Readers Roost: January 2023

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Finding True North Release Blitz #rabtbooktours

Young Adult Fiction

Date Published: January 31st, 2023

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

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North Carolina Simon hates her name. As a fourteen-year-old girl growing up in the 1970s, she has a lot of challenges. People not only make fun of her name, but also scoff at her eccentric family. Dad’s a hoarder, Mom’s an unpredictable artist, and her older sister lives with an autism diagnosis. After a humiliating middle school event shatters her confidence as a singer, North determines to break free from the stigma surrounding her family.

As she starts high school, North tells people to call her Carol. Armed with a new name, she updates her appearance, befriends a popular boy in hopes of joining his band, distances herself from her two longtime friends, and avoids being seen with her adoring and dependent sister. Everything seems to be going according to plan until her sister suddenly disappears. Carol is forced to face reality. Should she continue to focus all her time and energy on fitting in or should she surrender to God’s calling on her life?

Finding True North is a prequel to Sticks and Stones, but each can be read as stand-alone novels.

About the Author

Dianne Beck has spent most of her career teaching students ranging from kindergarten through adult and currently works as a high school youth director at her church. In each of these roles, she hopes to encourage students to be their own unique selves, to have confidence in who they are, and to follow their passions. Dianne’s debut young adult novel Sticks and Stones, winner of multiple awards, was inspired by her years of teaching, where she saw how an understanding ear and relevant literature could make a significant impact on students’ lives. She hopes young people and adults can find faith and strength in her stories.

Visit her author website at http://www.diannebeck.com.

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Sandy Wishes Release Blitz #rabtbooktours

Sanderling Cove Inn Series Book 2

Contemporary Romantic Women's Fiction

Date Published: January 31, 2023

Sometimes, wishes do come true…

Brooke Weatherby is tired of being the dependable one, the boring one of everyone at Sanderling Cove. She agreed to come to the cove for the summer unaware her two cousins, Charlotte “Charlie” Bradford and Olivia “Livy” Winters, would also be there to help manage The Sanderling Cove Inn while her grandparents take a long road trip in Europe. More than anything, she wishes for independence from her role as a sometime caretaker of her mother, so she’s free to find true love.

Unknown to her and her cousins, the five grandmothers at Sanderling Cove have invited their beloved grandchildren to spend as much time as possible this summer at the cove, hoping that romance might flourish among them.

One grandson, Dylan Hendrix, is a well-known artist who decides to take a break from Santa Fe and experiment with different kinds of paintings inspired by the scenic Gulf Coast of Florida. As he and Brooke get to know each other, he encourages her to discover her own artistic talent. Brooke’s world opens to colors and possibilities she never dreamed of as her life begins to change.

Grandmothers can be very determined when it comes to seeing their grandchildren happy. A family saga full of love. Be sure to read all the books in the series – Waves of Hope, Sandy Wishes, Salty Kisses.

Another of Judith Keim’s series books celebrating love and families, strong women meeting challenges, and clean women’s fiction with a touch of romance—beach reads for all ages with a touch of humor, satisfying twists, and happy endings. Be sure to check out her other delightful books and series that readers adore.

Sanderling Cove Inn Series

Waves of Hope, Book One

Sandy Wishes, Book Two

Salty Kisses, Book Three

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Judith Keim, A USA Today Best-Selling Author, is a hybrid author who both has a publisher and self-publishes. Ms. Keim writes heart-warming novels about women who face unexpected challenges, meet them with strength, and find love and happiness along the way, stories with heart. Her best-selling books are based, in part, on many of the places she's lived or visited and on the interesting people she's met, creating believable characters and realistic settings her many loyal readers love.

She enjoyed her childhood and young-adult years in Elmira, New York, and now makes her home in Boise, Idaho, with her husband and their two domineering dachshunds, Winston and Wally, and other members of her family.

While growing up, she was drawn to the idea of writing stories from a young age. Books were always present, being read, ready to go back to the library, or about to be discovered. All in her family shared information from the books in general conversation, giving them a wealth of knowledge and vivid imaginations.

When she’s not writing, which isn’t that often, she enjoys an evening glass of red wine and her husband’s creative cooking and always loves spending time with family and friends.

Ms. Keim loves to hear from her readers and appreciates their enthusiasm for her stories.

To sign up for her newsletter, go here: https://BookHip.com/RRGJKGN

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Teaser Tuesday FA Confidential #rabtbooktours

Techno Thriller

Date Published: 02-10-2023

Publisher: Open Books

Three people doing their jobs and making decisions that may lead to a conflict between the world’s powers. After all, the US must respond to an attack on its flagship project to build home-grown ‘fabs’, especially as it is linked to the reputation of the President. And People’s Republic cannot possibly ignore unprovoked aggression on its sovereignty…

Jane Sullivan’s appointment as the National Security Adviser is the pinnacle of her career. She knows that access to ‘silicon chips’ is a strategic imperative of vital interests to the nation and decides to do whatever she can to ensure a fully domestic Semiconductor Supply Chain…

Argon Zhi has built a good career with the local semiconductor industry. He has become a successful man and is a member of an elite club of professionals who work behind the scenes to make their island one of the Asia’s ‘Tiger Economies’. When a friend asks, he agrees to craft a plan for ensuring the continued competitiveness of the island’s technology companies. It is the ‘right thing to do’…

Cedric Dyson is a tinkerer and does not care about politics. Instead, he loses himself in his job as a Failure Analyses (FA) engineer who figures out why some chips do not work the way they are supposed to. Then he notices a pattern. Like a crime detective on a murder case, he follows the clues, trusts his intuition, and uncovers a shocking truth…

Everything comes to a head with a murder of a foreign citizen on US soil…

EXCERPT

‘There is a Tide in the Affairs of Men’

William Shakespeare

t-0 + 20 months, Chandler, AZ

Jane knew that this time around she would need to be nothing more than a wallflower. But she did not mind. In fact, she knew that her participation on this junket was something of a reward. In the political language of the capital, the proximity to the president that this trip offered was recognition for the part she’d played in the project. Besides, flying with POTUS on Air Force 1 was always fun. Even Iron Brew was impressed. And since all the attention would be focused on him, she would get to do what she preferred―observe rather than be observed.

Yes, this trip was to be a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the first of her advanced semiconductor factories. POTUS would meet the CEO of Intel, they would shake hands, pose for pictures, probably with one of those silly giant scissors, and then pretend to tour the facility.

Jane was however surprised by the many thousands of man-hours that went into orchestrating the event. The team that represented the hosting company―Matt Nowak, the site manager, and his tech geeks―were highly concerned about the prospect of a tour of the facility. Apparently, this would contaminate the line and once corrupted it would take them weeks to bring it back up to the needed standard. They kept going on about Class-1, whatever that meant, and insisted that the only possible way of supporting a tour was if the party was limited to no more than eight people, and if everyone wore the full ‘bunny suits’ and followed standard procedures. Some amongst the nerd squad thought that even that would be unacceptable.

On the other hand, the Secret Service people went into conniptions at the idea of POTUS wearing a bunny suit. Apparently having POTUS in a disguise that would make him indistinguishable from the rest of the party was unthinkable. It seemed that having him out of sight of the full support team―aides, snipers, eyes and ears, the guy carrying ‘the football’, medics, and all the rest of the normal retinue―was totally against procedures. Not to mention that the level of protection provided by only a couple of agents who would not be allowed to bring in their weapons was entirely unacceptable.

And the White House political spin doctors were concerned about someone snapping inappropriate pictures of the President struggling to get in and out of one of those bunny suits―an awkward procedure that would apparently call for levels of agility that may be beyond the septuagenarian POTUS.

….

About the Author

Riko Radojcic was born in poor post-war Yugoslavia but enjoyed a very happy and secure early childhood there. When he was twelve his father took a job with the UN World Health Organization and Riko spent his teen years in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), Nigeria, Kenya and Tanzania, observing the demise of the colonial Raj as well as some harsh Third World realities. He completed high school in Swiss private schools -- a polar opposite of the Third World -- which gave him a peek into the lives of the one-percenters. He then moved to Manchester, UK, where he witnessed the bleak circumstances of the working class in the heart of industrial England.

After working in the UK for several years, Riko immigrated to the US, settling in San Diego. There he enjoyed a rewarding and a very stimulating career in the semiconductor industry, working in a variety of technical, managerial and business development roles. His professional life exposed him not only to the amazing wonders of silicon chip technology, but also gave him an opportunity to travel internationally and to interact with smart and talented people from very diverse backgrounds. After 35 plus years in the world of high tech and engineering management, Riko is now devoting his full energies to writing as he tries to bring to life the magic of technology, the realities of the high-tech industry, and some of his diverse life experiences through storytelling.

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Monday, January 30, 2023

Swingers Light Up Vegas Guest Post

Release Blitz: Swingers Light Up Vegas, by Adriana Kraft @AdrianaKraft #LaterInLife #EroticRomance #ShortStory

Book Information:

Swingers Light Up Vegas

By Adriana Kraft

Release Date: January 30, 2023

Length: 5,500 words

Tags: Short Story, Erotic Romance, Swing Lifestyle, Later in Life, LGBTQ

Buy Links:

FREE with subscription to Adriana Kraft’s Newsletter:

https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/d1c82f5e-9b43-11ed-8c5e-b712215e57d9

PURCHASE FOR 99 CENTS

Universal Book Link: https://books2read.com/u/bQN2lZ

Available at Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, ScribD, Smashwords

Blurb

What happens in Vegas…

Swingers Dan and Ginger head to Las Vegas to celebrate Ginger’s fiftieth birthday. Through their friends back home, they’ve scored a free week at a posh Vegas resort condominium. They fill their days with every iconic Las Vegas experience they can dream up. But by night? They’re determined not to leave Vegas without sampling what it has to offer in the erotically charged swing lifestyle. A Vegas swing club beckons – will it live up to their fantasies?

Excerpt

Ginger heaved a sigh and slipped on the black top. “Do you think I need a bra with this?”

Laughing, Dan shook his head. “Foolish question. When have I ever thought you needed to wear a bra to a swing club? You have wonderful breasts. They shouldn’t be covered at all.”

“Of course that’s what you’d say.” Ginger chuckled. “I think this will work. I’ll wear the white shorts…the shorty ones. And if you wear your black pants, we should be quite the match on the dancefloor.”

“I don’t think we’ll go unnoticed. You’re hotter than hot tonight. Maybe it’s pent up energy from that abominable condo sales pitch. If so, I should write a thank you note to those sales agents.” Dan walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window and stared out at the evening lights bathing the lazy river below in a soft glow. “This is still a great place to celebrate your fiftieth birthday.”

Ginger wrapped her arms around her husband and looked over his shoulder at the courtyard below. “It’s beautiful. And the Vegas skyline is stunning from here. We couldn’t have a better view. Being on the fifth floor is just right. And you’re right, this is just the place to be for my birthday. Who knew I’d be in such a celebrative mood turning fifty? But I am. For that matter, who knew I’d feel this sexy at fifty? More than ever, really. In my twenties, I’d never have believed it was possible.”

Dan turned and pecked at Ginger’s lips, then kissed her soundly as she responded. He pulled back. “You’re so sexy it’s tempting to stay here instead of going to the club. But we have a date.”

Guest Post

At 90? Really?

In case you missed it, Movie Star Rita Moreno, 91, recently owned up on TV to becoming aroused while filming her latest movie. The scene? A men’s football locker room featuring, you guessed it, virile hunks changing clothes.

Meanwhile, I was recently chatting with a librarian friend about the erotic romance my husband and I co-author under our pen name, Adriana Kraft—at our age. My friend laughed and told me about an elderly woman who came to her library each week to request specific books. When she warned the woman how explicit one of the books was, the woman drew herself up and proclaimed, “I’m not dead yet!”

Both these women – Rita Moreno and our librarian’s patron – are three to four decades older than the happily married pair who star in our brand-new release, Swingers Light Up Vegas. Dan and Ginger have been swingers since their children grew up and left home a few years back, and they’re in Las Vegas to celebrate Ginger’s fiftieth birthday.

Swinging at 50? Feeling sexy (and desirable) at 50? Hardly a stretch of the imagination. There are lots of swingers age 50 and older. In some larger cities, there are clubs specifically by and for the older swing set, who’ve often aged out of more general lifestyle gatherings.

I think our fictional couple could easily have found such a club on their Las Vegas trip – in fact, they were referred to it by somewhat older friends back home in the Midwest.

We’ve created this short story to feed reader fantasies with a taste of the swing lifestyle. If you like this teaser, we hope you’ll come back for more!

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Adriana Kraft is the pen name for a married pair of retired professors writing erotic romance and erotic romantic suspense together. We like to think we’ve broken the mold for staid, fusty academics, and we hope lots of former profs are enjoying life as much as we are. We believe that love is love is love, and we often feature bisexual women and ménage in our erotic romance stories. Together we have published more than fifty erotic romance novels and novellas to outstanding reviews.

During our academic careers, we lived in many states across the Midwest. We love to travel, so when we retired, we sold our house and took off in our motor home across the country. We now make our home in southern Arizona, where we enjoy hiking, golf, and travel, especially to the many Arizona Native American historical sites.

We’ve featured the swing lifestyle in a number of our erotic romance stories. We penned this short story to give readers a quick taste of swinging – erotically charged, always, and a safe place for bisexual women to express the full range of their sexuality. We’ve written an entire series of novellas set in the lifestyle, entitled Swinging Games. We hope you’ll check them out! And as always, reviews are the lifeblood of romance authors, so we hope you’ll leave one for us.

Website: https://adrianakraft.com

Blog: https://www.adrianakraft.com/blog

Newsletter: free download of our erotic romance novella Cherry Tune-Up for signing up.

Twitter https://twitter.com/AdrianaKraft

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adriana.kraft.5

Facebook Fan Page https://www.facebook.com/AdrianaKraftAuthor

Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/author/adrianakraft

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1578571.Adriana_Kraft

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

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-kraft

Extasy Books Page https://www.extasybooks.com/adriana-kraft

Better Than Our Dogs Book Blitz #rabtbooktours

Christian Nonfiction

Date Published: August 12, 2020

Good dogs are obedient, loving, loyal, protective, and friendly. They honor their masters, bark only at the right times, and inspire us to be better through heroism, perseverance, and selflessness. Dogs have weak moments, too. They poop blue, jump out of car windows, and, at times, might be nicknamed the “Devil Dog.”Better Than Our Dogs uses funny and engaging stories to illustrate timeless lessons from the book of James. Each chapter offers practical advice, challenges readers to determine which dog they are most like, and encourages everyone to be better today. Better friends. Better people. Better followers of God.

About the Author

John J. Murray Jr. is the award-winning author of Better Than Our Dogs. He leads Bible study groups with members from across the country. After leaving private practice as an attorney, John won the League for Innovation in the Community College Excellence Award as the Paralegal Program Director and law instructor at Alvin Community College. He lives in Texas with his wife, Lana, and their dog, Chloe.

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Better Lucky Than Good Week Blitz #rabtbooktours

Memoir

Date Published: 09-13-2022

Can you build a successful life by taking the less traveled path? Yes, you can, and Dale Arenson’s incredible journey attests to it.

After seven years of living on the edge as a member of Hangmen, of the most popular outlaw motorcycle clubs in the US, the young school dropout needs a radical change. His soul wants something else; as long as he can preserve his freedom to do what he loves, he is ready to give up the gun violence, wild rides, and loud parties.

Dale Arenson walks away from the only life he knows to embark on a path that many people would deem too hard to even think about it. He bounces back from his poor start in life, bad choices, and costly mistakes and builds an exceptional career in aviation as a commercial pilot.

"Better Lucky Than Good" is the gripping account of this journey. A natural storyteller, the author vividly depicts his unorthodox path from outlaw biker to construction worker and salesman and, finally, to his dream life and his incredible adventures that nearly got him killed. Wildly entertaining, the book will keep you at the edge of your seat while inspiring and motivating you to follow your dreams and forge your own path in life.

About the Author

Dale Arenson is a bestselling author of gripping memoirs inspired by his risky and unconventional life. A high-school dropout in sunny Southern California, he found the supportive family he always craved in the biker community. After many run-ins with the law and brushes with death as a member of the famous Hangmen Motorcycle Club, Arenson gave up his dangerous lifestyle and reinvented himself as a commercial pilot. An admirer of Plato, Hemingway, and Marcus Aurelius, Arenson is now taking his turn at writing books that entertain, inspire, and stand the test of time.

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Saturday, January 28, 2023

Dusty Times Book Blitz #rabtbooktours

A beautifully crafted print book you'll want to display prominently. In this fifth edition of Dusty Times we celebrate the passion of competition and those that compete with some words of encouragement usually reserved only for moments when maximum throttle is necessary... GO LIKE HELL !

Dusty Times Issue 05 is a 9x12 inch, 112 page, soft cover book. Printed on heavy paper with full color photography, in depth stories on unique vehicles, races, and drivers it makes a great addition any enthusiasts collection.

CONTENT HIGHLIGHTS

● Stopping Speed - Motorsport photographer pictorial

● Charming Survivor - A vehicle for reflection

● Unearthing A Scroll Through History - Offroad racing artifact

● Everyman For Himself - A storied racer's ascent

● Challengers Reunited - Mickey Thompson machinery

Learn more about the series at https://dustytimes.com/

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Dusty Times, Issue 05 – Go Like Hell is available HERE and HERE for a retail price of $35

Friday, January 27, 2023

Climate of Monsters Friulian Son Book Blitz #rabtbooktours

Climate of Monsters Series, Book One

Suspense, Dark Fantasy, Supernatural Thriller, Horror

Published: June 28, 2022

Climate of Monster is a book of two incredible but unlikely heroes that intertwine to fight legendary mythical monsters and new creations that are rampant due to climate change. Our heroes include a young Italian master swordsman, and a dangerous Swedish woman who is both a special forces expert and medical doctor. Book 1: Friulian Son features incredible monsters that are larger than life: from biker werewolves, sea monsters, anthropomorphic squirrels, and a human hybrid cuttlefish (among many others).

Book Two Climate of Monsters: Breath of Fire is due out later in 2023.

About the Author

Mitchell Sanders is just another ordinary individual. As a scientist and serial entrepreneur, in his spare time he enjoys reading and writing horror books. His inspirations come from his lovely wife and best friend, Elisabeth, and three children and three grandchildren, who encouraged him to write and finish his first book. Mitch spent a good portion of his life studying biomedical sciences and advanced wound care. He has a BA in biology from Boston University with a minor in Latin language and literature, and an MS in molecular biology and a PhD in biomedical sciences, both from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Mitch did two postdocs at the Whitehead Institute / MIT, a world-renowned nonprofit research institution dedicated to improving human health through basic biomedical research. Mitch is a worldwide expert in wound repair and regeneration. Mitch was formerly founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of a diagnostic company for sixteen years.

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Friday Book Blog Hop: Love Janis

Genre

20th Century History, Biography, Music, Women's Voices

Buy Link

Amazon

https://amzn.to/3CkbRSz

Search for this book at Better World Books

https://bit.ly/BWBCIE

or search for this book at Thrift Books

https://bit.ly/ThriftBooksCie

Disclosures:

I will earn a small commission from Amazon for every book purchased through the Amazon link or credit towards a free book from either Better World Books or Thrift Books for books purchased through either of their links.

Blurb

A revealing and intimate biography about Janis Joplin, the Queen of Classic Rock, written by her younger sister.

Janis Joplin blazed across the sixties music scene, electrifying audiences with her staggering voice and the way she seemed to pour her very soul into her music. By the time her life and artistry were cut tragically short by a heroin overdose, Joplin had become the stuff of rock–and–roll legend.

Through the eyes of her family and closest friends , we see Janis as a young girl, already rebelling against injustice, racism, and hypocrisy in society. We follow Janis as she discovers her amazing talents in the Beat hangouts of Venice and North Beach–singing in coffeehouses, shooting speed to enhance her creativity, challenging the norms of straight society. Janis truly came into her own in the fantastic, psychedelic, acid–soaked world of Haight–Asbury. At the height of her fame, Janis's life is a whirlwind of public adoration and hard living. Laura Joplin shows us not only the public Janice who could drink Jim Morrison under the table and bean him with a bottle of booze when he got fresh; she shows us the private Janis, struggling to perfect her art, searching for the balance between love and stardom, battling to overcome her alcohol addiction and heroin use in a world where substance abuse was nearly universal.

At the heart of Love, Janis is an astonishing series of letters by Janis herself that have never been previously published. In them she conveys as no one else could the wild ride from awkward small–town teenager to rock–and–roll queen. Love, Janis is the new life of Janis Joplin we have been waiting for–a celebration of the sixties' joyous experimentation and creativity, and a loving, compassionate examination of one of that era's greatest talents.

Book Beginnings and First Line Friday

https://www.rosecityreader.com/

https://readingismysuperpower.org/

GROWING UP WITH JANIS held little constancy beyond the intensity with which she greeted life.

The Friday 56

http://www.fredasvoice.com/

San Francisco’s different. I don’t mean it’s perfect, but the rock bands there didn’t start because they wanted to make it. They dug getting stoned and playing for people dancing.

Book Blogger Hop

https://www.coffeeaddictedwriter.com/p/blog-page.html

21st - 27th - What is the average number of books you read per month? (submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

If I'm reading musician biographies, I can easily chew through several books in a week. If I'm reading something else, probably about a book a week.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Captain of Second Chances Release Blitz #rabtbooktours

Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Clean & Wholesome

Date Published: January 26, 2023

In this sweet Regency romance by USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Monroe, a young woman fights for a second chance with a former captain who is haunted by his past.

A Captain lost at sea

After a devastating shipwreck kills several of his crewmen, Captain Luke Bannerman has sworn off all aspects of his former life—including Miss Ruth Lockhart, the flaming-haired beauty he once loved. Now working for the Bow Street Runners, Luke is sent to the small village of Chatsworth to investigate a decades-old murder involving the headmistress of the very school Ruth attends. Although he has a duty to fulfill, the old feelings he has shut away resurface, making him reconsider what he has cast off…

Her love will bring him home

Miss Ruth Lockhart once dreamed of marrying Captain Bannermann and sailing the high seas. But a heartbreaking letter brought that dream to a crashing end. When the handsome Luke unexpectantly reappears, Ruth finds the strong and gentle man gone, replaced by one who is broken and lost. Although her heart yearns for a second chance, Ruth knows the cost of having her captain returned to her may prove to be more than she can pay.

Only the truth will calm a storm of secrets…

Suspecting a second chance is on the horizon, Ruth aids Luke in the search for the truth. But as the investigation unfolds, Ruth realizes her own secrets may be the very thing that will keep them apart.

As for Luke, he must decide which man he wants to be—the brave captain Ruth once knew or the Bow Street Runner who uncovers an unsettling truth that could ruin their chance at happiness…

Sisterhood of Secrets Series

#1 Duke of Madness

#2 Baron of Rake Street

#3 Marquess of Magic

#4 Earl of Deception

#5 Knight of Destiny

#6 Captain of Second Chances

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Monroe writes Regency romances you can’t resist. Her stories are filled with first loves and second chances, dashing dukes, and strong heroines. Each turn of the page promises an adventure in love and many late nights of reading.

With over twenty books published, her nine-part series, The Secrets of Scarlett Hall, which tells the stories of the Lambert Children, remain a favorite with her readers.

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