Wednesday, May 17, 2023

"Super Doople" by K.A. Cummins

 

About the Book

Book: Super Doople

Author:K.A. Cummins

Genre:Picture Book

Release date: May 4, 2023

You’ve heard the legend of Humpty Dumpty, but do you know the legend of Super Doople? He’s faster than a chicken. He flies higher than an ostrich. No fall can break his shell! And he was once Little Doople, a small and fragile egg like all the other dooples, until his bad habit of not listening caught up to him.

Engaging text with expressive illustrations, Super Doople is a lighthearted tale about resilience and learning to listen. This funny picture book for ages 3-8 is perfect for reading aloud in the classroom or at home.

 

Click here to get your copy!
Author Interview 

1. Do you set a plot or prefer going wherever an idea takes
you?
In the words of the infamous Star-Lord, “A bit of both.”
Between brainstorming and drafting, I develop a plot and expand
it into a detailed outline. But even with a detailed outline,
drafting is a process of discovery. It’s like bringing a blurry
picture into focus: the details aren’t initially clear and sometimes
you realize the result isn’t what you expected.

2.  Do you pen down revelations and ideas as you get them,
right then and there?
If it’s dialogue or an idea I feel certain about, I usually do. It
depends on what I’m doing. Stray envelopes and receipts have
made into the draft pile.

3.How long does it usually take you to write a book?
It depends on the number of rewrites. Not including my first
book, which took several years to finish, I average three to four
months to create a draft from a detailed outline, and about half
that to edit it. But all my stories have had at least three, if not
more, different versions. Super Doople included, for both the
text and the illustrations. Picture books are like creating two
books to tell one story: a book of words and a book of pictures.

4. Where do you get your ideas for your books?
I’m a kid at heart, and usually find inspiration by connecting with
nature, observing details in things big and small, or from
science. I love to explore the possibilities that exist all around
us.

5. Do bits of yourself/friends show up in your characters?
My characters are fictional, but I’ve learned as an autistic writer
who writes non-autistic characters that a writer’s perspective
and experiences shape their creations. Even if they are
intentional about creating something far removed from
themselves. I’ve looked back at stories, after they’re out in the
world and some time has passed, only to notice there are
familiar bits of real life scattered in them.

About the Author

K.A. Cummins is an author and an artist. She explores storytelling in a variety of mediums, blending the wonders of science with the possibilities of what if. When not crafting stories, Cummins loves spending time with her family, collecting fun socks, and venturing outside her comfort zone to try new things—at least once!

Connect with her through her website at https://authorkacummins.com, where you can sign up for emails about upcoming releases.

 

More from K.A. Cummins

“Super Doople” started with a comic sketch and the idea of what if a scientist put Humpty Dumpty back together again? At first, it was more for fun and to explore creating comics. In fact, in the first version, he bounced like a ball when he hit the ground.

 

But the idea stuck! I continued to gravitate back to it, enjoying the exploration of telling a story with words and drawings. Many sketches and several versions later, the character became Little Doople, a hopeful and determined boy with a dream of flying who, through a series of events, transforms into Super Doople.

 

It’s been so much fun working with Little Doople, especially having our youngest son engaged with the story. Our youngest is sixteen now and has a talented eye for design. He’s one of the first people I ask for art critiques (the other being my husband). He even helped me come up with the name doople, for both the character and the egg-people in the story. We brainstormed in the car on a two-hour drive home.

 

The joy of creating this story, and from the story itself, has become its own source of inspiration. I haven’t stopped brainstorming more story ideas for Little Doople. I’ve even started plotting some of them, but those are under wraps for now.

 

However, being a homeschool mom and former educator in other forms, I wanted to share a free educational resource to go along with “Super Doople.” So I’ve put together a few science egg-periments, activities, and coloring pages suitable for younger children that’s available for FREE on my TpT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Doople-Science-Hands-on-Learning-Activities-9145443.

 

Hope you and your children enjoy reading “Super Doople.”

Blog Stops

Pause for Tales, May 13

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 14

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 15

Texas Book-aholic, May 16

Blossoms and Blessings, May 17 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 17

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 18

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 19

Lily’s Book Reviews, May 20

Cover Lover Book Review, May 21

Beauty in the Binding, May 22 (Author Interview)

The Life We Build, May 22

debs book review, May 23

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, May 24

A Reader’s Brain, May 25 (Author Interview)

Simple Harvest Reads, May 26

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, K.A. is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/25f5f/super-doople-celebration-tour-giveaway

"Persuade Me Not" by Joanne Markey

 

About the Book

Book: Persuade Me Not

Author: Joanne Markey

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: April 4, 2023

Forgiveness is only a prayer away… or is it?

As the oldest daughter at Kellynch Station, Elizabeth Elliot prides herself on her exemplary public image. In fact, women could learn a thing or two by following her example—her public example.

There are things Liz doesn’t want known, and she guards them closely. In fact, keeping everyone except her best friend from ever seeing the truth behind her impenetrable facade is the only thing she can control.

Enter Michael Page. Unassuming and too stubborn for his own good, Mick bucks trend by bringing sheep back to cattle country. Just a small flock at first, but their numbers are growing. There’s just one problem to deal with now. Liz Elliot.

With all her airs and fancy ways, and the unreasonable demands she makes of the town and its people, Liz is a walking antagonism. Maybe he should’ve stayed home after that first meeting, but something keeps bringing him back. If nothing else, someone has to foil her outrageous attempts to do who-knows-what with the town.

Then a carefully worded slip of the tongue hints at a mystery that might be worth digging into.

As the truth comes to light, and Liz’s carefully crafted world comes crashing down, who can either of them trust?

 

Click here to get your copy!

Author Interview 

Do you set a plot or prefer going wherever an idea takes you?
I am definitely a pantser, letting the plot take me where it wants to go. Only
once have I tried to plot the storyline from start to finish and along the way
the story kept going off script. I had to fight to keep it going the way it
needed to go, and I only did that because the book was a mashup (yes, I’m
talking about Persuade Me here!) and needed to have recognizable elements
of the original story woven throughout. It’s much easier to write if all I
need to do is find a good starting point and an end point. From there I can
let the story lead the way from one to the other.

What, according to you, is the hardest thing about writing?
Marketing. Finding new readers is hard work. It also means putting myself
out there, reaching out to people I don’t know and most likely won’t ever
meet. For an introverted introvert who really doesn’t like peopling, that can
be super hard.

What would you say is the easiest aspect of writing?
The writing part itself. The first book I read that sparked my imagination
was Anne of Green Gables. I was eleven at the time and can still remember
letting my mind wander, conjuring up stories of my own where I was the
heroine in Anne’s world. Since then, my imagination has only gotten more
vivid. It’s never a matter of thinking of a story to write, but more figuring
out which story to write.

Do you pen down revelations and ideas as you get them, right then and
there?
I should. I don’t. And because I don’t, I always forget the best parts
afterwards. I tell myself I’ll never again let a good idea go unwritten, but
the next time it happens I am certain that this is the time I’ll remember.
And I don’t. So all the best things I could add to my books are forgotten by
the time I’m done doing the dishes, or whatever I’m doing when
inspiration strikes.

Do you need to be in a specific place or room to write, or you can just sit
in the middle of a café full of people and write?
Thankfully, I can write anywhere, anytime. We have seven kids who are
homeschooled, so the house is always full and busy. Staying up half the
night isn’t possible for me, so I had to learn pretty early on that if I wanted
to write during the day, I had to tune the noise and activity out. Now I can
be doing just about anything, or be anywhere, and can pull my phone out
and start or continue working on a chapter.


About the Author

Originally from Australia, Joanne Markey now lives in Ohio with her husband and seven children. When she’s not reading or writing, you might find her wandering the property with her kids in search of whatever seasonal treasure they’re trying to find.

 

More from Joanne

I don’t remember exactly when it was that I first started thinking about writing Persuade Me Not. I know I was still writing Persuade Me, the first book in the Daughters of the Bush seriesAt the time I started writing, I only planned to write one book in that setting. However, the more I wrote, the more I thought about the other characters. And somewhere along the way, I started thinking that, if Liz ever got her happily-ever-after, it would have to be with someone unexpected.

That idea slowly took hold. It would have to be a man as unlike her father as it was possible to be. Someone humble and down-to-earth. Someone with both the integrity to dig deeper to find the truth, and the stubbornness to knock down all the walls Liz had put up.

Right about then I came across an interesting coffee table book about old shearing sheds in Australia. Being an Aussie living in the US and finding that book on the shelves in a store here meant I instantly bought it. And after flicking through the pages, another idea started to form… 

At one point in time, Clermont—the town where my book is set—had a substantial wool industry. Which meant sheep. Which meant it could theoretically be possible for there to be a run-down shearing shed on one of the cattle stations in that area. And, to Walter Elliot, what could be worse than running sheep in cattle country? 

As far as Walter Elliott is concerned, he is a cattleman with a long and illustrious heritage. Therefore, only those who emulated his lifestyle would be worthy of the attention of his daughter. (Obviously, no other man would rise to the heights of perfection as he, but they could try.)

 I don’t know if there are any sheep in the Clermont area now, but if there are, they’re not a big thing. I don’t remember ever seeing any when I lived there as a kid. It was cattle country, and sheep were something we saw when we were driving to visit my grandparents in Victoria (south of the dingo fence, in other words). 

With all of that in mind, if, for the sake of the story, one man brought sheep back… and that one man ended up being stubborn and determined to uncover the truth… we’d have a book.

And that is how Persuade Me Not came to be.

Blog Stops

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 5

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 6

Simple Harvest Reads, May 7 (Author Interview)

Christina’s Corner, May 7

Texas Book-aholic, May 8

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, May 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 10

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 11

Artistic Nobody, May 12 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, May 12

Guild Master, May 13 (Author Interview)

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, May 14 (Author Interview)

For the Love of Literature, May 15 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, May 16

Blossoms and Blessings, May 17 (Author Interview)

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, May 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Joanne is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/25ca5/persuade-me-not-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, May 15, 2023

"Expired Promise" by Emilie Haney

About the Book


Fire. Family. Faith.
A female fire-fighter and a hero ATF agent get a second chance at love, but when she's targeted, will the secrets of the past destroy them?


She’ll stop at nothing to protect her family.

Probie fire-fighter and EMT Andi Crawford loves her job, but when her family becomes the target of a dangerous drug cartel, she’ll have to choose between firefighting and protecting her family.

Even if that means accepting help from the one man who broke her heart.

The last thing he wants is to return home…

Superstar ATF Agent Jude Brooks never thought he’d return to Last Chance County—and especially not to uncover information about the Crawford family, the family who rescued him as a teen. The last person he wants to see is Andi…mostly because of the love he still has for her.

But working together to uncover the truth ignites all their old feelings and suddenly, he has to decide…the love he can’t forget, or a future he wants.

But what happens when the past shows up to destroy it all…

A romantic second chance at love suspense with a strong-but-wounded hero, a woman in danger, a found family and a fight for justice with a surprise twist!


Another riveting Last Chance County romantic suspense!

 

My Thoughts

I enjoyed reading this book. It was fun to see characters from the other books in the series. Andi and Jude felt like real people that I'd be able to go and visit. I had some ideas that I thought might be going on and I was partially right, but there were plenty of twists that I didn't expect. I found the book to be well written and easy to read. There was a nice biblical faith thread and the characters grew. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.


About the Author

Emilie Haney grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has a love for the outdoors that matches her love for the written word. She turned her passion for stories toward writing at an early age, finding entertainment and adventure in made-up worlds fed by the books her parents read to her as a child. Now, she's still getting lost in those worlds but they are of her own making.Emilie writes contemporary fiction with strong themes of romance and suspense and believes that--no matter what--love fights for what's right. 





"Expired Promise" is available in paperback:

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sunrise Publishing (May 14, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 316 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1953783457
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1953783455
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.79 x 8.5 inches

and in Kindle edition:

  • SIN ‏ : ‎ B0BJB97ZJ3
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sunrise Publishing (May 16, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 16, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3580 KB

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.

Saturday, May 13, 2023

"Rocky Mountain Rendezvous" by Misty M. Beller

About the Book

Book: Rocky Mountain Rendezvous

Author: Misty M. Beller

Genre: Christian Historical Romance

Release date: June 6, 2023

In 1837, Juniper Collins and her sisters are shocked by their father’s final request in his will for a special set of beads to be returned to a Piegan Blackfoot woman he credits with saving his life during his travels west. Together, the sisters set out for the trapper rendezvous to find the woman, but their mission turns more daunting when they come upon the mass of men and lodges spread out in the Green River Valley.

Riley Turner came west to find peace and quiet and live off the land, but when four unprotected women arrive at the rendezvous, he feels compelled to help them and is more fascinated by Juniper than any other woman he’s known.

As their search brings only empty leads and dead ends, the sisters must decide whether to return east or stay in the mountains to continue looking–and that’s if the mystery woman is even still alive. Is the risk to honor their father’s last request worth the danger they find at every turn?

Discover the majesty–and treachery–of the Rocky Mountains in this unique combination of exhilarating adventure, inspiring faith, and sweet romance from USA Today bestselling author Misty M. Beller.


My Thoughts 

I enjoyed reading this first book in a new series of books by Misty M. Beller. I liked the sisters and their bond with each other. The romance happens quickly, but it didn't feel rushed. I found the book to be well written and easy to read. There were some twists to the story. One I suspected, but others were unexpected. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. 


Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Misty M. Beller is a USA Today bestselling author of romantic mountain stories, set on the 1800s frontier and woven with the truth of God’s love.

Raised on a farm and surrounded by family, Misty developed her love for horses, history, and adventure. These days, her husband and children provide fresh adventure every day, keeping her both grounded and crazy.

Misty’s passion is to create inspiring Christian fiction infused with the grandeur of the mountains, writing historical romance that displays God’s abundant love through the twists and turns in the lives of her characters.

Sharing her stories with readers is a dream come true for Misty. She writes from her country home in South Carolina and escapes to the mountains any chance she gets.

 

More from Misty

What IS a trapper rendezvous?

Rocky Mountain Rendezvous is the story of four sisters who head west to accomplish their father’s deathbed request—return a special set of beads to a Blackfoot woman who saved his life during his travels west two decades earlier. The sisters head west with the supply wagons bound for the 1837 trapper rendezvous to find the native woman. But the sight that greeted them in the Green River Valley (in modern-day Wyoming) was nothing like they expected!

Men EVERYWHERE!

Supply wagons would come from the east every summer, and mountain men and natives would come from all throughout the Rockies to trade furs for the supplies they’d need in the coming year. This was usually the only opportunity for trading each year, so EVERYONE came and the camp stretched for miles. This was a great time for friends to catch up, and the festivities always included a great deal of drinking and horse racing. The rendezvous was a sight to behold!

In Rocky Mountain Rendezvous, Riley Turner is one of the trappers at the meet-up, and he realizes immediately what kind of danger the ladies are in from unscrupulous men in the crowd. He helps them with their search, and they find so much more than they expected along the way!

Each book in this series will take place during a different year, featuring a different rendezvous. Definitely fodder for fun stories. I pray you love this first book as the Collins sisters embark on the search of a lifetime. 

Blessings!

Misty

Blog Stops

A Baker’s Perspective, May 3

Jeanette’s Thoughts, May 3

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, May 4

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, May 4

Texas Book-aholic, May 5

By the Book, May 5

Locks, Hooks and Books, May 6

Connie’s History Classroom, May 7

The Book Club Network, May 7

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, May 8 (Author Interview)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, May 8

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, May 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, May 9

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 10

Karen Baney Reviews, May 10

Daysong Reflections, May 11

Books You Can Feel Good About, May 11

Betti Mace, May 12

For the Love of Literature, May 12

Blossoms and Blessings, May 13

Life, Love, Writing, May 13

Tell Tale Book Reviews , May 14

Mary Hake, May 14

For Him and My Family, May 15

Holly’s Book Corner, May 15

Pause for Tales, May 16

To Everything There Is A Season , May 16

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Misty is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/25ca2/rocky-mountain-rendezvous-celebration-tour-giveaway 


I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.