Jen Mann, NYT Best Selling Author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat

“Edge of your seat to the very end!” Jay Snook, The Good Men Project

Link to book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Number-13-Nowhere-ebook/dp/B07GJ7ZMMR/

Link to book on B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-am-number-13-andra-watkins/1129322081?ean=2940161761410

I US













Andra Watkins is a New York Times best selling author. She is author of five books: To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2014), Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2015; NY Times best seller, week of 18 October 2015); Natchez Trace: Tracks in Time (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2015); Hard to Die (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2016); and her latest, I Am Number 13 (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2018.)

Watkins is a popular motivational speaker and has been booked throughout the United States and internationally in Ecuador and the United Kingdom. She has appeared at Nashville’s Southern Festival of Books and on the faculty of the acclaimed Pike’s Peak Writers Conference. She was also selected as writer-in-residence at Stiwdio Maelor in Corris, Wales; the Trelex Residency in Trelex, Switzerland; and Buinho Creative Hub in Messejana, Portugal. She lives with her husband in Charleston, South Carolina.

Website Address: http://andrawatkins.com/
Twitter Address: https://twitter.com/andrawatkins
Facebook Address: https://www.facebook.com/andrawatkinsauthor/




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I Am Number 13 by Andra Watkins @andrawatkins #paranormal #historical #fantasy #thriller



I AM NUMBER 13 by Andra Watkins, Paranormal/Historical/Fantasy/Thriller, 275 pp., $16.99 (paperback) $6.99 (kindle)


Title: I AM NUMBER 13
Author: Andra Watkins
Publisher: Word Hermit Press
Pages: 275
Genre: Paranormal Historical Fantasy Thriller Speculative Fiction



When Emmaline Cagney’s father dies on her graduation day, she foregoes college and heads to Honduras to volunteer with Nicaraguan refugees. It’s 1986. The Sandinista-Contra war rages in the jungles all around her. But when General James Wilkinson reenters her life during a hurricane, can she trust him? Or should she flee?

Because of his unsolved death, Wilkinson is stuck in an in-between world called Nowhere, a place he’s always used for his evil designs. Will he stick to his mission to help the Contras? Or will he ditch his mission to finally possess Emmaline?

As they fight to keep refugees safe and American involvement with the Contras secret from Congress, Em and Wilkinson careen toward a showdown that outstrips space and time, a place where nothing she knew about herself is true. And Em must confront the one person she never wanted to see again: her craven mother. Will Emmaline outwit the two people who peddled her childhood innocence before she runs out of time?

I Am Number 13 is the third book in the Nowhere Series, a speculative blend of riveting suspense, forgotten history, and a dash of paranormal fiction. If you like edge-of-your-seat action, compelling characters, and white-knuckle emotion, you’ll love the latest installment in Andra Watkins’ page-turning series.

“Teeming with creativity, Andra writes with grit, wit and lots of heart. She is an earnest, humble storyteller.” Jenny Sanford, former First Lady of South Carolina and NYT best selling author of Staying True

“One of the most imaginative series I’ve ever read!” Jen Mann, NYT Best Selling Author of People I Want to Punch in the Throat

“Edge of your seat to the very end!” Jay Snook, The Good Men Project

Link to book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/I-Am-Number-13-Nowhere-ebook/dp/B07GJ7ZMMR/

Link to book on B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-am-number-13-andra-watkins/1129322081?ean=2940161761410





Andra Watkins is a New York Times best selling author. She is author of five books: To Live Forever: An Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2014), Not Without My Father: One Woman’s 444-Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2015; NY Times best seller, week of 18 October 2015); Natchez Trace: Tracks in Time (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2015); Hard to Die (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2016); and her latest, I Am Number 13 (Word Hermit Press LLC, 2018.)

Watkins is a popular motivational speaker and has been booked throughout the United States and internationally in Ecuador and the United Kingdom. She has appeared at Nashville’s Southern Festival of Books and on the faculty of the acclaimed Pike’s Peak Writers Conference. She was also selected as writer-in-residence at Stiwdio Maelor in Corris, Wales; the Trelex Residency in Trelex, Switzerland; and Buinho Creative Hub in Messejana, Portugal. She lives with her husband in Charleston, South Carolina.

Website Address: http://andrawatkins.com/
Twitter Address: https://twitter.com/andrawatkins
Facebook Address: https://www.facebook.com/andrawatkinsauthor/


The Sheltering Palms by Preston Howard #fiction #vbt #historical #satire


THE SHELTERING PALMS by Preston Howard, Fictional Autobiography/Historical Fiction/Satire, 519 pp., $19.99 (paperback) $3.99 (kindle)


Title: THE SHELTERING PALMS
Author:
Preston Howard
Publisher:
Preston Howard Press
Pages: 519
Genre:
Fictional Autobiography/Historical Fiction/Satire



Renowned police labor lawyer, Preston Howard, reached a watershed in his life—a forced retirement from the firm he built from the ground up and a cancer diagnosis. These two events made him take a step back and reflect over a life that had at times been hilarious, irreverent, self-mocking, eerie and even a bit, make that, quite lewd.

A family of unique characters guided the lawyer’s formative years: a bourbon-swilling, brilliant yet flawed grandfather who mentored the young lad in matters of religion, politics and the quest for knowledge; a psychic mother; an oversexed nanny; an aunt and uncle who fought on the front lines of integration; and a fire-balling uncle who got his fifteen minutes of fame in The Show.

Preston Howard first made his mark as a crime-fighting attorney representing the Tucson Police Department. Then he spent over forty illustrious years as a labor lawyer working with police officers and union leaders and handling the gamut of fascinating, high-profile cases across the country and even in other countries.

His many tall yarns might be viewed by some with the greatest suspicion, but his story-telling is undeniably first-class, witty, and absorbing.

PRAISE:

“The best book I’ve ever read about lawyers, cops, and unions.” Bob Helpert, Tucson, Arizona

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Link to book on Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Sheltering-Palms-Preston-Howard-ebook/dp/B07HS2317W/
Link to B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-sheltering-palms-preston-howard/1129662142
Link to Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-sheltering-palms
Link to Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1437685823

I USED TO BE SOMEBODY—when Preston Howard walked down the street, kings and queens would move off to the curb. Okay, so that bit of paraphrased hyperbole, courtesy of George Thorogood, might qualify as excessive, but for sure, when I rode into town, mayors, city managers, and police chiefs became more than a little queasy over what kind of wrath I might bring down on their community.
As senior partner at the highly successful Austin labor law firm of Howard, Diamond, and McGowan, I was invariably the oldest person in any meeting. My partners and co-workers would refer to me as “gramps” or “pappy;” one of them commented that I surely must have been around to vote for Hoover in 1928. If I had actually been alive back then, my vote likely would have been for Al Smith, not that my ballot would have been of any benefit to the man.
I did have the satisfaction that sometimes when my colleagues were not trying to get my goat with the “old man” references, they would call me “Obi-Wan.” At least my long and productive career had earned me Alec Guinness status as an all-knowing legal Jedi knight.
A few years back, I began to acknowledge that the passage of time had worn me down. My work ethic started to diminish; my instincts, always on target before, sometimes failed me; and to their considerable annoyance, I became increasingly testy with colleagues. My partners urged—tactfully at first and then more impolitely—that I go out to pasture. What an irony: I hired this bunch of ungrateful bastards, and then they had the gall to start pushing me aside.
So as I began to seriously consider retirement two years back, The Fates turned my life upside down and made the decision easier to finish up my career. The cancer diagnosis and Social Security eligibility hit me in the gut less than two weeks apart.













Preston Howard spent his entire career working on behalf of police officers, representing them under adverse circumstances, negotiating contracts to improve officers’ benefits and working conditions, and training police union officials in the art of leadership. He has written numerous books and lectured not only in this country but abroad as well.

His latest book is the fictional autobiography/historical fiction/satire, The Sheltering Palms

Website Address:  http://www.prestonhowardauthor.com
Facebook Address: Preston Howard – Author



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Where Wishes Grow...by Chris Sarracini #children #blogtour @chris_sarracini


WHERE WISHES GROW by Chris Sarracini, Children, 56 pp., $18.99 (paperback)



Title: WHERE WISHES GROW
Author: Chris Sarracini
Publisher: Brownridge Publishing
Pages: 56
Genre: Children’s Picture Book



Where Wishes Grow… is the story of eight-year-old Maggie, a pensive and courageous dreamer, whose big heart starts to break when her grandmother becomes bedridden and sick with no recovery in sight. Fortunately Maggie has some wishes in mind to breathe life into Nana and is about to learn the secret for making them come true.

Watching Nana’s health fail has been difficult for Maggie and so now much of her time is spent dreaming up wishes for ways she can help her. Maggie conjures up three wishes for Nana she desperately wants to come true: for Nana to see again to enjoy her favorite beautiful things, for her to walk again to visit her favorite places, and for her to speak again so that she and Maggie can sing their favorite songs. The problem is, with wishes this important, Maggie wants to be sure she can realize them; wishing upon stars that may be long dead or relying on birthday candle hoopla just won’t cut it. Thankfully, Maggie’s mother knows the secret for turning wishes into reality…you’ve got to write each wish down and then go plant each one in just the right place. And, as Maggie discovers, retelling the story of how each wish was planted turns out to be the most magical part.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon





Chris Sarracini has been working in the comic book and film industries for over 15 years. In addition to writing for a number of successful comic book favorites including TRANSFORMERS, STREET FIGHTER and DARK MINDS, his own creations include FATE OF THE BLADE and CASA NOSTRA. As a screenwriter, he has worked with Universal Pictures, Disney and Nasser Entertainment. His most recent publication is the children’s picture book WHERE WISHES GROW…

Chris lives with his family in Toronto where he continues to create and write.

Website Address: www.chrissarracini.com
Twitter Address: www.twitter.com/chris_sarracini



http://www.pumpupyourbook.com

50 Ways To Get Your Way by Juliet Huck @juliethuck #nonfiction #vbt


50 WAYS TO GET YOUR WAY by Juliet Huck, Motivational/Nonfiction, 120 pp., $14.95 (paperback)


Title: 50 WAYS TO GET YOUR WAY
Author: Juliet Huck
Publisher: The Huck Group
Pages: 120
Genre: Motivational/Nonfiction


50 Ways to Get Your Way by Juliet Huck Promotes the Art of Persuading Others Using the Simple Power of Commonsense Values
In 50 WAYS TO GET YOUR WAY, Juliet Huck shares the lessons she learned while growing up on her family’s farm in rural Ohio—values such as being grateful, nurturing relationships, and listening intently, which she used to build a successful career as a persuasion strategist working with corporate clients and on high-profile legal cases. Huck teaches readers how to be persuasive in a manner that is honorable and respectful, while making genuine human connections.
The tools Huck shares in 50 WAYS TO GET YOUR WAY are familiar, but the author notes that many of these values are missing in the current social climate. Using beautiful images (many photographed by the author) and conversational prose, Huck encourages readers to commit to a practice of awareness—of self and others—and guides them through the dance of building relationships that will help them achieve their goals. While all of the pearls of wisdom presented in 50 WAYS TO GET YOUR WAY are essential ingredients for developing into a solid human being, several offer the building blocks for becoming an exceptional person who gets what he or she wants. Being empathetic by learning what other people find meaningful, paying attention to the effect that one’s tone can have on others, telling a compelling story, letting go of expectations to minimize disappointment, and understanding the importance of clarity when asking for assistance or sharing plans are just a few of the gems that Huck examines in her book.

Huck acknowledges that the principles outlined in 50 WAYS TO GET YOUR WAY are not “rocket science”; however, she believes they are timely. “Observing the current environment, I could not sit back and be silent about how we are treating each other—especially when we need something from someone else. I felt instead of fighting with others, it is time to remind us of the beautiful things that can connect us,” Huck said.
50 WAYS TO GET YOUR WAY was written with the intention of helping people fulfill their personal and professional needs by mastering the art of making genuine connections.

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Amazon


The Declaration of Persuasion
Persuasion in NOT a call to action – it is a directed action
It is time to break up the myth that persuasion is
a call to action. To “call” is to “invite.” This puts all
the power in someone else’s hands. While to “direct”
is to “control.” This is the ultimate way to give you
the power you need to get what you want. Inviting
someone to do something allows them to say no. You
must lead or direct them to what you want in simple
words, statistics and/or visuals proportional to the
magnitude of your need. Think of a traffic cop. They
are not inviting you to take their direction. You are
clearly persuaded to do what they want you to do
as they are in control. Moving someone to decide
in your favor is not always easy but there are steps
which you can take that will get you what you want.
Carry on!










Juliet Huck is an expert in persuasive communications with 25 years of experience. She was born in Marietta, Ohio, and holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. During her career, she has worked with the US Department of Justice for the Enron litigation, Exxon Mobil, Boeing, and law firms, such as O’Melveny and Myers, Kirkland and Ellis, and King and Spalding, among other high-profile clients. Juliet is the author of 50 Ways to Get Your Way and The Equation of Persuasion: Securing Decisions in Your Favor.

Her latest book, 50 Ways to Get Your Way, offers insights for skillfully using persuasion in work and in life by forming meaningful relationships. It is the first book in a series that will teach readers how to get what they want in all facets of their lives.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

AUTHOR WEBSITE | BOOK WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK |

INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | LINKEDIN



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