Showing posts with label Virtual Book Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Virtual Book Tour. Show all posts

Monday, September 30, 2024

Virtual Book Tour: For You I'd Break by Hannah Jordan

 Good morning!  Please welcome author Hannah Jordan to Full Moon Dreaming today! She is here to tell us about her new release, For You I'd Break. Hannah will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the greater your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!


 


FOR YOU I'D BREAK

Hannah Jordan


 

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GENRE:  Contemporary Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

When Rowan’s two-year marriage ends with a crash, she returns home to Peace Falls, VA, riding shotgun in her sister’s 1990 Cadillac hearse. Everything about her is damaged: her heart, her pride, her bank account, and her spine—thanks to a tourist, a Segway, and finding her husband getting busy with her boss. But Rowan is determined to reclaim her career and city life as soon as she recuperates and lands a new job.

 

Caleb “Cal” Cardoso didn’t notice wallflower Rowan in high school, but the former football star, and Peace Falls’s newest physical therapist, can’t take his eyes off the stunning redhead now. Too bad he’s sworn off relationships. After his last hookup purposely tanked his online reputation, Cal stands to lose his job if a single patient leaves his care. Which is why he can’t let Rowan switch to another practitioner, despite the friction between them, and why he definitely can’t act on his growing attraction.

 

Rowan agrees to remain Cal’s patient if he helps her younger brother train for football tryouts. Though Cal hasn’t touched a football since the accident that killed his best friend, he agrees, and as Cal helps heal Rowan’s body, she begins to heal his heart.

 

For You I’d Break is a small town romance with a hefty dash of spice, a HEA ending, and a cast of memorable characters, including a goth sculptor who secretly loves to decorate cakes, a fearsome-looking felon with a heart of gold, a hothead with a sweet side, a karma-devoted barista who collects damaged pets and first dates, and a lovable dog with more emotional sense than everyone put together.

 

 

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EXCERPT:

 


Just then, the second door opened and out walked Caleb Cardoso in a pair of slate gray scrubs. Years of watching him swagger down school hallways and sprint across football fields did nothing to prepare me. He’d added more muscle to his lean frame, his broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. His dark, tousled hair looked styled to suggest he’d just climbed out of bed after an all-night sexfest. His jaw was sharper, his cheek bones more chiseled. When he looked at me with those rich chocolate eyes, all the air left my lungs.

 

“Mrs. Norris,” he said, glancing at the tablet in his hands.

 

The sound of my married name lifted the lust fog from my brain. “Please call me Rowan,” I said, relieved I’d finally managed to speak in his presence.

 

He studied my face, frowned, and looked back at his tablet. “Nice to meet you,” he said, studying my face again. “I’m Cal. Take a seat on the first table.”

 

Lauren would have politely told him that we were two years apart in school. Poppy would have flipped the embarrassment of being forgotten back onto Cal with a snide comment about his observation skills. Not that anyone ever forgot Poppy. I just turned my back to him and hoped he hadn’t seen my cheeks burn. People often didn’t remember me, but it still stung, especially when it was someone I’d spent so much time fantasizing about in my teens. As I crossed the room, I could feel him behind me, watching my every movement.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Hannah Jordan grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia but wound up in South Jersey after falling in love with her complete opposite. She's got all the degrees of a "serious" fiction writer but only smiles when she's writing romance.

 

She lives with her husband and two daughters in a picturesque town outside of Philadelphia where she enjoys reading in all genres, especially the spicy ones, and confusing people with her half-Southern, half-Northern accent.

 

The first book in her Peace Falls Small Town Romance Series, For You I’d Break, launched July 17, 2024.

 

Website: https://hannahjordanauthor.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hannahjordanbooks

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/hannahjordanbooks

Amazon Buy Link:   https://www.amazon.com/You-Id-Break-Second-Romance-ebook/dp/B0D5VNSHF3/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top

 

Free to read on Kindle Unlimited.

 

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 The Questions 

1)      You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

 

I’d want to be marooned with my husband since I’ve lived and worked with him for decades and haven’t wanted to get rid of him yet. If we’re being practical, I’d have a fully charged satellite phone. I love my man to bits, but eventually we’d both want creature comforts like air conditioning and warm showers. Not to mention, we’d miss our kids.

 

2)      Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

I feel a great affinity for Elphaba in Wicked. I’ve always been a bit of an outsider but attract outgoing extroverts who usher me through social situations. I’m also someone who sticks out physically. Everyone thinks I’m related to someone they know or a minor actor in a show they can’t name. In other words, I’m unusual looking enough to be memorable. It’s made me very self-conscious at times. I’m also very loyal, like Elphaba, and willing to stand up for my beliefs even if they aren’t the norm.

 

Many of my female heroines have quirky traits or physical attributes that make them a bit unusual. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized everyone has their weird, and the most interesting people embrace theirs.  They’re also all incredibly loyal and feisty.

3) Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scene using them: hammer, saucer, traffic

lights

4) What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

We were 18 when we met and have been together our entire adult. It’s easy to get muddled in the mundane after so many years. For that reason, I love traveling with him or doing anything new. It’s exciting and always reminds me of when we first met in college, when everything was new.

5) When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

My work has always been character focused. I honestly struggle with plotting. Before I wrote For You I’d Break, all my publications were short-form nonfiction and literary fiction pieces. The plot in nonfiction is already there, and the plot in short stories doesn’t extend beyond ten to fifteen pages.

I love the high reader expectations for pacing in the romance genre. If there’s an expectation that the first physical contact happens at a certain point in the story, it helps me develop the plot to that point. But before I even start plotting, I build the characters in my mind until they feel like real people. This helps me decide how they would act at each point in the story.


7) Who’s your favorite horror villain and why?

I’m too chicken to watch horror films. I have vivid dreams, so I’m very mindful of what I watch and read. I’m much rather dream about a book boyfriend than a sadistic clown.


9) Is there a story that you’d like to tell but you think the world isn’t ready to receive it?

It’s usually the opposite. I’ll have a story that would resonate with others, but I’m not ready to share it. I write my best work though when I write the painful stuff. This actually happened when I was writing the second book in the Peace Fall series, For You I’d Mend. The Peace Falls trilogy centers on three men who lived through a horrific car accident when they were teenagers that claimed the life of their friend. For You I’d Mend was the hardest to write, not because I didn’t love the characters or their story, but because it often brought up my own feelings of loss. As a nonfiction writer, I use words to work through my emotions all the time. I didn’t anticipate doing the same in a romance novel. I contemplated omitting parts of the story because they cut too close and too deep. I’m still worried they might trigger grief in others. Ultimately, I left them because those sections of the novel are the most meaningful to me as a writer. And, perhaps, will be to readers. 

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Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Virtual Book Tour: The Scheme by Amethyst Drake

 Good morning, everyone! Please welcome author Amethyst Drake to Full Moon Dreaming! She is here to tell us about her new release, The Scheme. Amethyst will be awarding a $25 Amazon GC and a signed copy of her book to one commenter, a $10 Amazon GC and a signed book to a second commenter, and a signed book to a third commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!


 


THE SCHEME

Amethyst Drake

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GENRE:  Mystery

 

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BLURB:

 

Katherine Carson, a former intelligence operative turned private detective, has never been in it for the money. But when a desperate CEO offers double her usual fee to find his missing daughter, she can't refuse.

 

Set in Baltimore, 2009, what begins as a simple missing person inquiry transforms into a complex case of espionage, financial crime, and deep-seated grudges. For Katherine, this case strikes a personal chord, stirring up haunting memories from her own past. As unexpected connections emerge, she must confront her unresolved guilt.

 

Can Katherine and her team of private detectives solve the case before it's too late, or will the turmoil of her past consume her?

 

 

 

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EXCERPT:

 

Lee reached up and felt the top of the door frame. “No key. I guess Ames forgot to leave it.”

 

“He has his own key. He just said Olivia keeps it up there.” Katherine bent down to flip back the welcome mat. Still no key. She sighed. “Should we see if the manager has a spare?”

 

“The manager isn’t on site.” Lee slouched against the wall. “If only we knew someone who could pick a lock.”

 

Katherine rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself. “Breaking and entering could lose me my license.” Lee and Jake liked to tease her about some of her skills, although they always stopped short of mentioning the Espionage Services Agency.

 

“Sure, sure. But we do have permission to enter. And we’d have to drive to Wilmington to get another key from Mr. Ames..." Lee let his voice trail off and studied his fingernails.

 

Katherine chuckled and pulled out her pocket knife. “You know I don’t carry picks anymore.” She opened the knife and carefully slid the high carbon stainless steel blade between the door and the striker plate. Finding the latch, she pushed it out of the door jam and opened the door.

 

“Don't tell Sammi.”

 

“Never.” A huge grin spread over Lee’s face.

 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~


 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Amethyst Drake is a passionate storyteller. She excels at crafting delightful characters and enjoys developing com-plex relationships among them. Mystery has always been her favorite genre to read, making it a natural choice for her writing. She aims to blend her personal experience with mental health and the moral complexities of intricate interpersonal relationships into engaging novels.

 

Amethyst loves reading all kinds of mysteries, suspense, and thrillers and enjoys watching classic detective and espionage dramas like "Murder, She Wrote," "Perry Mason," and "Mission: Impossible."

 

She also loves hearing from readers! Connect by signing up for her newsletter at amethystdrake.com or email amethyst@agswordsmiths.com

 

Links

Author Website https://amethystdrake.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amethystdrake.author

Amazon https://amzn.to/3M5lmJO

Barnes and Noble https://bit.ly/3Z3VsOv

 

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Q&A with Author Amethyst Drake

 

Q: Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

A: Ooo! I love this question. I love musicals! I think I would choose the classic Irving Berlin movie musical White Christmas. And I would be the general who becomes an innkeeper. General Tom Waverly is not the main character of the musical, but he is essential to the story because the main characters are focused on cheering him up and helping him. Gen. Waverly has a perfectly fine life, but sometimes he feels unappreciated and lonely. He longs to have an impact on the world, but challenges block him from doing so. In his darkest hour, his friends and family rally around him to remind him of his true value and show their appreciation and love for him. I have had many times in my life when I have felt alone or discouraged. But my friends and family always build me up and encourage me not to give up. (It also happens to be my favorite musical.)

Q: Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scene using them: hammer, saucer, traffic lights

A: Josh set a saucer of treats on the porch for his cat. He grabbed his hammer to make some repairs to the loose porch railing. He was proud of his historical craftsman. He stroked his cat as she licked the bottom of the saucer.

Suddenly, a car horn blared. Josh looked out toward the traffic lights. The traffic light was out! Josh scooped up his cat and took her inside. His hammer and repairs would have to wait.

Q: When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

A: I usually start with the plot, deciding what is going to happen in the story. But my thoughts quickly shift to how these events are going to affect my characters. Since I’m writing a series, my main characters are already established. So I don’t have to worry too much about developing them from scratch, just how the plot is going to play into their character arc.

Q: What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

A: My favorite date with my husband is going to Derby Dinner Playhouse in southern Indiana. We enjoy talking and eating dinner before the show, and the show is always fantastic. Any kind of live entertainment is fun. We enjoy interacting during the performance and talking about it during intermissions. Derby Dinner has a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere and it is on the top of my list of romantic dates.

Q: Do you have an historical crush and if so, who is it?

A: I can’t say I’ve really had a crush on a historical figure, but then I’ve never really thought about it before! I would probably choose a writer or poet. Someone who conveys deep emotion and meaning though their words like Shakespeare, Lord Byron, or Robert Frost. On the other hand, I am deeply moved by the art of Claude Monet, Rembrandt, and Da Vinci. So maybe I would choose an artist as my historical crush.


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Monday, September 2, 2024

Virtual Book Tour: Alexandr by Chris DeBrie

 Good morning, everyone! Please welcome author Chris DeBrie to Full Moon Dreaming today! He is here to talk about his new book, Alexandr. Chris will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on his tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!



 

ALEXANDR

Chris DeBrie

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GENRE:  Graphic Novel Thriller

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BLURB:

 

Alexandr is a professional hitman with one client. His recent marriage to a childhood friend has him ready for retirement. But he doesn't yet realize that his final target is different than all the rest. Follow Alex into a version of Earth which includes superhumans, witches, and otherworldly beings. DeBrie brings you dozens of characters and situations, seemingly all on the same course to destruction.

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EXCERPTS

 



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 


DeBrie has published more than fifteen comic books and novels, including the mystery “Cap’n Random”. He has produced music for rockers and hip hoppers, coached youth basketball, hoards a special Swedish meatball recipe, and tutors elementary school students. Call him a multihyphenate, or a jack of all trades, master of none… your choice. Find us on socials by typing “With Lurv” into your browser.

 

http://www.StuffedWithLurv.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CPX7WY3R

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3060250.Chris_DeBrie

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555876923020

https://www.instagram.com/stuffedwithlurv/

https://mewe.com/withlurv/posts

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alexandr-I-Chris-DeBrie/dp/B0DC58V4XK/ref=sr_1_1  FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED

 

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Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Virtual Book Tour: The Big Comb Over by J P Rieger

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author J P Rieger to Full Moon Dreaming today! He is here to tell us about his new release, The Big Comb Over. JP will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on his tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!



 

THE BIG COMB OVER

J.P. Rieger

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GENRE:  Family satire; Farce; Magical realism

 

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BLURB:

 

Three nephews and three eccentric uncles.

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It’s 2050 and Robbie Elders has all but forgotten about his oddball, religious fanatic uncle, tim tim. He’s taken up the latest fad, genealogical research based solely on DNA. But Robbie’s “inconclusive” DNA results are unsettling. He crashes back to his childhood, back to his world of comic books and tim tim.

 

“I opt for posh and London” declares Lady Florence Stour. It’s 2019 and time for a Royal Wedding. Robbie’s uncle, Stef, is engaged to Lady Florence, a distant member of the British royal family. Stef’s Baltimore clan have been invited, but Robbie’s mom and dad can’t attend. They’ve entrusted Robbie and big brother, Doyle, to their mom’s two eccentric brothers, uncles Roy and Roland. Roy, a weathered waterman with a severe Baltimore accent, lives for Maryland blue crabs. Roland, a mildly hypochondriacal actor, lives to survive the Karens he unavoidably encounters. And then there’s Desales, Roy’s smart aleck, teenage son. He lives to prank. They’ve descended upon London. What could possibly go wrong?

 

Meanwhile, tim tim has been coaching Robbie on “the mission.” A silly religious fantasy according to Robbie’s atheist parents and the therapists. Or perhaps not? Things are not always as they appear in The Big Comb Over.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

 


 


 

He was thinking that the man’s accent could be Irish. But more Cockney, almost. Odd. He saw the man thrust his hand forward.

 

“Name’s Roy.” He shook Roy’s hand, earnestly.

 

“Name’s Dixon. Pleasure to meet you.” He glanced over at Roy’s suit. “Nice couture! A refreshing play on seersucker! ‘Maison Dixon’ is mine. Curious to hear about yours!”

 

Roy felt a bit confused. He had already introduced himself. He figured maybe those white things were hearing aids. And he had a crazy name. “Ya said yours is Mason Dixon?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Like your Mason-Dixon line?”

 

“Well, thank you, Roy! Which particular line do you favor?”

 

Roy felt confused again. “Favor? Well, I was thinkin’ of the long one? The old one?”

 

Bertram nodded, knowingly. Nice to know the “Smart Man” line was still revered. Teddy had been encouraging him to drop it. “Yes, Smart Man, a long and successful line.”

 

Roy nodded. “Why, thanks, Mr. Dixon. But I would reckon everbody ’roun here’s heard of it. Don’t take too much brains. Historical, like.”

 

“Brilliant! Thanks, Roy. That’s my job. To keep those lines out in the public’s mind.”

 

Roy scratched at his rusty beard stubble. “So, like, ya do surveys, still? Ta mark the lines?”

 

“Well, certainly. But those are a little old school. We don’t always attach a survey to each line we produce. We get things done more with social media. Influencers, mainly. Good judges of the zeitgeist.”

 

Roy was thinking that surveyors setting lines without surveys didn’t sound very safe. And he wasn’t sure about the rest. “Ya done anything here in Bawlmer? Any new ones?” Roy had been shopping at that new supermarket in Middle River. He wanted to make sure the building was safe. He was hoping Mr. Dixon’s company was not involved.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

J. Paul (J.P.) Rieger is a born and bred Baltimorean and mostly retired Maryland attorney. As such, he’s well acquainted with the quirkiness and charm of Baltimore’s unique citizens. He’s author of Clonk!, a police farce set in Baltimore and published in 2023 by Apprentice House Press (Loyola University-Baltimore). He’s also author of The Case Files of Roderick Misely, Consultant, a mystery novel featuring a wannabe lawyer anti-hero. The Big Comb Over, a slipstream comedy of manners featuring three nephews and their three eccentric uncles, is Paul’s third novel. Paul is married and lives in Towson, Maryland.

 

Website: http://www.jpaulrieger.net

 

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INTERVIEW 10

What would we find in your beard? Most certainly, flecks of breakfast cereal. The ones that drop off of the spoon. You look around your shirt and the floor and never find where they’ve gone. Perhaps some dust woolies, too. I comb through my beard on a semiannual basis, though, for hygiene purposes.

What was the happiest moment of your life? My wedding day! We still talk about it, fifteen years later. Finally, I had found my soulmate! The line dancing and crab balls were good too.

Do you listen to music while writing? If so what? I never listen to music while writing. The reason is that I love music and when it is playing, I instinctively place full attention on the music, good or bad. For a lot of people, music playing in the background is pleasant aural wallpaper. For me it is an attention-grabbing distraction.

What is something you'd like to accomplish in your writing career next year? I simply want to keep writing. I’m working on my fifth novel, unnamed as yet, which features Police Detective Kev Dixit. Dixit also appears in Clonk! and in my most recent, not yet published novel, Sunscreen Shower.

How long did it take you to write this book? I wrote The Big Comb Over mostly during 2022, my first year of semi-retirement. It took about ten months.

 


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Friday, June 7, 2024

Virtual Book Tour: Crossing Day by William A. Glass

 Good morning, everyone! Please welcome author William A. Glass to Full Moon Dreaming today! He is here to discuss his new release, Crossing Day! William will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning! To find the other stops on the tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of the post!


 


CROSSING DAY

William A. Glass


 

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GENRE:  Young Adult/Alternate History

 

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BLURB:

 

It's been one hundred and sixty years since the Confederacy won its independence at the Battle of Altamaha Crossing. Slaves of African descent still perform most of the work in the South. This seems normal to Ryan Walters and his friends who attend high school in Huntsville, Alabama. Like teens everywhere, they enjoy sharing videos, playing sports, and hanging out with friends. Jaybird's drive-in is their favorite gathering place. There, they befriend Mish, a slave girl who works as a car hop. When the drive-in’s owner sells Mish to a dirty old man, Ryan and his friends awaken to the injustice around them. Despite the danger, they decide to help Mish escape. Will they succeed?

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

 


 


 

Melanie wanders into the dining room and finds her parents already seated at the table with their personal slaves standing behind them. Her mother, Dorothy, takes a sip of orange juice and replaces the glass on the lace tablecloth. Her servant, Natty, immediately gets a pitcher from the sideboard and refills the glass. Meanwhile, James is smiling at Melanie. “Morning, Miss,” he says. The white-haired Black man pulls out her chair. Once she’s seated, he spreads a cloth napkin over her lap.

 

“What was all the ruckus at Jaybird’s last night?” Dan Montgomery asks. He’s the mayor of Huntsville and knows everything.

 

“A German boy started it,” Melanie says defensively.

 

“Yes, and his father already called me to complain. He’s a big wheel at The Space Flight Complex.”

 

“Sorry!”

 

Montgomery points to the syrup. His slave, Parker, reaches for it and then pours. “Enough,” Montgomery snaps. He turns back to Melanie. “You and all the others will have a week of detention.”

 

Melanie gasps. “What about cheerleading practice?”

 

“You should have thought of that before you went to the drive-in. That’s where all the delinquents hang out and you with them.”

 

“I won’t go anymore. Please.” Melanie bats her baby blues at her father. His expression melts. “Go to detention after school today, and maybe we’ll see about tomorrow.”

 

“Thanks, Dad.”

 

Montgomery cuts off a bite of pancake and pops it into his mouth. That reminds Melanie to eat as well. It’s almost time for the bus.

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

 

Bill is a retired business executive who now lives in a small southern town with his wife, Bettina. She’s a retired high school German teacher. Bill coaches soccer at a small college. Often, Bettina, who has a commercial driver’s license, pilots the soccer team bus to away games.

 

Bettina and Bill have three sons, Alex, Robert, and Gordon who have all graduated from college and moved away to pursue careers. Instead of having an empty nest, Bettina and Bill now host three rescue dogs. They enjoy finding promising hiking trails to explore with their dogs.

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/william.glass.50767

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamasaglass

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/WilliamAGlass3

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-glass-1281609/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20170818.William_A_Glass

LibraryThing:  https://www.librarything.com/profile/Glaswa4611

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Day-William-Glass-ebook/dp/B0CW8HBGV4/ref=sr_1_1

 

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Q. You’re marooned on a small island with one person and one item of your choice—who is that person and what item do you have?

A. If I was marooned on a desert island my choice for the one person to be with would be my wife, Bettina. She is a very resourceful, competent person who would help make the most of the situation. The one item I would want to be sure of having is my fishing rod. That would enable me to either catch fish or at least look like I was doing something constructive while actually goofing off!

Q. Which musical would you say best exemplifies your life – and which character in that musical are you?

A. I think the musical “South Pacific” would best exemplify my life. It’s about the interactions between US military personnel and the local population of the Pacific Island where they are based. The musical came out in the late 40’s about the time I was born into a military family. My first memories are of living in an exotic foreign country. “South Pacific” was controversial when it came out because of its forthright treatment of racial prejudice. I lived on army bases and attended integrated army schools in Europe at a time when strict racial segregation was the norm in the American South. Many students my age went on to protest in favor of civil rights. The “South Pacific” character I would most identify with is Luther Billis. In the musical Billis provides most of the comic relief. In high school I was always the class clown and like Billis evinced little respect for authority.

Q. Take these three words and give me a 100 word or less scene using them: hammer, saucer, traffic lights

A. With a sigh, Jake lets in the clutch and downshifts. Should have taken the bypass, he thinks as he comes to a stop, how can a town this size have so many traffic lights? The signal changes and Jake gets the motorcycle back into gear. He passes a brick building and with a glance ascertains that it’s the town library. Further down a neon sign hanging in the window of a modest building promises liquid refreshment. Might as well hammer a couple of beers, Jake decides and downshifts again.

Inside the dimly lit establishment three grizzled heads seated at the far end of the bar swing in unison to gaze at Jake as he enters. Disappointment at not seeing another regular is written on their faces. Sullenly the old timers turn back to concentrate on their drinks. A woman holding a whiskey bottle pushes through a pair of swinging café doors and Jake gets a glimpse at the tidy kitchen behind her. Setting the bottle on the bar the woman dries her hands with her apron. “What’ll you have?” she asks Jake.

You! Jake thinks, staring into her sparkling green eyes. He bites his tongue to keep from blurting out that thought. “What’s on draft?” he manages to get out.

“All we got is PBR.”

“That’ll do.” Dave lays a five-dollar bill on the counter to prove he’s not a deadbeat. The woman reaches for a mug in an overhead rack accentuating her slim figure. She turns to the beer tap.

Jake is smitten. Red hair and green eyes! What’s she doing in a place like this? He watches her carefully top off the mug with just the right amount of head. What’s the cat’s name?” he asks pointing to the tabby licking a saucer of milk in the corner.

Q. What is your idea of how to spend romantic time with your significant other?

A. My wife and I both enjoy quiet evenings at home with our assortment of rescued dogs and cats. We love to curl up in bed surrounded by our furry friends who are happy to watch whatever is on PBS with us. Our evening probably wouldn’t impress outsiders as overly romantic, but we’re happy!

Q. When you start a new story, do you begin with a character, or a plot?

A. I almost always start with a character or in the case of my new novel characters. I had an idea for the theme I wanted to develop with Crossing Day in mind for a several years, but was unable to find the right approach to take until one day, it hit me to put a group of high school students in a story that would bring out the topic. Once I began writing about these characters, they helped me develop the plot.

Q. If they were to make the story of your life into a movie, who should play you?

A. Without a doubt I would want Adam Sandler to play me if they were to make a movie about my life. He is a great actor who in several movies has shown that he can convey the sort of give-a-damn attitude I had growing up!

Thank-you for featuring my novel Crossing Day on Full Moon Dreaming today!



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Virtual Book Tour: My Gangster Father and Me by Marcia Rosen

 Good morning everyone! Please welcome author Marcia Rosen to Full Moon Dreaming today! She is here to talk about her new release, My Gangster Father and Me. Marcia will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to one randomly drawn commenter via Rafflecopter during the tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. To find the other stops on her tour, go here. Don't forget to look for the Rafflecopter at the end of this post!


 


MY GANGSTER FATHER AND ME

Marcia Rosen


 

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GENRE:  Memoir

 

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BLURB:

 

Happy Fathers Day.
Our history and experiences can define us, inspire our actions and as writers impact our words and stories.  Mine most definitely has. My father was a gangster. Really!

This is my story about my relationship with my father and how his profession affected me and my life, “He called me Sugar Plum. Both a blessing and a burden, I learned interesting lessons from my father: about generosity and determination, taking risks, and certainly finding the willingness to live life as an adventure.”

 

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EXCERPT:

 


 

You can command respect by your actions and deeds. You most certainly can’t demand love. I’m pretty sure my father never really felt loved by his family or by my mother, except perhaps briefly when they were dating and first married.

 

My father showed me by example the importance of helping someone who is homeless and hungry. He often bought a meal for those in need. I watched him do those things. One time, I was walking with him on Main Street in downtown Buffalo, past the five and dime store. A man, who looked like he was around fifty, asked for money. My father said, “Let’s go inside and I’ll buy you something to eat.” I can still picture us going inside to buy him a meal.

 

I grew up learning to be tolerant, yet at times he was intolerant. He taught me to believe in the necessity of fairness and justice, yet he himself did not always demonstrate those traits. He taught me to respect others, yet from my point of view he showed a lack of respect for some people. I believe he was a racist and told him so. His own history figured largely in his feelings and way of thinking.

 

My father’s attitude towards Black people had its source when he was in his early twenties. He and my grandfather had a small, thriving business providing farm-grown produce to some of the larger grocery chains in the city. Several times a week, leaving well before dawn, they would drive outside of the city to buy fruits and vegetables, often returning after dark.

 

Tired and in need of some rest, a young Black man who worked for them took over the driving. He too must have been tired and fell asleep at the wheel. There was a serious accident killing my grandfather and sending my father to the hospital for several months. He was lucky to have survived, as was the driver. My dad was not told about his father until the doctors were sure about his recovery. He spent the rest of his life taking a small white pill each day to stop him from shaking; he had nerve damage from the accident. He rarely spoke about it. Yet it affected his entire life.

 

We strongly disagreed about his being a racist. He would always say, “I’m not racist.” I think he was. When I became very friendly with the daughter of a Black family who moved in next door to us, we moved. As a teenager, when my African American boss drove me home from work one day, my father had a fit. “What if someone sees you? What will they think?” It was the 1950s and people thought all sorts of illogical and irrational things.

 

There was more of this type of attitude and comments from both my father and mother. I was not at all happy with them, and they were not too pleased with me. This was a frequent topic of controversy between us.

 

For me, like many others in this country, I cried tears of hope on November 4, 2008, when it was announced an African American was elected President of the United States of America. Tears were on my cheeks, as they were on thousands of others: leaders and everyday Americans, white and Black. We voted and sent an important message. Not everyone heard it, but on that day reasonable voices prevailed.  

 


 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Marcia Rosen is an award-winning author of twelve books including nine mysteries, the most recent is An Agatha, Raymond, Sherlock, and Me Mystery: Murder at the Zoo. She is also the author of The Senior Sleuths, the Dying to Be Beautiful Mystery Series, and The Gourmet Gangster: Mysteries and Menus (Menus by her son Jory Rosen). She wrote The Woman’s Business Therapist and My Memoir Workbook and has given Memoir Writing presentations and classes for close to twenty years. Her Memoir Blog can be found on her website. For twenty-five years she was owner of a successful national marketing and public relations agency.

 

Marcia has frequently been a featured speaker at organization meetings, bookstores, libraries, and Zoom Programs presenting talks on Encouraging the Writer Within You, Marketing for Authors, Writing Mysteries…Not A Mystery and A Memoir Detective…Writing Your Life Story. She has also helped numerous writers develop and market their books.

 

She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Southwest Writers, New Mexico Book Association, Public Safety Writer’s Association, International Memoir Writer’s Association, Women’s National book Association and National Association of Independent Writers and Editors—for which she is also a board member.

 

www.MarciaRosen.com

 

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