Thursday, March 28, 2013

Giveaway: A Dream of Daring by Gen LaGreca

Thanks to Ruth of Winged Victory Press, I am giving away 10 eBook (Kindle) copies of A Dream of Daring.

Book Description:

A novel of mystery, romance, and antebellum history

When a visionary inventor threatens the entrenched powers of the Old South, the result is murder. Protagonist Tom Edmunton, the science-minded son of a Louisiana planter, designs a prototype tractor in 1859. He foresees an age of mechanized farming that will replace the slave system. But his big ideas about uprooting their world rile the town’s planters. As Tom hears the call of the new age, he also feels the pull of two women, one at the top of society’s ladder and the other at the bottom. Rachel, a senator’s daughter, loves him, but will she take his side when the town rebukes him? Solo, a feisty mulatto slave, despises him, along with all men from the race that binds her. Rachel is free, but is her spirit chained? Solo is chained, but is her spirit free?

Tensions between Tom and the planters mount, and his invention is stolen. Then a shocking murder sets into motion inextricably linked events and revelations that will change life as they know it for Tom, Rachel, and Solo. Set at a crossroads of history, with an old epoch tumbling and the modern age gaining ground, this novel explores the power struggles and clashing visions for the future of the people caught in the turmoil. This carefully researched story of the growing conflicts in the period leading up to the Civil War is also a tribute to the Emancipation Proclamation in its 150th anniversary year and to the timeless call of freedom that sounds in every person’s heart.

A Dream of Daring is published by Chicago-based Winged Victory Press, publishing stories of unusual people doing unusual things, stories that serve as an inspiration to us. Publication date: January 2013.

Praise for A Dream of Daring:

"Old ways do not fade into the night quietly. A Dream of Daring is a novel set on the dawn of the industrial revolution. Tom Edmunton builds a proto-tractor, and tries to bring a world of change about Louisiana with his invention. But the whiplash is hard, as a loved one is killed, and his invention is stolen. [As Tom is] faced with a crossroads and the charms of multiple women, A Dream of Daring is an enticing blend of mystery and romance, much recommended reading."
—Midwest Book Review

"Throughout the narrative, LaGreca masterfully creates metaphors to explore her key themes. . . . A Dream of Daring is suspenseful. The crime at the center of the narrative will keep the reader guessing until the final revelation. . . . LaGreca's exploration of how people respond to, and sometimes reject, change and progress is relevant for all generations."
—ForeWord Reviews

"In 1859, Louisiana posed various challenges to its citizens, no matter their color, in LaGreca's thought-provoking second novel (after Noble Vision, 2005), a murder mystery set during a tumultuous period in American history. . . . [This tale] should attract readers interested in historical fiction set in the antebellum South."
—Booklist

About Gen LaGreca:

Genevieve (Gen) LaGreca is a Chicago novelist who writes stories with imaginative plots, strong romance, and heroic themes.

Prior to writing A Dream of Daring, Gen penned the award-winning breakthrough novel, Noble Vision (2005), which was a finalist in mainstream fiction in the Writer's Digest International Book Awards and in the ForeWord magazine Book of the Year Awards, two of the most prestigious contests in independent publishing. The novel also won a Midwest Book Award and placed second in the Illinois Women’s Press Association Fiction Contest.

Noble Vision garnered praise from magazine magnate Steve Forbes, the late Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, syndicated columnist Walter Williams, and other notable persons.

Gen holds a master’s degree in philosophy from Columbia University. Aside from fiction, she also writes social commentary. Her articles have appeared in Forbes, The Orange County Register, The Gainesville Sun, The Daily Caller, Real Clear Markets, and other publications.

For more information, see www.wingedvictorypress.com.

This giveaway is open worldwide to anyone who can read Kindle books.  It ends on April 11, 2013.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 8 comments  

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Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Giveaway: Swimming at Night by Lucy Clarke

Thanks to Jessica Roth of Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster, Inc., I am giving away one copy of Swimming at Night.

Book Description:

A starred LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “In the same vein as Rosamund Lupton’s Sister, Clarke takes the reader on an exciting and mysterious trail. . . . [She] does a nice job of creating characters who make us care about them and situations that are exciting and believable. A great read for fans of smart contemporary women’s fiction as well as thriller and mystery readers.”

 Katie Greene’s world is shattered by a late-night visit from police officers bearing the news that her headstrong younger sister, Mia, has been found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Bali.  The authorities say that Mia’s death was a suicide. 

Although their relationship had been strained since Mia and her best friend, Finn, abruptly left on an around-the-world trip six months earlier, Katie is unable to accept that her sister would have taken her own life—and desperate to believe that their final words, spoken in anger, were not what drove Mia to the edge of that cliff. 

Set on discovering the truth, Katie leaves behind her orderly life in London and, with only the entries in Mia’s recovered travel journal to guide her, faithfully retraces the last few months of her sister’s life in the hopes that following Mia’s steps and words will help unravel the mystery of her death. 

About Lucy Clarke:

This is an accomplished debut novel and the sisters’ journeys are rendered all the more realistic because Lucy and her husband, a professional windsurfer, spend their winters traveling the coastlines of the world and their summers at their home on the south coast of England.  Lucy has traveled to all of the locales in the book (including California, Hawaii, Australia, and Indonesia) and always keeps a travel journal. http://www.lucy-clarke.com/

This giveaway is open to Canada and the U.S. and ends on April 10, 2013.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 19 comments  

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Giveaway Winners Galore

Thanks to everyone who entered the following giveaways! Winners, please reply to the email I sent you today within 48 hours to claim your books. After 2 days you will be disqualified and a new winner will be picked. Rafflecopter picks all winners using Random.org. 

Thanks again to Tim Rowland for making this giveaway possible.
The winner is:
Patti N.







Thanks again to Caroline Eisenmann of Open Road Integrated Media, for making this giveaway possible.

The winner of the eBook is:

Patty W.





Thanks again to Jessica Butler of Berkley/NAL, Penguin Group USA, for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:
Susan O.






Thanks again to Jessica Butler of Berkley/NAL, Penguin Group USA, for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:
Tina K.






Thanks again to Kelley & Hall Book Publicity, for making this giveaway Possible.

The winner is:
Rebecca G.







Thanks again to Fiona Brown From Penguin, USA for making this giveaway possible. 

The winner is:
Anita Y.






Thanks again to Jessica Butler of Berkley/NAL, Penguin Group USA, for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:
Rebecca G.






Thanks again to Margo Krasne for making this giveaway possible.

The winner is:
Becca W.









Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:16 PM 5 comments  

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcie at Mailbox Monday.  In March, it is being hosted by Caitlan of Chaotic Compendiums.

 Here's what I received last week:
 This is the March/April Issue.  The subscription was a gift from my dear BIL.
 Watch for my review and giveaway on May 23rd!
 This was a free Kobo download.  It sounded like a good historical fiction.
Watch for the tour starting in mid-May.  There will be chances to win it!










Posted by Teddy Rose at 1:25 PM 9 comments  

Friday, March 22, 2013

Giveaway: The Union Street Bakery by Mary Ellen Taylor

Thanks to Deb Tobias of  Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting, I am giving away one copy of The Union Street Bakery.

Book Description:

Life can turn on a dime. It’s a common cliché, and I’d heard it often enough. People die or move away. Investments go south. Affairs end. Loved ones betray us...Stuff happens.

Daisy McCrae’s life is in tatters. She’s lost her job, broken up with her boyfriend, and has been reduced to living in the attic above her family’s store, the Union Street Bakery, while learning the business. Unfortunately, the bakery is in serious hardship. Making things worse is the constant feeling of not being a “real” McCrae since she was adopted as a child and has a less-than-perfect relationship with her two sisters.

Then a long-standing elderly customer passes away, and for some reason bequeaths Daisy a journal dating back to the 1850s, written by a slave girl named Susie. As she reads, Daisy learns more about her family—and her own heritage—than she ever dreamed. Haunted by dreams of the young Susie, who beckons Daisy to “find her,” she is compelled to look further into the past of the town and her family.

What she finds are the answers she has longed for her entire life, and a chance to begin again with the courage and desire she thought she lost for good.

Excerpt:

I pushed open the window, closed my eyes, and inhaled the early morning air.  The scent of honeysuckle laced the air.  The twisting, twining vine had bloomed a month early this year, and reminded me of the day my birth mother kissed my cheek on a crowded Saturday afternoon at the bakery.  She pushed a plate of butter cookies toward me and whispered, “Be a good girl.  I will be back soon.”
Even though I was three, I had sat patiently nibbling my cookies, watching red sprinkles pepper my yellow skirt, waiting and expecting my mother to return.  In those days, time always felt like forever but I was used to waiting for my birth mother, so I didn’t panic or cry.  It was Sheila McCrae, the young hippie bakery shop owner with five- and three-year-old daughters of her own who had noticed I had sat alone and unattended for too long.  She called for a search that quickly became frantic. 
I remember Sheila’s husband, Frank McCrae, talking to the police, the social worker speaking to me softly, and me screaming bloody murder when they tried to lead me away.  “No!” I’d shouted.  “Mama!”
Sheila McCrae had pulled the social worker aside and told her I could stay at the bakery as long as I wanted.  Some compromise had been struck and Mrs. McCrae had told me I could wait for my mother.  Finally I stopped crying.  They’d coaxed me inside, found a change of clothes for me, and fed me supper.  I sat awake in bed, clutching the sheets, still hoping my mom would return.  Finally, I’d drifted to sleep. 
My birth mother never came back that night or the nights that followed.  The police launched a search.  The river had been dragged.  There’d been newscasts and articles that flashed my picture and the few statistics the McCraes had coaxed from me.  But no one had come forward with information on the Abandoned Bakeshop Baby.
I had only vague recollections of my birth mother: the scent of peppermints, the feel of her fingertips as she brushed hair out of my eyes, and the husky sound of her voice as she sang her one and only lullaby, “Rock-A-Bye-Baby.” 
The police never found or discovered her true identity. I gave my birth mother the made-up name of Renee because it sounded very exotic. But the name Renee was as much a part of my imagination as the images of her that I had created.  With no facts to anchor Renee, her story and likeness often shifted when I daydreamed.  A destitute woman.  A movie actress.  A spy.  But no matter who she was or what she looked like, she loved me, and deeply regretted leaving me behind.
Sheila and Frank McCrae, even before the Commonwealth terminated Renee’s parental rights, effortlessly wove me into their family.  The McCraes formally adopted me almost a year to the day Renee left.  Both of my new parents did their best to make me feel loved in their home.  When Mom dispensed candy, each of her daughters got five pieces.  When Christmas rolled around we each had six wrapped presents under the tree. We bought back-to-school supplies at the same time, and in elementary school we each ended up with the same style backpack and the same white Nikes.
But in my mind, I was a loose stray thread that was a little too off color and uneven to fully mesh with the delicate Irish McCrae linen. 
Now as I stared at the patio, a rush of anger flooded my body.  Whenever I go back to the early years with Renee, I become frustrated that I cannot remember more than cookie sprinkles on my yellow skirt.
© Mary Burton

About Mary Ellen Taylor:

Mary Ellen Taylor grew up in a southern family that embraced stories of all kinds, from a well-told  anecdote to a good yarn or a tall tale. It may have been inevitable that Taylor would take her storytelling heritage to new heights, moving beyond the oral tradition to become a published author.

          Taylor, who finds cooking and baking to be important creative outlets, explores some of the challenges and comforts of those pursuits in THE UNION STREET BAKERY. The novel is influenced by her life in another way as well. Both her grandmother and her daughter were adopted, and so is her protagonist, Daisy McCrae.  Taylor has been active in bringing attention to issues regarding adoption, including the concerns faced by adoptees in adulthood. Recently,  she and her daughter, born in Russia, spoke out on Richmond's WTTB-TV regarding that country's efforts to curb adoptions by foreigners.

          Taylor was born and has spent most of her life in Richmond, but also lived in Alexandria for four years.  She received her degree in English from Virginia’s Hollins University, and worked in marketing and sales before she became convinced she could write and sell one of the many stories swirling in her head. Today, nineteen of her romance and suspense novels and four novellas written as Mary Burton have been published, earning praise from readers and reviewers as well as spots on The New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists.  THE UNION STREET BAKERY is her first novel as Mary Ellen Taylor.

          When not writing or appearing at conferences and book signings, Taylor continues her culinary pursuits.  She's been a kitchen assistant for more than fifty culinary classes over the past seven years at Sur la Table and at the University of Richmond's Culinary Arts program, where she is currently completing her Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate. In addition to spending time with her family and her two miniature dachshunds, Buddy and Bella, Mary Ellen enjoys yoga and hiking.

This giveaway is open to Canada and the U.S. and ends on April 5, 2013.  Please use Rafflecopter to enter.
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Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 21 comments  

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Monday, March 18, 2013

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcie at Mailbox Monday.  In March, it is being hosted by Caitlan of Chaotic Compendiums.

 It's been over a month since I have taken part in this meme, so here is what I have received since the last time:
 Watch for the tour in April.  There will be giveaways of this book!
 By my book blog friend, author, and publisher.
 Free Download for Kindle.
 Received unsolicited from the publisher.
 Received this paperback edition from the publisher.  They had sent me the hardcover when it first came out.  LOL!
 Free Kindle Download.  I couldn't resist that face!
 Free Kindle download.
 Free Kindle download.
 Via Net Galley.
From Amy of Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for an April Tour.





Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 PM 7 comments  

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Giveaway: Red Is For Rage by Connie Corcoran Wilson

Today kicks of the tour for Red Is for Rage by Connie Corcoran Wilson.  It is book two of her award winning series The Color of Evil.  Thanks to Connie, the winner of the giveaway will have their choice of The Color of Evil (Book 1) or Red Is For Rage (Book 2) in ebook!

About Red Is For Rage:
Publisher: Quad City Press (March, 2013)
Category: YA, Psychological Thriller, Lite Horror
Available in: Print & eBook, 240 pages
RED IS FOR RAGE is the second book in the award-winning THE COLOR OF EVIL series by Connie (Corcoran) Wilson. THE COLOR OF EVILwon the E-Lit Gold Medal for Horror (Jenkins Group) and the Silver Feather (IWPA).
In Book Two, we learn more about the exact nature of Tad’s paranormal power, Tetrachromatic Super Vision. Can this keen sight help Tad find Stevie Scranton? Will Tad suffer another breakdown from reliving the crimes of serial killer Michael Clay (aka, Pogo, the Killer Clown), as he did when only eight years old? Can Tad learn to harness his special sight to help his loved ones?
When Stevie Scranton goes missing, best friend Tad vows to do everything he can to find him. Even if Stevie is dead, Sally and Earl Scranton, (his parents), and Shannon, (Stevie’s older sister), crave closure. Tad enlists the help of retired policeman Charlie Chandler and a team of volunteers, including Charlie’s old partner, Evelyn Hoeflinger. This rag-tag team of detectives continues searching for Stevie Scranton, the runty misfit of Cedar Falls’ Sky High. In their search, they discover a monster every bit as dangerous as Pogo and must confront him in order to save Stevie.
Tad sees auras around others that tell him whether they are good or evil. The truly evil are surrounded by a khaki aura (THE COLOR OF EVIL). At night, Tad suffers vivid nightmares that depict the crimes of the evil-doers. Michael Clay (the serial killer Pogo) escapes custody. On the loose again,  Pogo’s actions restart the vicious cycle of violent nightmares. Pogo poses a threat to the entire town of Cedar Falls, but he is especially  a threat to Tad McGreevy.
Pogo has one main goal: kill Tad McGreevy so that Tad cannot disclose Clay’s location. Pogo doesn’t realize that, up until now, Tad has been unable to harness the paranormal ability he possesses. Now, Tad McGreevy must try to learn to use his unique gift.  Stevie Scranton’s fate hangs in the balance. Tad’s power, if precognitive, could save everyone he loves.
Jenny SanGiovanni returns from her father’s home in Boulder, Colorado, to finish her senior year with her old classmates. She brings home a new set of problems. Jeremy Gustaffsson, the fifth-year senior boyfriend in Jenny’s junior year, graduated. But Jeremy is still in town, still obsessed with Jenny, still dangerous.  When Jenny broke up with Jeremy, it made Jeremy mad. Bad things happen to good people when Jeremy Gustaffsson gets angry and  descends into a red rage.
All Jenny’s cheerleader friends from her junior year are back. Many, like Janice Kramer, Heather Crompton and Melody Harris, have problems of their own. Jenny deals with adolescent issues such as self-esteem and self-worth, problems that tax her soul.  But Jenny is not alone. Another Sky High student is driven to the brink. Will that individual plunge into the abyss of despair?
And what of the adults? What has the stress of Stevie’s nine-month ordeal done to Earl and Sally Scranton’s marriage? What problems confront the other adults in Cedar Falls as three evil-doers rise up to create chaos and do them harm?
RED IS FOR RAGE and rage runs rampant in this small Iowa town in the year of our Lord 2005.

Praise for The Color of Evil:

“When I read a horror story, I don’t want to set it down until I turn the final page, and that is exactly what I did with this one.  By the time I reached the middle of the book, I knew I wouldn’t sleep until I found out ‘what happened’. ”-Heather, Books & Quilts

“It’s been awhile since I sat down to read a horror story, but this one was different.  This one made me want to keep reading wanting to know what would happen next, and who would be affected.  Connie Corcoran Wilson did a great job of connecting the characters involved, and by the end you truly had your favorites. ”- Jamie, Minnesota Girl in LA

“Twisted and crazy this one will keep you turning those pages.”- Jenny, Alternate Readality

“ I did not want to set it down.  If you’re looking for a new Horror book to take away for the long weekend or to read over the summer then you must check out The Color Of Evil!”- Jayda, Two Children and a Migraine
 “This was a good suspense novel. The characters were believable and you could really picture them.  If you are looking for a suspense novel with twists and turns and am interesting mix of characters you should definitely be checking this one out.”-Donna, Donna’s Home Blog

“The Color of Evil by Connie Corcoran Wilson is an engrossing page-turner! Although I am not a regular reader of horror stories, I was “hooked” within the first few pages and involved with the characters who seemed both familiar and believable. Now I can’t wait for the next one in the trilogy and hope that Stevie will be O.K. while I wonder what will ultimately become of the evil Michael Clay. I imagine Wilson will deal with that very creatively.”-Jnord, Amazon.com Reviewer

“Connie Corcoran Wilson’s The Color of Evil about a Midwest teen’s power to sense the unimaginable was a page turner for me. The characters were well developed and the setting was familiar. Events were frightening yet not so horrific as to scare me away (I’m not a horror story fan). A good read made even better by this talented writer.”-Ibmamski, Amazon.com Reviewer

About Connie Corcoran Wilson:

Connie (Corcoran) Wilson (MS + 30) graduated from the University of Iowa and Western Illinois University, with additional study at Northern Illinois, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Chicago. She taught writing at six Iowa/Illinois colleges and has written for five newspapers and seven blogs, including Associated Content (now owned by Yahoo) which named her its 2008 Content Producer of the Year . She is an active, voting member of HWA (Horror Writers Association) and also a member of ITW (International Thriller Writers) which awarded her its Silver Feather Award in 2012, MWA (Midwest Writers Association), AWP (American Writing Program) and MWC (Midwest Writing Center), which named her its Writer of the Year in 2010. She has won numerous E-Lit awards, a NABE Pinnacle award, an ALMA (American Literary Merit Award),and an IWPA Silver Feather.

Her stories and interviews with writers like David Morrell, Joe Hill, Kurt Vonnegut, Frederik Pohl, William F. Nolan,  Anne Perry, r. Barri Flowers and Jon Land have appeared online and in numerous journals. Her work has won prizes from “Whim’s Place Flash Fiction,” “Writer’s Digest” (Screenplay) and she will have 12 books out by the end of the year. Connie reviewed film and books for the Quad City Times (Davenport, Iowa) for 12 years and wrote humor columns and conducted interviews for the (Moline, Illinois) Daily Dispatch.  Connie was a presenter at the Spellbinders Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii over Labor Day.  She now blogs for 7 blogs, is a Featured Contributor to Yahoo, and comments on movies, television, politics, writing and anything else that interests her both on Yahoo and on her own blog, www.WeeklyWilson.com.

Connie lives in East Moline, Illinois with husband Craig and cat Lucy, and in Chicago, Illinois, where her son, Scott and daughter-in-law Jessica and their three-year-old twins Elise and Ava reside. Her daughter, Stacey, recently graduated from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, as a Music Business graduate and is currently living and working in Australia.
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Listen to the interview with Connie on Blog Talk Radio:

Listen to internet radio with Spirit Driven Events on Blog Talk Radio
Follow the Tour:
So Many Precious Books Mar 18 Spotlight & Giveaway Books and Quilts March 25 Review Saving for 6 March 29 Review & Giveaway Books and Quilts  April 3 Interview Fiction Writing April 8 Review Fiction Writing April 9 Interview I Totally Paused Apr 9 Review Makayla’s Book Reviews Apr 10 Review & Giveaway Peaceful Wishing April 11 Review The Wormhole April 12 Review & Giveaway From the TBR Pile Apr  15 Review Sweeps for Bloggers Apr 16 Review & Giveaway

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