My pick this week for Waiting on Wednesday is My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris! Rachel has been featured on the blog before, and she is awesome. I actually have an ARC of this, and I am excited to start reading it as soon as I get a chance.
My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century by Rachel Harris Expected publication: September 11, 2012 by Entangled Teen
On the precipice of her
sixteenth birthday, the last thing lone wolf Cat Crawford wants is an
extravagant gala thrown by her bubbly stepmother and well-meaning
father. So even though Cat knows the family’s trip to Florence, Italy,
is a peace offering, she embraces the magical city and all it offers.
But when her curiosity leads her to an unusual gypsy tent, she exits . .
. right into Renaissance Firenze.
Thrust into the
sixteenth century armed with only a backpack full of contraband future
items, Cat joins up with her ancestors, the sweet Alessandra and
protective Cipriano, and soon falls for the gorgeous aspiring artist
Lorenzo. But when the much-older Niccolo starts sniffing around, Cat
realizes that an unwanted birthday party is nothing compared to an
unwanted suitor full of creeptastic amore.
Can she find her way back to modern times before her Italian adventure turns into an Italian forever?
By
M.C.V. Egan is a paranormal, historical romance based on true events from 1939.
The story is presented through the eyes of a young couple in present day London and by a woman in Florida who is the obsessed granddaughter of
one of the men who lost their lives that day. The book is carefully footnoted
so that any curious reader can find the file, book or newspaper where all of
the information is found. The journey for the reader is through the possibility
of the paranormal in the use of past-life regressions documented from a source
who today requests to remain anonymous, as well as from various psychics and a
Peruvian Shaman. The journey through the paranormal is as compelling as the
journey through the well-known and little known events leading up to WW II.
The Event
On
the morning of Tuesday August 15th 1939 a passenger plane from
British Airways LTD left London, England en route to Stockholm, Sweden.
The G-AESY Lockheed Electra 10A was to make two stops on its way to Stockholm; Hamburg, Germany and Copenhagen, Denmark.
The plane and passengers never made it to the latter and the pilot was the only
survivor that day when five deaths were reported.
My Maternal
Grandfather
Amongst
the dead was my maternal grandfather, Cesar Agustin Castillo; a 42-year-old
bio-chemical engineer who worked for Standard Oil of New Jersey, the most
fascinating man I never met. Surrounded by his collection of books in
mysterious languages, his carefully bound collection of National Geographic
magazines from the 1930s and a wide array of other mementos, he was as well the
most important relative I never met.As
I embarked on a quest for answers and stories surrounding his life, but more so
his death, I discovered that the other men on board became important to me as
well, and so I researched them as well as best I could. The easiest to research
was Anthony Crommelin Crossley, poet, politician, athlete and fisherman.
The Politician
As
an English Member of Parliament at the time of his death, this 36-year-old man
left an astonishing amount of ‘footprints in the sands of time’ from all his
endeavors. Found only as a footnote in most history books as one of the
anti-appeasers during the Munich Pact of 1938 or as a blatant lie in the pages
of the infamous David Irving book Churchill’s War. Anthony Crossley was
visible in numerous events, some of which are still relevant to the world
today. Anthony Crommelin Crossley was the sole voice for the Arab cause during
the 1930s discussions in regards to The Palestinian Territories. He aptly
predicted in 1932 exactly how WW II would begin through the Polish
Corridor. Interacted with Generalissimo Franco in Spain and as a
Catholic had ties to the Holy See. It is difficult to understand how such a man
could have fallen through the proverbial cracks of history.
The Paranormal
The
book is presented as a paranormal love story in which a young couple opens
their mind to the possibility of past lives and as such finds that they are
linked to the events of August 15th 1939. The search takes this
young couple to some of the archives I used for my research in the UK, The National Archives at Kew, the Colindale
Newspaper Archives in London and the British
Airways Archives, at the time located in South Hounslow,
near Heathrow. Where I spent the better part of June in 1996 copying by hand
every piece of paper from the file due to the fear that I may be opening a ‘can
of worms’ I was not allowed to photocopy the files that year.
The Romance
The
young couple Bill and Maggie’s search helps them find a woman across the Atlantic who is obsessed to find out what happened that
day, the day her grandfather died. The woman is that small part in my
complicated and full life, that small part, which focused only on this story, I
am a busy married parent, whereas she is so consumed by the story that there is
room for nothing else in her little life. She is alone and surrounded by her
files and books as if they were the people in her life. Her five corpses are
her friends. She too has sought the help of the paranormal in her search.
The Search
Making
good use of today’s technology and the information superhighway, I allowed the
characters to get the answers to their questions in an interesting and
interactive way. I love when my readers tell me what conclusions they formed
and how they felt they were in search of history and search of philosophies
themselves. The Bridge of Deaths carefully analyzes the data from the
autopsies reluctantly performed twice in Denmark so that the reader also
gets his/her CSI investigator type of rush. The information is presented and
questioned, but the reader is given the benefit of expert opinions from a noted
pathologist in South Florida as alternate
possibilities. The point of the book is that while informing and entertaining
the reader, the windows of possibilities and conclusions are at the end for
each an every-one who enjoys the book to make.
M.C.V. Egan lives in South Florida with her husband and teenage son. She
is fluent in four languages; English,Spanish,French and Swedish. From a
young age became determined to solve the 'mystery' of her grandfather's
death, she has researched this story for almost two decades. The story
has taken her to Denmark, England and unconventional world of past lives
and psychics.
Mrs. Tuesday's Departure Book Blast - $100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway - August 14th to 21st.
Mrs. Tuesday's Departure by Suzanne Anderson
February 2012 by Henry and George Press
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…
Hungary's fragile alliance with Germany kept Natalie, a renowned children’s book author, and her family out of harm's way for most of the war. Now as the Führer's desperation grows during the waning years of the conflict, so does its threat. Natalie's younger sister, Ilona, married a Jewish man, putting both her and her young daughter, Mila, in peril; Natalie's twin sister, Anna, is losing her already tenuous hold on reality. As the streets of Budapest thrum with the pounding boots of Nazi soldiers, danger creeps to the doorstep where Natalie shields them all.
Ilona and her husband take the last two tickets to safety for themselves, abandoning Natalie to protect Anna and Mila from the encroaching danger. Anna's paranoid explosion at a university where was once a professor, sparked by delusions over an imagined love triangle, threatens their only other chance for escape. Ultimately, Natalie is presented with a choice no one should ever have to make; which of her family will she save?
An inspirational story of faith and family, strength and weakness, and the ultimate triumph of love over hate. Mrs. Tuesday’s Departure demonstrates the power of faith to light even the most harrowing darkness.
I was born in Fort Lauderdale, attended the University of Michigan on an
athletic scholarship for swimming and then worked on Wall Street. I left
the bright lights of the big city fifteen years ago and traveled the
world. I now live in the mountains of Colorado, where I pursue my dream
of writing novels.
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
Abby Long is thrilled
when she offers the winning bid for an antique desk at an auction. With
its intricately inlaid woods and elegant style, the desk is perfect for
Abby; it is the gift she promised herself to finally celebrate her
thriving antique business. She has no idea that the antique desk holds a
secret that will lead her on a fascinating, life-changing journey back
in time.
When Abby discovers a hidden diary stuffed inside a
secret compartment in the desk, she can hardly wait to read the spidery,
faded script. As she carefully turns the tattered pages, she reads the
captivating story of two remarkable women from opposite backgrounds who
somehow manage to form an unforgettable bond against the backdrop of a
fledgling America struggling to find its place in the world. Elizabeth
Kortright Monroe, the wife of James Monroe, and Jasmine, a young slave
girl, develop an extraordinary relationship as they are united by
pivotal historic events, political intrigues, and personal tragedies.
From
a bucolic Virginia plantation to the bloodied, starving streets of
post-revolutionary Paris, this powerful tale follows the lives of two
courageous women from the past as they quietly influence—and inspire—a
woman of today’s world.
Many Authors See Marketing as a Bind Guest Post by Marilyn Holdsworth
Many authors see marketing as a
bind. I believe that for a true artist, anything that takes time away
from her art, in this case, creative writing, is lost time. That said,
if she wants to become known as an author, she must take some time to
promote her books. There is nothing that can substitute for personal
involvement in the marketing. No one else has the intimate knowledge of
her work needed to make a promotion successful. This is not to say she
should not hire professional publicists, web designers and others to
help. Indeed this is to be encouraged to the extent the budget permits.
However, the author must maintain final say before any program is
launched. It is important for authors to use all the media at their
disposal. That includes email campaigns to properly targeted readers,
radio interviews, book fairs, book signings, giveaways, direct
advertising in newspapers and appropriate magazines.
In today's world, coverage in the
social network is essential. Authors must use the social network
judiciously, not merely as a forum to promote their books. They need to
join groups, contribute to conversations and offer help and advice to
others. It is important to select groups that will relate well to the
author's topic. For instance, if she has written a horse story, she
joins groups that favor horses. Find authors whose work you like and
offer to review their books. Many times they will reciprocate. It is
important to obtain as many review as possible.
While marketing is not what I love
to do, I have learned that it is vital to a book's success, and for us
indie authors, that means a lot of hard work.
About the author:
Marilyn Holdsworth graduated from Occidental College, where she majored
in literature and history. She has traveled extensively in France and
currently is a Huntington Library Fellow. Marilyn is a descendant of
James Monroe, has visited Monroe's Virginia residence, and conducted
research at the James Monroe Museum. She currently lives in Southern
California.
A World Without Books... Guest Post by Hillary E. Peak
A world without books is a world without
possibility. It is a world with
limits. It is a sad and friendless
place. For books to me are friends,
endless possibilities and worlds that I never knew existed.
I cannot imagine a world where I cannot
read a book. I would be lost, alone and
scared. Books have guided me
forever. They have given me information,
fun, laughter and tears. Many of the
books I’ve read have stayed with me. I
can still shed tears for the dogs lost in Where the Red Fern Grows. I can remember coming out of my bedroom at
about four in the morning sobbing after finishing Love Story.
My childhood world involved going to visit
Narnia, talking to trees, finding treasures, walking in witch’s boots and
solving all sorts of mysteries. I
learned about the world through books.
Books gave me the chance to meet new people and be inspired by their
greatness, like Winston Churchill or Helen Keller. Lessons of hardship in the frontier or the
loss of loved ones to the evils of this world made me aware of how great
freedom really is.
The classics were thrilling to me when I
was in high school. I fell in love with
Gatsby. I longed for the romance of Jane
Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. In my
books I traveled to far away placed, visited strange lands and got a view into
time periods of time.
Books have made traveling a breeze for
me. I’m actually excited to get to sit
in an airport and read a great book. A
great story is a place to go and a time for me to explore something, somewhere
or someone new.
A world without books? For me, I think that really might be my worst
nightmare.
About the book: Wings of Hope by Hillary E. Peak
The bond of a father and
daughter is special. When Jules father asks her to come be stay with
him because he's terminally ill, she goes for the remarkable opportunity
to really know her father. She never dreamed he had liberated a
concentration camp, dealt cards to Bugsy Siegel or saved the life of a
Black Panther. Wings of Hope takes you on a road trip through the
memories of a man making peace with his life through his conversations
with his daughter. Teaching her that death is sometimes the most
heartbreakingly beautiful part of life.
Hope is the last gift of a
father to his daughter--the power to reach for her dreams.
Hillary Peak is an author (but government lawyer by day).
She is a recovering idealist. She became a lawyer to change the world and is still somewhat shocked that didn’t occur. Now, her goal is to retire
from practicing law and write novels that people love.
She started with topics she knew–shared experiences of hating her job,
searching for something more meaningful and losing a loved one.
She is moving on to writing legal thrillers. Her first one will be out before the end of 2012.
