The Spinster, the Rebel and the Governor by Charlene Bell Dietz

 It's a book tour and this book looks to be dynamite. Plus, there are prizes to be won. Like? Charlene Bell Dietz will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Want more chances to win? Then follow the tour. You can do that here: https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2022/11/blurb-blitz-spinster-rebel-governor-by.html

The Spinster, the Rebel & the Governor

by Charlene Bell Dietz

                                                  
Move over Susan B. Anthony. There’s an unsung woman asking for the vote 224 years before you. In 1638-1648 Margaret Brent, fighting for justice became a voice in court for others, educated and Indian princess, built a fort and saved pre-colonial Maryland from destruction. The American Bar Association each year honors select women attorneys, such as Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sandra Day O’Connor with their Margaret Brent Award.

NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99.

Now for An Excerpt: 

“Maryland provokes my ill manners.” Fulke paced the kitchen floor as he talked. “We need women who are willing to marry. There are no wives to be had.”

“Take heart, brother,” Giles said, “maybe the next ship will bring some pretty ladies for us.”

Hesitant to speak, but then doing so, Margaret said, “Fulke, if it’s not beneath your standards, Mary and I would release any of our four maids from their servitude, any of which I am certain would agree to marry you.”

Fulke shook his head. “None are well born. These types of marriages only bring strife.”

Mary leaned over to him. “Sweet brother, our city has a couple of widows. Have you thought about courting them?”

“Like the Widow Hawley?” He glowered at her. “I would never choose her to be your sister-in-law—let alone live with that woman.”

His brother laughed and said, “Patience, Fulke. There’s still hope.”

“Giles, didn’t you listen to what our sisters said about the indentures becoming freemen? These young kids of four years ago are about to become freemen of age—looking for wives. They already outnumber their masters, who also want wives. I’m too old for all this waiting around. I need a loving wife who will bear me children.”

“Hold fast.” Giles said, “See what the next ship brings. Imagine some golden-haired beauty with a winsome smile strolling down the gangplank. Think of her pretty little shoes, stepping daintily onto our Maryland’s soil. When she looks around the gathered crowd to find a husband and sees your handsome face, she will swoon into your arms. A ship from England will arrive any day now.”

“Good.” Fulke strode to the door.

Then he swung around and pointed his finger at Margaret.

“Why Father thought I needed protect you, Margaret, I have no idea. It’s not you who need protection. Anyone you judge to be on the wrong side of right—they need protection. I shall leave on the next ship back to England.”

About the Author: 

Charlene Bell Dietz writes science and historical-suspense, award-winning mystery novels and short stories. Her award-winning short stories have been published in the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers 2016 Anthology and SouthWest Writers 2019 Anthology. The Flapper, the Scientist, and the Saboteur combines family saga with corporate espionage. The Flapper, the Impostor, and the Stalker propels readers back into 1923 frenetic Chicago during the Roaring Twenties. Both these novels were named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2018, and each won the coveted Kirkus Starred Review. Her latest novel, The Scientist, the Psychic, and the Nut, gives readers a frightening Caribbean vacation. Her current work in progress, a biographical historical novel, starts in England in 1638 and ends in precolonial Maryland. 

Charlene, a retired educator, traveled the United States as a consultant for Houghton Mifflin Publishers after a career of teaching little ones, older ones, and college graduates. Surrounded by forests and meadows, she currently lives in the foothills of the mountains in central NM several miles from the small village of Torreon. Charlene is the current president of Croak & Dagger, New Mexico Chapter of Sisters in Crime. She belongs to Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Rocky Mountain Mystery Writers, Mystery Writers of America, and SouthWest Writers. 

Connect with Charlene on Facebook, https://inkydancestudios.com/ or chardietzpen@gmail.com

https://www.amazon.com/Spinster-Rebel-Governor-Pre-Colonial-1638-1648/dp/194521239X

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VBT Rebirth of a Sage by Lani Gonzales

Lani Gonzales will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Want more chances to win? Then follow the tour. You can do that here: https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2022/10/vbt-rebirth-of-sage-by-lani-gonzales.html

Rebirth of a Sage
by Lani Gonzales

                                         

A TRANSFORMATIONAL MEMOIR OF LOVE AND LIGHT.

In Lani Gonzales' intimate self-help debut, Rebirth of a Sage, readers meet the woman she was when she discovered ayahuasca and commenced her journey toward spiritual rejuvenation. Panicked, fearful, and drained, she hoped for an escape for both her and the lonely little girl she'd buried inside. Guided by the Shamans and supported by friends she made along the way, her cleanse progressed one ceremony at a time, culminating in a state of pure spiritual refinement.

Through eleven soul-stirring chapters enriched with enlightenment and healing, readers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions as they journey with Lani. A heartwarming chronicle ensues, traversing the blissful highs and devastating lows she faced along her way to rebirth. Unburying her darkest demons, she inspires us to do the same, gradually weaving threads of transformation and encouraging us to reconnect and reignite the divine flame within our souls.

Now for an Interview with the Author!

Describe yourself in three words.

 Intellectually curious.  Compassionate.  Intuitive.

Cast your book. Tell us who would play the main characters in a movie and why (send pictures!).

Rebirth of a Sage shares the story, my story, of a first generation Asian American.  I would love for Lucy Liu to be the star of the movie.

What’s your favorite love scene from a movie?

I love the scene in Love Actually when Mark stands in front of the house with giant notecards declaring his love.  His shared his love without reservation and without expectation.   

What’s your wildest fantasy?

Eating dessert for breakfast, lunch and dinner without gaining wait or diabetes. 

If you were to lose one of your senses, which would you rather lose and why?

I’d pick my sense of smell.  It would make it easier to tolerate a crowded subway.

What is the naughtiest thing you did as a kid?

My family was non-denominational Christian and it was forbidden to celebrate Christmas.  I made a Christmas tree out of construction paper and kept it in my closet.

Quickies:

Boxers or Briefs? Boxers
Top or Bottom? Top
Pajamas or nude? PJs
Hairy chests or smooth? Smooth
Alpha or Beta? Alpha

Now for an Excerpt: 

My chronic illnesses, uncurable by doctors, had vanished. My allergies dissipated. I started and ended each day with meditation and gratitude instead of a handful of medications. My body knew exactly how to heal itself. After decades of relying on doctors who medicated my symptoms, I learned to trust my body, and it finally found the cure.

About the Author: 

Born in the Philippines, Lani Gonzales immigrated to Virginia, USA, with her family when she was only two years old. Determined to emulate her parents' discipline and ambition, Lani worked through college and law school and is now a practicing partner in a successful law firm in Tampa, Florida. A world-traveling, volunteering, energy-healing, aspiring hypnotherapist, Lani is committed to using her light as a beacon to help others find theirs.

Lanigonzales.com

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Rebirth-Sage-Lani-Gonzales/dp/B0BGNF1M3B/ 

 

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Book Blast ~ Body Snatched b Ana Diamond

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Ana Diamond will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What’s worse than losing a body from a funeral home? Losing two. But mortician and amatuer sleuth, Lily Reynolds has a hunch. The new visitor in town, Rick Drakon, may have charmed his way into her life but she’s not fooled by his smooth talking ways. Problem is, Rick is a long-time friend of Lily’s new husband, Detective James Rivers. While James is busy convincing her to look elsewhere, Lily embarks on a dangerous path toward uncovering the truth. Will this case come between the couple or will Lily find herself closer to evil than ever before?

Read an Excerpt

She sprinted toward the ambulance with James inside. Her heart leaped into her throat. She didn’t want to alarm the others, but she didn’t really know if he was going to make it. Antonio had not. And what would she do if he didn’t? Images of her life with James flashed before her eyes.

From the moment when she’d first laid eyes on his silky black hair and tattooed biceps in the basement of her funeral home to their wedding day when he told her they would be together forever, this could not be the end. She would not want to go on. Tears flooded her eyes, clouding her vision as she ran toward the ambulance James had been loaded into. Yanking the back door open wide, she propelled herself inside.

His eyes were closed but his body had been hooked up to monitors that beeped incessantly. Intravenous fluids ran down the tubing and into James’s arms. And there was blood—lots of blood on the floor of the truck and on the linens of the stretcher. She willed herself into tunnel vision to avoid seeing nothing but red. The paramedics sat on opposite sides of the ambulance monitoring the machines hooked up to him.

She stood at the foot of the stretcher watching for any movement. Was he unconscious? Had he slipped into a coma? Was he only minutes from death? She’d stopped breathing altogether until she touched his leg and his eyes popped open.

“You know, this is the first time I’ve ever been shot.” His eyes sparkled with mischief.

She released the air from her lungs and chuckled at him. Her heart could beat again. “Congratulations. I’ll tell you what you’ve won later. Now work on not dying.”

He smiled and laid his head back on the pillow. “Yes, ma’am.”

About the Author:When Ana Diamond isn't writing about tough gals finding love in unexpected places, she’s at work by day in the medical field. She writes romantic cozy mystery novels with feisty strong women and alluring men who can’t resist them. Her books are fast paced, entertaining and heartfelt all at once.

Ana is a 2020 Tara Contest Finalist for Body Conscious and 2015 Melody of Love contest finalist. She lives in New York with her husband, two children and two needy but wildly entertaining kitty cats.

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Book Blast ~ Silhouette by Paul G Swingle

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Paul Swingle will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

On the night of a blue moon, while walking his dog, middle-aged widower Jim sees Gladys on the roof of a neighboring apartment building and is inspired to speak with her. There’s just one problem: she can’t hear him.

Indeed, Jim isn’t even sure that Gladys truly exists—that she isn’t just a rooftop patio umbrella silhouetted against the moon. Hampered by debilitating social anxiety, he cannot work up the courage to even wave.

Yet Jim returns to the same spot night after night, and Gladys—who is indeed real—sees him and becomes equally interested. She even contributes to their “conversation,” though he cannot hear her either. And while Gladys struggles with her own demons—self-loathing and depression—she is lifted by Jim’s attention, even as she describes how difficult her life has been.

Two characters, driven by sadness and a longing to connect. Will they?

Read an Excerpt

Sometimes I’m able to ponder these imponderables in a positive way, awed by the mysterious incomprehensibility of it all. At those times I think about astronomers with envy—about how they explore the magnificence of the universe, the origins of life, and other heady stuff. But today I was just hit with a profound feeling of pointlessness. You are born, you live, and you die. And who gives a damn? The vastness of the thing is enough to make you feel insignificant. Yet my funk reminded me of a joke I heard from one of the guys at work. A rabbi was standing in front of the “Ark,” I think 6 he called it—the box containing the Torah. Overwhelmed with piety, he fell to his knees and beat his chest, shouting, “I’m nothing, I’m nothing!” The cantor, seeing this, also dropped to his knees, and likewise shouted, “I’m nothing, I’m nothing!”

About the Author:

Dr. Paul G. Swingle can be considered one of the founding fathers of Clinical Psychoneurophysiology, one of a select few, directly responsible for bringing Neurotherapy out of university labs and clinics to the general populace in the 1980’s.

His academic positions include, Professor of Psychology at the University of Ottawa from 1972 to 1997, Lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School from 1991 to 1998, Associate Attending Psychologist at McLean Hospital (Boston), Head of the Clinical Psychophysiology Service McLean Hospital (Boston). Professor Swingle was also Clinical Supervisor at the University of Ottawa from 1987 to 1997 and Chairman of the Faculty of Child Psychology from 1972 to 1977. Dr. Swingle is a Registered Psychologist in British Columbia and is Board Certified in Biofeedback and Neurotherapy. He is actively involved in research and practice. His numerous publications include nine books and numerous peer reviewed journal publications.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Silhouette-Paul-G-Swingle/dp/B09C3D527K
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Paul-G-Swingle/e/B09F2518KP/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1

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Book Blast ~ Avalon by Vanessa Morgan

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Vanessa Morgan will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Avalon is now also available in French!

Some cats need nine lives to make a difference. Avalon only needed one.

From Amazon bestselling author Vanessa Morgan, Avalon is the heartwarming and once-in-a-lifetime love story of a girl and her neurotic Turkish Van cat.

With humor, the author details how Avalon made other creatures cringe in distress whenever he was around, how he threw her dates out by means of special techniques, and how he rendered it almost impossible for her to leave the house. Avalon was so incorrigible that even the landlord ordered to get rid of him. But beneath Avalon's demonic boisterousness, Vanessa recognized her own flaws and insecurities, and she understood that abandoning Avalon would be the worst she could do to him. Thanks to her unswerving loyalty, Avalon transformed into a tender feline and even landed a major role in a horror movie. In turn, Avalon made it his mission to be there for his human companion.

Avalon is a memoir for anyone who has ever been obsessively in love with a pet.

Read an Excerpt

Around three o’clock that night, Avalon was fed up with the strange man in his bed. He plonked his rear down on Gilles’ pillow, complaining fretfully in his ear while tapping him on the face.

After nearly an hour of incessant wailing and poking, more drastic measures were required. The new solution: pushing Gilles out of bed.

Avalon succeeded.

Climbing back under the covers wasn’t an option. Unable to sleep, Gilles got up. "I guess I didn't pass the test."

"Give Avalon some time. Maybe he was just irked because you took his side of the bed."

But Gilles had already understood that this wasn't going to be a one-time event.

For several minutes, Gilles and Avalon sized each other up. Then Gilles said, "I’d better leave the two of you alone now. It’s clearly what the little guy wants."

I swear I could see Avalon smirking when Gilles put on his jacket and left.

Instantly, Avalon leapt onto me, and compensated for the evening before. He entered a kiss-induced trance. This cat was all about exclusivity, and when granted that exclusivity, his love was immense.

"Are you really that happy that Gilles is gone?"

In reply, Avalon looked at me with swoony eyes and purred loudly, then swatted out his paw to urge me to continue to pet him, which I did.

A phone call interrupted our tender moment. It was Gilles.

"There won't be any train to Brussels for hours," he said. "Is it okay if I come back to your place for a while?"

"Of course." His return would offend Avalon, but I couldn’t possibly leave Gilles outside in the rain for several hours.

As soon as Gilles appeared at the front door, Avalon’s pupils widened to a pitch black.

Let's see who's the boss here, he seemed to be thinking.

Being a cat of action, Avalon went through his usual attention-seeking routine: making a selection of irritating noises, scratching the wallpaper, and pushing objects to the ground.

When that didn't work, Avalon opened Gilles' overnight bag and threw out a piece of clothing. His eyes so dark and evil they could be gateways to hell, Avalon stared at his adversary and waited for a reaction. He then pulled out a box of gel wax. Again, he looked up at Gilles to make sure he understood that all this bungling was meant to get a message across. A third object followed, then a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, until there was nothing.

Hell-bent on winning the game, Avalon took Gilles' coat in his mouth and towed it toward the front door. There, he used his right paw to tap the keys hanging from the wooden doorframe.

Avalon’s message couldn’t be any clearer: there was room for only one man in my life. A feline one.

About the Author:

Vanessa Morgan is the editor of the movie reference guides When Animals Attack: The 70 Best Horror Movies with Killer Animals, Strange Blood: 71 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampire Movies, and Evil Seeds: The Ultimate Movie Guide to Villainous Children. She also has had one cat book (Avalon) and four supernatural thrillers (Drowned Sorrow, The Strangers Outside, A Good Man, and Clowders) published. Three of her stories have been turned into movies. She has written for myriad Belgian magazines and newspapers and introduces movie screenings at several European film festivals. She is also a programmer for the Offscreen Film Festival in Belgium. When she's not working on her latest book, you can find her reading, watching movies, eating out, or photographing felines for her blog Traveling Cats.

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The French version of the book can be purchased at Amazon for only $0.99.

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Book Blast ~ Black Magic Murder by Polly Holmes

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Polly Holmes will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Careful what you wish for!

Graduating to a fully-fledged witch on my upcoming birthday should be a momentous occasion, but when a local hairdresser turns up dead, I know it’s going to be one hell of a week.

Saltwater Cove’s resident infuriating fae looks like a good suspect for the murder, but insists she’s innocent and reveals a huge secret too amazing to be a lie. But if she didn’t do it… then who did?

The murder triggers the return of a dark force… dark enough to send even the most experienced witches into panic mode. Harriet, Jordi and Tyler join me as I try to find the culprit, putting my magical abilities to the ultimate test.

When the killer strikes even closer to home, I need to up my game if I’m going to keep evil at bay.…or have I finally met my supernatural match?

Read an Excerpt

A vibration jumped my phone across the dresser followed by a chorus of Dance Monkey. I picked it up to see Jordi’s smile plastered on the screen.

Now what?

“Hello, Jordi. Did you forget something?” I asked, prepared for a quick talking answer.

“Um, no not really.”

The awkward tone in her voice put me on edge. My free hand gripped the edge of the dresser. “Jordi, what’s wrong?”

“I think we have a problem,” she said, an urgency in her tone that sent my blood cold.

“What are you talking about?”

“I was on my way home and drove past Salty Snips. There were police cars with sirens and flashing lights, and they’d cordoned off the entrance with tape.”

Please don’t say it. Please don’t say it.

“Being the sticky beak that I am, I pulled over to check it out. Although they won’t confirm it, I think you better get over here and fast. I believe we have a murderer loose in Saltwater Cove.”

She said it.

Jordi wasn’t wrong. As I turned down the road toward Salty Snips, blue and red police lights flashed while sirens pierced the air. A pile of cars had blocked off different parts of the street and the entrance to the hairdresser. That didn’t stop the nosy onlookers from planting themselves at any available advantage point, mobile phones ready to take a photo or recording of what or who was the main attraction.

I pulled to the curb in the first available parking spot and grabbed my phone to call Jordi. I needn’t have bothered; she was on a beeline for my car. My stomach tensed as I got out to greet her.

Three days out from my birthday and we have a new dead body in town. And I didn’t even need a party!

About the Author:

Polly Holmes is the cheeky, sassy alter ego of Amazon best-selling author, P.L. Harris. When she's not writing her next romantic suspense novel as P.L. Harris, she is planning the next murder in one of Polly’s cozy mysteries. She pens food-themed and paranormal cozy mysteries and publishes her books solely with Gumnut Press.

As Polly Holmes, Cupcakes and Corpses was a finalist in the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America’s 2019 IDA International Digital Awards, short suspense category. Cupcakes and Curses claimed second place and Cupcakes and Cyanide gained third place making it a clean sweep in the category.

She won silver in the 2020 ROAR! National Business Awards in the Writer/Blogger/Author category and for the second year in a row, she was a finalist in the 2021 ROAR! National Business Awards winning bronze in the Writer/Blogger/Author category with Gumnut Press taking out the gold in the Hustle and Heart category.

2022 saw Polly Holmes’ books Muffins & Magic and Mistletoe, Murder & Mayhem long-listed in the Davitt Awards, a prestigious award run by the Sisters of Crime, Australia. Muffins & Magic also placed in the finals of the cozy mystery category in the Nashville Silver Falchion Awards. She lives in the northern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, with her Bichon Frise, Bella.

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