31 May 2017

Of Bullies & Jerks

I try to always keep this blog a politics-free zone of fun. I love posting about science fiction related subjects, lots of books and new releases, and let's face it, lots of alien stuff.

But today's my birthday, and something really mean and nasty happened in the book world...something that affects children. Something that is nothing other than flat-out bullying. And since I am both a mom and an author, and because my strong stance against bullying is no secret, I feel compelled to address the issue. And since it's my birthday, I beg you to allow me this rant.

We all know about the horrific, disgusting photo ofKathy Griffin by Tyler Shields. I won't go into details about the photo, because I refuse to perpetuate her hate. However...

The hate has been perpetuated by Ken Jennings, children's author at Simon & Schuster. He tweets jokingly about 11 year old Barron who'd seen the horrid Kathy Griffith photo and had thought his father had been murdered. He became extremely distraught...just as ANY child would. Ken Jennings thinks it's funny that a child was traumatized like that. He openly jokes about it on twitter. Yes. You read that right. A children's author thinks it's funny that a child was traumatized. Let that sink in a bit.

Today's young generation has had the unfortunate luck of growing up in a society that is continually rocked by terrorism. Our children don't have the luxury we had of growing up in safer times. When I imagine myself having to grow up in today's society as apposed to the slow, calm childhood I was granted in the '70s and '80s, I feel my heart break...I cannot even imagine what fear our kids deal with on a daily basis.

And then, when I see something like Ken Jenning's tweet, #bullying such a child...a kind young fellow who'd just been traumatized by a bloody depiction of his father...I become livid. Angry. Quite frankly, ticked off in the extreme!

What say ye, dear readers and followers, shall we send Ken Jennings a strong message? Shall we let his publisher know that we don't stand for bullying of ANY TYPE? Shall we #boycottkenjennings &#boycottsimonschuster?






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27 May 2017

*!Giveaway!* BLOOD OATH by Melissa Lenhardt


BLOOD OATH

A Laura Elliston Novel, Book 2
by
MELISSA LENHARDT
!!NEW RELEASE!!

  Genre: Historical / Western / Action-Adventure / Romance
Publisher: Redhook
Date of Publication: May 23, 2017
Number of Pages: 384

Outlander meets post-Civil War unrest in this action-packed follow up to Sawbones.
Laura Elliston and William Kindle are on the run -- from the Army and from every miscreant in the West eager to claim the $500 bounty for Laura's capture as their own. But the danger isn't just from those pursuing them. Laura and Kindle have demons of their own and a past that won't stay dead. Exhausted, scared, scarred and surrounded by enemies, neither realize the greatest danger is yet to come.



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Watch Lone Star Book Blog Tours for the Badlands tour starting June 27th – with reviews of Blood Oath, Badlands, and Special Features with the inside scoop!



Melissa Lenhardt is the author the Jack McBride mystery series, as well as the Laura Elliston historical fiction series. Her debut mystery, STILLWATER, was a finalist for the 2014 Whidbey Writers’ MFA Alumni Emerging Writers Contest, and SAWBONES, her historical fiction debut, was hailed as a "thoroughly original, smart and satisfying hybrid, perhaps a new subgenre: the feminist Western" by Lone Star Literary Life. A lifelong Texan, she lives in the Dallas area with her husband and two sons.

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5/23
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5/24
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24 May 2017

*ENTER TO WIN* BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS by Camille Di Maio


BEFORE THE RAIN FALLS
by
Camille Di Maio


Fiction / Historical / Family
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Date of Publication: May 16, 2017
Number of Pages: 334

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After serving seventy years in prison for the murder of her sister, Eula, Della Lee has finally returned home to the Texas town of Puerto Pesar. She’s free from confinement—and ready to tell her secrets before it’s too late.

She finds a willing audience in journalist Mick Anders, who is reeling after his suspension from a Boston newspaper and in town, reluctantly, to investigate a mysterious portrait of Eula that reportedly sheds tears. He crosses paths with Dr. Paloma Vega, who’s visiting Puerto Pesar with her own mission: to take care of her ailing grandmother and to rescue her rebellious younger sister before something terrible happens. Paloma and Mick have their reasons to be in the hot, parched border town whose name translates as Port of Regret. But they don’t anticipate how their lives will be changed forever.

Moving and engrossing, this dual story alternates between Della’s dark ordeals of the 1940s and Paloma and Mick’s present-day search for answers―about roots, family, love, and what is truly important in life.



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Praise for Before the Rain Falls:
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  May 17-31, 2017 

CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
5/17
Promo
5/18
Review
5/19
Excerpt 1
5/25
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5/26
Review
5/27
Excerpt 2
5/28
Promo
5/29
Review
5/30
Deleted Scene
5/31
Review




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18 May 2017

*Guest Post & Giveaway!* HEART OF A TEXAS COWBOY by Linda Broday

THE HEART OF A
TEXAS COWBOY
Men of Legend, Book 2
by
LINDA BRODAY
  Genre: Western / Historical / Romance
Date of Publication: May 2, 2017
Number of Pages: 384

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Three Brothers. One Oath.
No Compromises.
The MEN of LEGEND

One bullet is all it takes to shatter Houston Legend’s world. He swore he’d never love again, but with the future of the Lone Star Ranch on the line, he finds himself at the altar promising to love and cherish a woman he’s never met—a woman whose vulnerable beauty touches his heart.

All Lara Boone wants is a name for her baby. The best she can hope for is kindness and acceptance. She never expected to fall in love with her own husband—or any man—after the heartache she’s endured.

In an effort to save the Lone Star Ranch, Houston decides to drive two thousand longhorns up the Great Western Trail to Dodge City. The day before he leaves, the cook quits. When he can’t find another on such short notice, Lara offers to go along and fill in. Over his best judgement, he lets her. Three days out, he notices riders trailing them. Things go from bad to worse and it’s an all-out fight to try to save themselves and the herd.

And when Lara’s troubled past catches up with them, Houston will move heaven and earth to protect his bride…and discover depths to a marriage of convenience neither realized could be theirs to claim.

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Praise for The Heart of a Texas Cowboy:

“Broday brilliantly captures Lara and Houston’s hesitations and growing love. The exciting plot, rich setting, and superb writing will delight fans of historical romances.” ~~Publisher’s Weekly *Starred Review

“This compassionate, poignant marriage-of-convenience love story demonstrates Broday’s ability to bring a wide range of emotions to her characters in a fast-paced plotline without losing a bit of the powerful love story. Add this to your Western romance collection!” ~~Romantic Times

“Ms. Broday's conclusion of this phenomenal book is heart gripping, blood pounding drama at its finest. This one will keep readers revisiting again and again in years to come.~~ Tonya Lucas- Goodreads Review

“One of the best historical Western authors.” ~~ Fresh Fiction
“Broday will appeal to fans of such authors as Georgina Gentry, Leigh Greenwood, and Jodi Thomas.” ~~Booklist





Cattle Drives – The Great Western Trail 
Guest Post by Linda Broday 

I’m so excited to have THE HEART OF A TEXAS COWBOY (#2 Men of Legend)  ithe hands of readers! I just love writing this series about a powerful family –patriarch Stoker Legend and his three sons. Sam, Houston, and Luke are every bit as tough as the Cartwrights of the old TV series Bonanza. In fact, the Legend family might remind you of them (just a tad.) 

In this story, Houston Legend is shocked to the core when his father comes in Monday morning after a weekend of gambling and announces that he lost half of the mighty Lone Star Ranch. Two hundred and forty thousand acres disappeared overnight. But…they can get it back if Houston agrees to marry the new owner’s daughter and give her baby a name. 

Two weeks following the wedding, Houston gets ready to leave on a cattle drive. When his cook quits two days before they start and he can’t find another, Lara volunteers. 

The Great Western Trail they take began in Kerrville and ran north to Dodge City, Kansas. Most of the land was inhospitable and water was difficult to find. Many feeder trails emptied into it. Since the Legend family’s Lone Star Ranch sits in North Texas around the Vernon/Wichita Falls area, they drive the cattle west a short distance to connect with the trail at Doan’s Crossing. 

Here are a few facts:  

  • The average length of a cattle drive was 1,000 miles and one usually took 3-6 months. 
  • They could only make around 10 miles a day—if they didn’t have trouble. 
  •  Drovers earned $30-40 a month; the cook $60; and the Trail Boss $90. At today’s inflation rate, a drover would receive around $59,000 at trail’s end. 
  • Between 1866 and 1886 somewhere around 20 million cattle left Texas. That’s a lot. 

I hope you’ll take this exciting journey with me as Houston fights against ruthless outlaws who start picking off his men one by one, determined to stop them at all cost. And rejoice when he finds love and contentment with a wife he didn’t want.  

Book #3 – To Marry a Texas Outlaw – will bring the series to a thrilling conclusion in November 2017.  It’s available for pre-order now. 




Linda Broday, Historical Western Romance Author
I'm a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 8 full length historical western romance novels, with another set to release 2017, and 10 short stories. Watching TV westerns during my youth fed my love of cowboys and the old West and they still do. I reside in the Texas Panhandle on land the American Indian and Comancheros once roamed. At times, I can feel their ghosts lurking around every corner. Texas’ rich history is one reason I set all my stories here. I love research and looking for little known tidbits to add realism to my stories. When I’m not writing, I collect old coins and I confess to being a rock hound. I’ve been accused (and quite unfairly I might add) of making a nuisance of myself at museums, libraries, and historical places. I’m also a movie buff and love sitting in a dark theater, watching the magic on the screen. As long as I’m confessing…chocolate is my best friend. It just soothes my soul.
 --------------------------------------- 
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  May 15-24, 2017 



CHECK OUT THE OTHER GREAT BLOGS ON THE TOUR:
5/15
Guest Post 1
5/16
Review
5/17
Character Interview
5/18
Guest Post 2
5/19
Review
5/20
Excerpt
5/21
Author Interview
5/22
Review
5/23
Bonus Short
5/24
Review


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