Friday, February 28, 2014

Realizing You VBT

Blurb:
Meet Robby Aihn, the newest star in the self-help universe and author of the runaway bestseller, Realizing You, now struggling with his first taste of fame. Though his five principles for good living are changing other people’s lives, his own life is starting to fall apart. When Robby stages a lavish self-help conference in Dallas, he attracts others with their own secrets: his estranged wife and unhappy teenage daughter; the businessman pursuing his own agenda; the all-star pitcher facing the end of his career; and the shy co-author Robby never acknowledged, who is searching for meaning in her own life. Join Robby and the others on their journey toward understanding and fulfillment, in this truly novel approach to changing YOUR life.



Excerpt:
Sophie was the last one awake. She lay tensely in the queen-size bed next to her mother’s until she heard Marie’s soft, even breathing. Certain that her mother was deeply asleep, she slipped out of bed, tiptoed to her suitcase, and took out the little pink and red bag. Inside nestled a print scarf and a multi-colored beaded bracelet. Both items still bore their price tags. She’d snipped the tag off only the tortoiseshell hair comb so she could wear it today. She took it from the nightstand, looked at all three items, shook out and stroked the glossy material of the scarf, then quietly tucked all of them back in the bag, which she pushed deep into her suitcase. She wouldn’t take them out again until she left Dallas. She’d never wear that stupid hair comb again. She told herself it wasn’t as pretty as she’d thought when she first saw it in the store. The stern little voice inside her head told her that wasn’t the reason.


Sophie refused to allow herself to know what the real reason was.


She hadn’t left Colorado with those items in her suitcase. Her mother didn’t know she had them. She
couldn’t explain where she’d gotten them.


But taking them had made her feel better. Everybody did it, at least once or twice. No big deal. She took a deep relaxing breath, thinking about how the act of lifting them from the counter made her feel, and realized she was finally getting drowsy. She crawled into bed, turned over, and was deeply asleep in three minutes.



What brought you to authoring Realizing You?
I began thinking about writing a book on best business management practices back in 1994, staying with the conventional non-fiction genre. The book was to be based on lessons learned from meetings with Fortune 500 companies in my management consulting practice. I led hundreds of these meetings with my energy-company clients. I pared down a list of over 80 significant lessons learned to a short list of ten that I thought would be very helpful to businesses and their employees in improving their management skills and corporate results.


While I consider myself to be a pretty good business writer, my consulting practice was so successful that I knew I didn’t have enough time to devote to writing the book; so, I hired a professional writer to translate my knowledge and drafts into a coherent book. We worked for several weeks on a formal book proposal that we planned to send to established publishers.


At that point in 1995, I lost interest in writing the book. Who would want to read my book? While I thought that I had a lot of new insights, the idea of a best-practices book seemed like I was not really adding much mind-gripping knowledge. For one thing, it would be similar in concept to the highly successful In Search of Excellence, written in the 1980’s. Moreover, I would have to go through the painstaking task of getting permission from the various companies cited as examples. It just seemed like too much work to author a book that was not an original concept. I was not at all convinced that the book would have much of an effect on changing people’s lives in their workplace. So, that idea of a conventional non-fiction book died a natural death.


But, I continued to think about and add to my knowledge of best business management practices. I continued to lead meetings with my energy-company clients, taking away something new from each and every meeting. I continued to talk with and interview family members and friends about best practices in their particular fields of endeavor. I continued to make notes and file them away. But still no breakthrough thinking on what a unique approach looked like.

Then, one night in 2008—14 years after my original book thoughts—I woke up from a deep sleep, thinking my book should not be non-fiction, but fiction. It should be story about imaginary people struggling to improve their lives. It should be a book that would engage readers in openly and non-defensively examining the ways some of their behavior habits are obstructing their own opportunities for happiness and for those around them.


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Author Information:
RON DOADES is president of Ronald Doades & Company, a consulting firm that, since 1977, has helped the people of large and mid-size energy companies improve their individual and corporate performance results by learning from the best-practice experiences of others. A popular speaker on the topic of managing change for optimal results, he holds an MBA from Columbia University and an MS in Psychology from The New School in New York City. Visit him at www.realizingyoubook.com

SUSAN SLOATE is the author of twenty published books, including STEALING FIRE, a #2 Amazon bestseller and Quarter-Finalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest, and FORWARD TO CAMELOT (authored with Kevin Finn), which in its first edition was a #6 Amazon bestseller, took honors in 3 literary competitions and was optioned for film by a Hollywood production company. She lives in Mount Pleasant, SC. Visit her online at http://susansloate.com.

Shannon's Law Launch Day

Blurb:
Wild child inner city cop Shannon Aguerri walks a dangerous line between her methods and justice. When the bosses lose their nerve, after yet another maverick mission, she is transferred to green pastures to play out the role of a routine village cop. When she encounters signs of people and drug trafficking she homes in on serious millionaire criminals.  As a loner she has attracted men but nothing has stuck. When she meets Spencer, the hunky and widowed Earl of Bloxington, there is an immediate rapport between them. Their social differences mean nothing to their passion and need.  Already in the mix is an upper class female rival – who has long plotted her way into the Earl's bed. The jealousy is an evil shade of green and the anger is a violent scarlet.  Often inhibited by a sense of duty and honour, Spencer is slow to reveal his feelings. When Shannon confronts him with the need to choose between her word and that of her rival, he does not immediately support her. All the same, when they are forced together to carry out a desperate rescue mission, their love is stronger than everything ranged against them.


Author's note: This book is quite 'strongly flavoured' and features uninhibited, but straightforward steamy sexual scenes between consenting adults and true-to-life street language that would occur in high-stress situations.



(Pre-order paperback only at this stage)


a Rafflecopter giveaway




Author Information:
Emma Calin was born in London in 1962. She currently lives in France and the UK.

She has been writing since childhood and has won numerous local, national and international prizes for poetry and short stories.

"Knockout!" is the first of the “Passion Patrol Series” a stand-alone love story set against a backdrop of international gambling corruption and deception. Interpol cop Anna Leyton finds herself torn between love and duty when her professional and private life intersects.  This book is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats.

“The Love in a Hopeless Place Collection” is a bargain anthology of 5 short stories and novelettes, available in paperback and digital formats.

"Sub-Prime" is a prize-winning hard hitting short story about courage, exploitation and love. It is a raw and brutal exposé of life at the bottom in the aftermath of recession.

"The Chosen" is also a short story,  set in modern times where working people struggle to keep their dreams alive. A world where the promise of love motivates desperate measures.

“Escape To Love” is a 'novelette' (longer than a short story but shorter than a novella), a gritty urban romance with suspense and mystery but a love story at it's core.

“Angela” a short story about a late-night taxi journey.

“Love in a Hopeless Place” a novelette about a middle-aged woman striving to find her true identity.


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Thursday, February 27, 2014

The Green Rose Review Tour

Blurb:
On the continent of Gaia, evil is brewing. Turncoat wizard, Balthyser, kidnaps the kings of Dahaka and Tapin. He wants the green rose, a source of powerful magic.


Princess Sonia of Tapin is forced to hunt down the rose in exchange for her father's life. It's the ultimate betrayal of Gaia's peace, but she has no choice if she wants to save her father.


Prince Ivánstan of Dahaka accompanies her on the journey. Both face challenges and obstacles that test their strength of character during the hunt for the rose. Dare Sonia put her trust and faith in a man she hardly knows to secure Gaia's peace or will the continent's harmony be shattered forever?



Excerpt:
Draco stood next to the bank of the brook on hind legs which were thick and stocky. The dragon was no taller than Ivánstan. His wings rested at his side. The green scales that covered his body glistened in the twilight. Upon seeing her, Draco's eyes widened and he moved his head, looking her over from head to toe. Sonia cradled the now sleeping Hiro in her arm against her breast. Heat radiated from the dragon's body.


Ivánstan glanced at Draco and chuckled. "He says you're pretty." "Thank you." She'd never been called pretty by a dragon before. Draco raised his right wing, exposing his claws upward.


"He wants you to put your hand in his. It's his way of greeting you." "I won't burn?"


"Nay. His scales usually negate the heat's effect for us."


Sonia steeled her courage. Seeing Draco so close, she understood why Ivánstan's bonding had been so challenging. She had to trust him when he said Draco wouldn't burn her.


There was that dirty word again -- trust. But how dirty was it? Why did Ivánstan consistently demand it of her? And why did she give it piece by piece?


Slowly, she offered her hand to the dragon. His scales possessed the consistency of slate, but she detected an inner hardness, reminding her of Taveran steel. His claws wrapped around her hand.



My Review:
4 stars

Well, Stephanie’s done it again. She’s delivered another wonderful book that I loved. Now, I don’t want to give away too much, since this is a book best enjoyed with minimal spoilers. I loved discovering all the twists all on my own.

But, that said, I loved her world building. Gaia is a magical and fascinating place, full of interesting sites and awesome characters. I also loved the fact that nobility is bound to animals, as it provided some interesting twists and fun moments.

I especially enjoyed Sonia and Ivánstan. Their romance was great, and the chemistry was awesome. It’s so nice to see a strong female character and a guy who’s not a total jerk.

All in all, The Green Rose was full of adventure, magic, romance, great writing, and intriguing plot twists, all of which I enjoyed. I highly recommend you get a copy and see for yourself.


Stephanie will be awarding a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.


February 13: It's Raining Books
February 20: Our Wolves Den



Author Bio and Links:
Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD.  She was born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire.  She served 11 years in the US Army and currently calls Castaic, California her home. Stephanie was married in Denmark in 1991 and has two young sons. She adores chocolate, is addicted to coffee and enjoys early morning walks.  She's also an assistant den leader for her son's Cub Scout den and is a Boy Scout mom. She writes paranormal, contemporary, and steampunk romance and has two children's books published with 4RV Publishing.


Find me on the web at:
Website    |     Twitter     |     Facebook
Goodreads     |     Youtube     |     Pinterest


Buy Links:
Publisher’s Site     |     Amazon     |     Barnes & Nobles

AllRomanceEbooks     |     Sony Ebooks