Friday, August 31, 2012

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop!


Well, here it is, the first of September. School has either already started or is just getting under way.

What better way to celebrate but with a giveaway hop!!

Thanks to Kathy from I Am a Reader, Not a Writer and
Heather from Buried in Books for hosting this amazing hop!

Here at The Book Bag, you have a chance to win one book, valued up to $20, from The Book Depository, if they send to you. Check here, if you don't know.

There are over 200 blogs participating in this hop so fill out the Rafflecopter below and then hop on over to some of the other blogs for more chances to win fun book stuff!


And now ~~ start hopping!


Spotlight: Not Famous Anymore by Michael Loyd Gray


Most of us dream of having the life of a movie star: the wealth, the fame, the adoration. One can even argue that it is the quintessential embodiment of the American Dream. But what if you attain that life, only to find that it is not so much the American Dream as a “Waking Dream”-- an unreal and foggy existence that only pulls you farther from yourself? That’s what happens to Elliot Adrian, the “star” of award-winning novelist Michael Loyd Gray’s latest book, Not Famous Anymore.

Movie star Elliott Adrian’s days are a whirlwind of parties, booze, and luxury. The problem is, none of it means anything to him. His outwardly perfect life is really just a prison, and although he cannot see the gilded bars, something deep within him knows he must escape before it kills him. Deciding he doesn’t want to be famous anymore, he disappears from Hollywood and begins working his way back to his hometown in rural Illinois.

In his travels, Elliott meets many people who lead—on the surface—rather unenviable lives: the cab driver, the solitary rancher, the man pouring cheap beer in a small-town dive. But as each experience unfolds, he learns that they are in fact much richer men than he. Imagine his surprise when he tries to buy their friendship; they are not only unimpressed, but almost seem to pity him. Through their kindness, honesty and quiet strength, he learns a most valuable lesson: that giving of yourself is the only real currency.

Not Famous Anymore is a social commentary, not only about the excesses of those living that Hollywood dream, but about everyone who aspires to live it without really understanding what it means. It is about the millions of people who follow Ashton Kutcher on Twitter and watch every installment of the Real Housewives. But what makes this book so incredible is that is also about another America, filled with people who don’t care what Kutcher is doing. For these people, living the Dream means a different kind of abundance: nature, family, and the satisfaction of a hard day’s work. It is these people who help guide Elliott home.

Gray is not snubbing his nose at wealth or fame, but simply reminding us of a lesson often forgot: that material success, without direction and substance, can lead to an empty existence of moral decay and spiritual ruin. Ultimately, the book is about turning away from the distractions of our technology- obsessed world and looking inward to find our own truth. Elliott doesn’t check email, tweet or go on Facebook. He doesn’t even use the phone that much. He goes from living under a constant spotlight to living completely under the radar. It is only then that he discovers that underneath all the superficial junk, he is a man with enough character, courage and moxie to face his own demons, and slay them. And that is a lesson we would all do well to learn.

 To learn more about Michael Loyd Gray’s work, visit http://www.michaelloydgray.com

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

WWW Wednesdays August 29



WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Clicking on the book covers will take you to Goodreads
for more information about the books listed here.

What are you currently reading?

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
This is a re-read for me. My book club is reading it this month. I loved it the first time and I am loving it again.
My thoughts are here

Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles
I met Ann last fall in Deadwood and am hoping to meet up with her again this fall at the South Dakota Book Festival. She is currently working on book #4 of this series.

What did you recently finish reading? 

And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman
My first book by Lippman but it won't be my last.
Read my thoughts here and enter my giveaway ~ ends 8/31 

Dewitched: The Untold Story of the Wicked Witch by E.L. Sarnoff
I read this for the CLP Book Tour, it's hilarious!
My thoughts are here

What do you think you will read next?

In Need of Therapy by Tracie Danister
I received this book from the author and I am excited to start it. It'll be the perfect read for the 3-day weekend coming up. 


What's on your WWW this week?

Leave me a comment and 
I'll stop by to check out your reads. 

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Ellen Sarnoff: Author of Dewitched Talks About Her Voices


Today, I have Ellen Sarnoff here at The Book Bag talking about the voices in her head.

My thoughts about this entertaining book were posted yesterday and can be found here.

Ellen ~~ I have heard other authors say that they 'hear voices in their head' and that is how they write their books: the characters are telling their stories. Not being a writer myself, that concept has always intrigued me. 

When some people hear voices, we get them medical attention, others end up becoming writers. Does this happen to you? How do you come up with your stories?

THE VOICES IN MY HEAD

I got my inspiration to write DEWITCHED: The Untold Story of the Evil Queen when, over lunch, a dear friend told me about a mutual acquaintance who had secured a publishing deal for a series of young adult fairy tale retelling books. Unemployed and eager to make money again, I thought to myself, I can do that, having been a successful creator, writer, and producer of numerous children's television series. At the time, I was also going through a very difficult time with my then 18-year old stepson, who was living in our household. Let's put it this way: he thought I was evil; I thought I was nice. Having recently seen and loved the musical WICKED, I immediately thought about the Evil Queen from Snow White. Perhaps, like the Wicked Witch of the West she, too, was misunderstood. Never having believed that she died after falling off that cliff, I asked myself the question: What if the Evil Queen went to rehab for her addiction to beauty and was given a second chance at happily ever after? This was going to be my story and, in the process, I would uncover what demons from her past drove her to evil and her destructive love-hate relationship with her magic mirror. A quote by Richard Bach inspired me: "Look in a mirror and one thing's sure; what we see is not who we are." I wanted to debunk the evil stepmother myth that prevails in fairy tales.

The voice of my protagonist Jane, aka the Evil Queen, took off the minute I wrote the first line of the book. It was a snarky, first-person voice similar to my own everyday voice. While I had a general idea about Jane's backstory and dark secrets and how the book was going to begin and end, I'm a "pantster," so the story and her character unfolded as I typed away. I got deep into the roots of evil as I explored what made her and the other fairy tale villains evil, like Cinderella's stepsisters, the witch from Hansel and Gretel, and Captain Hook. While writing, I re-read virtually every Grimm fairy tale and researched numerous psychological disorders, including narcissism, alcoholism, and anorexia. There were frequent surprises--and narrative challenges--along the way. I soon discovered I was the inspiration for my main character, drawing from my own journey through life, dealing with fading beauty as one gets older and the challenges of motherhood, friendship, and love.

Writing DEWITCHED was a very cathartic experience. It released a lot deep emotions within me and helped me mend my relationship with my stepson. And as Jane rewrote her life, I rewrote my own. I became a novelist.

Author Bio

Ellen Levy-Sarnoff, writing under the name E. L. Sarnoff, has enjoyed a prolific career in the entertainment industry, creating, writing, and producing television series, including the original Power Rangers. She lives in Los Angeles with her Prince Charming-ish husband, twin princesses, and a bevy of pets. She’s also a not-too-evil stepmother. When she’s not writing in her PJ’s, she likes to dress up and pretend she’s Hollywood royalty.

DEWITCHED: The Untold Story of the Evil Queen is Ellen's first novel. The sequel, UNHITCHED, will be available on October 29, 2012.

Connect with EL Sarnoff!


Buy the Book!





Monday, August 27, 2012

On Tour: Dewitched: the Untold Story of the Evil Queen by E.L. Sarnoff

After serving time for Snow White’s attempted murder, the Evil Queen is about to get a makeover. Just not the kind she expected. Thinking she’s being sent to a luxurious spa that will enable her to restore her beauty and recapture her title, Fairest of All, Jane Yvel instead finds herself at Faraway, a rehab center that caters to fairy-talelanders addicted to evil.

Upon confronting her love-hate relationship with her magic mirror, she is sent back to the world of happily-ever-after. Her goal: to discover the true meaning of beauty. Her assignment: to work for Marcella, a demanding Princess-In-Waiting. Jane finds herself irresistibly drawn to Marcella's dashing fiancé, Prince Gallant, and his exquisite seven-year old daughter, Calla Rose. Will the Evil Queen who had no heart end up with a heart that’s broken?

Wickedly funny, darkly shocking, and deeply moving, DEWITCHED unravels the Snow White story as we know it and will make you see the evil legend in a new light as she rewrites her life. ~~ synopsis from Amazon

My thoughts on Dewitched ~~

Oh my! What a fun book this was! I loved every minute of it. Let me just say that I loved reading all the fairy tales growing up and I still love them. And I especially love watching the movies that have made from them. Oh, and yes, I absolutely love this cover!!

This story is about Snow White's evil step-mother but it's not like any other version of the story you have read before. It is sort of the back story to the whole Snow White fairy tale. The Evil Queen is sentenced for the attempted murder of Snow White and is sent away to prison. She eventually gets out and thinks she is going to a spa for the treatment she deserves. But oh no, it's a rehab center to help her get over her addiction to evil! Hilarious!!

While there she meets lots of other fairy tale characters, ones that we have all read about and loved, dealing with their own issues. Among them are Hook, Pinocchio, the three fairy godmothers, and Winifred, Hansel and Gretel's mother. Can't say that I ever knew her name and the problems she had. Probably my favorite of the bunch was Shrink, the twin sister of Tinkerbell, who is there to help others but also has some issues of her own. And the doctor treating them all is Dr. Grimm. Isn't that great?

All throughout the story there are references to all the fairy tales I have loved from the past but with all these great back-stories and predicaments that the characters find themselves in. I found myself reading this book with a smile on my face the entire time with some laugh-out-loud moments every once in awhile. I loved all the references to all the great stories that I grew up with and I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Unhitched, when it comes out in October.

Author Bio


Ellen Levy-Sarnoff, writing under the name E. L. Sarnoff, has enjoyed a prolific career in the entertainment industry, creating, writing, and producing television series, including the original Power Rangers. She lives in Los Angeles with her Prince Charming-ish husband, twin princesses, and a bevy of pets. She’s also a not-too-evil stepmother. When she’s not writing in her PJ’s, she likes to dress up and pretend she’s Hollywood royalty.

DEWITCHED: The Untold Story of the Evil Queen is Ellen's first novel. The sequel, UNHITCHED, will be available on October 29, 2012.

Connect with EL Sarnoff!


Buy the Book!





Saturday, August 25, 2012

Winner @ The Book Bag!


I am happy to announce the winner of 

The Healer of Fox Hollow giveaway 

here @ The Book Bag! 


Rafflecopter chose 

#27 - Lora

Congrats Lora - an email has been sent. 


Thursday, August 23, 2012

On Tour and a Giveaway: And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman

When Hector Lewis told his daughter that she had a nothing face, it was just another bit of tossed-off cruelty from a man who specialized in harsh words and harsher deeds. But twenty years later, Heloise considers it a blessing to be a person who knows how to avoid attention. In the comfortable suburb where she lives, she's just a mom, the youngish widow with a forgettable job who somehow never misses a soccer game or a school play. In the state capitol, she's the redheaded lobbyist with a good cause and a mediocre track record.

But in discreet hotel rooms throughout the area, she's the woman of your dreams—if you can afford her hourly fee.

For more than a decade, Heloise has believed she is safe. She has created a rigidly compartmentalized life, maintaining no real friendships, trusting few confidantes. Only now her secret life, a life she was forced to build after the legitimate world turned its back on her, is under siege. Her once oblivious accountant is asking loaded questions. Her longtime protector is hinting at new, mysterious dangers. Her employees can't be trusted. One county over, another so-called suburban madam has been found dead in her car, a suicide. Or is it?

Nothing is as it seems as Heloise faces a midlife crisis with much higher stakes than most will ever know.

And then she learns that her son's father might be released from prison, which is problematic because he doesn't know he has a son. The killer and former pimp also doesn't realize that he's serving a life sentence because Heloise betrayed him. But he's clearly beginning to suspect that Heloise has been holding something back all these years.

With no formal education, no real family, and no friends, Heloise has to remake her life—again. Disappearing will be the easy part. She's done it before and she can do it again. A new name and a new place aren't hard to come by if you know the right people. The trick will be living long enough to start a new life. ~~ synopsis from Goodreads

My thoughts about And When She Was Good ~~

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved how Lippman made Heloise so very likable. On the one hand she's an awesome mom and an upstanding citizen and on the other, she is living a life as a prostitute and madam. And she is a good person in both parts of her life. But she works hard to make sure her two lives do not intersect ~~

'Compartmentalize, compartmentalize, compartmentalize. Sometimes she felt that her entire live was about creating boxes and storing pieces of herself in each one. She never got the boxes mixed up, but it required ferocious concentration on her part, an eternal vigilance. How could she trust anyone else to keep it straight. No one else had as much to lose.'

There are a lot of twists and turns in the story to keep you on the edge of your seat; there are people dying and worry about who is going to be next, then there's some blackmail and deceit thrown in for good measure. When She Was Good is a very well written story with interesting characters and a wonderful, flowing plot. It kept me entranced and it's a book that I didn't want to put down. I loved being a part of Heloise's world, even when things were not going the greatest for her.

I have to admit that this is the first book by Laura that I have read, and she has written quite a few. There are several books in her Tess Monaghan series as well as four standalone novels. I really am going to have to check them out!

About the author



Connect with Laura



Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about “accidental PI” Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2001. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor’s Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association.

Ms. Lippman grew up in Baltimore and attended city schools through ninth grade. After graduating from Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md., Ms. Lippman attended Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Her other newspaper jobs included the Waco Tribune-Herald and the San Antonio Light.

Ms. Lippman returned to Baltimore in 1989 and has lived there since. She is the daughter of Theo Lippman Jr., a Sun editorial writer who retired in 1995 but continues to freelance for several newspapers, and Madeline Mabry Lippman, a former Baltimore City school librarian. Her sister, Susan, is a local bookseller.


Other stops on the tour

I received a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

Enter the Rafflecopter below for an ARC copy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, August 20, 2012

RAGBRAI Winners!

Thanks to all of you who participated in this week long giveaway. The team and I loved reading everyone's comments and words of encouragement all week. The gals rode 6 of the 7 days. (they took Wednesday off, when there was a heat index of 115 degrees ~ do you blame them?) And they rode a total of 371 of the 470 miles!

I am so proud of them!!   

I apologize for the delay in announcing the winners of my
7-day RAGBRAI Giveaway Extravaganza.

But here they are finally!















Congratulations Veronika, April, Penny, Doville, Levina, Anuba and Kristia!!

I will be sending out emails to all of you soon for more information. You each have 48 hours to respond or another winner's name will be drawn. 

Thanks so much for participating! I had fun, I hope you did too!!

Most of the winners are international so I didn't get rid of as many print books as I had hoped to. So expect more giveaways coming in the near future to get these books off my shelves. 

I have to make room for some new ones, right? 

 

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Showcase Sunday #9


Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits & Tea, where we show off the books and eBooks we receive each week.

Come join the fun!
Click on the book covers to find out more about the books on Goodreads. 

Swapped 
from PaperBackSwap 

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver
 I love this cover and have been wanting a copy ever since I first saw it. I am pretty sure the story will be just as fabulous! 

Won

The Sweetest Thing by Jill Shalvis
I won this from The Book Vixen 

Jessica Z by Shawn Klomparens
I won this from Catherine McKenzie

Thanks so much, Brianna and Catherine!! 

For Review

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman
I got this one from the author to review in October. 
How perfect/scary will that be?

What are you showcasing this week? 

Leave me a comment or a link so I can stop by and check out your books!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Winners @ The Book Bag


I am happy to announce some winners here 
@ The Book Bag! 

First up are the 2 winners for e-book copies of 
A Healing Heart


#4 Fiery Na - A Healing Heart Facebook Fan 

#7 - Debbie Griffith - A Healing Heart Facebook Fan

Next we have the 3 winners of e-book copies of 
The Black Shard


#9 Monica Gutierrez - The Book Bag Facebook Fan

#11 Lora Campbell Roberts - Easy Entry 
 
#6 Natasha - The Book Bag Facebook Fan

Congrats to all of you!

I will be emailing you soon.

I do have another giveaway going on right now, for a few more days. 

I think this is one of the best books I have read this year!
You can read my thoughts here


Click on the image to enter the giveaway. 
(US/Canada only)



Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Kathleen's Voices ~ Insanity or Inspiration?


Yesterday I posted my thoughts on the wonderful book Fatty Patty by Kathleen Irene Paterka. You can read my thoughts here. Today Kathleen is answering my question about the voices in her head.

Here is the question I like to pose to authors ~~

Kathleen ~ I have heard other authors say that they 'hear voices in their head' and that is how they write their books: the characters are telling their stories. Not being a writer myself, that concept has always intrigued me.

When some people hear voices, we get them medical attention, others end up becoming writers. Does this happen to you? How do you come up with your stories?


The Voices in My Head: Insanity or Inspiration?



One evening a few years ago, I was watching the TV news when a short feature story about a woman who’d given birth to a set of twins captured my attention. The babies, both girls, were fraternal twins. One of them weighed less than two pounds at birth while the other was fat and healthy. Somehow, Baby #2 had received most of the nourishment while in their mother’s womb. Baby #1 spent weeks in the hospital’s neo-natal unit. Baby #2 went home much sooner.

I couldn’t stop thinking about those babies. One fat, one thin. How would they grow up? What would they be like as adults? Would Baby #1 gain weight and catch up with her sister, or would Baby #2 always be fatter? Plus, the idea of twins has always intrigued me. My husband is an identical twin, and my sister had two sets of twins. The thought that one twin could enter the world healthy and thriving, while the other twin was sickly and scrawny, got me wondering. And suddenly I heard a voice in my head. “Take care of your sister, Patty. She’ll never be strong like you.”

Thus was the idea for FATTY PATTY born. A fat baby (Patty) and her sick twin (Priscilla). Once I had the two sisters nailed, Patty’s voice took off in my head. She’s a real chatterbox, and I learned to keep a pad of paper and pencil close by because I never knew when Patty would start talking. I didn’t want to miss a word. Sometimes, I scribbled so fast, it was hard to read my own handwriting! I love the freedom of writing in first person. It allowed me, as the author, to explore the inner world of Patty’s mind and draw deep on the emotional baggage she’s carried all her life… guilt that she’s the one responsible for Priscilla being so scrawny at birth; shame at being the fat twin; duty, to live up to her late mother’s admonishment: ‘Take care of your sister, Patty… she’ll never be strong like you.”

FATTY PATTY is my debut novel, released May 2012, and the first of four in “The James Bay Novels” series. I’d always wanted to write a book about being overweight. I was a big baby (I weighed in at over 9 lbs. at birth), a chubby little girl and eventually, a fat teenager. By the time I graduated from high school, I weighed 300 lbs. I lost the extra pounds many years ago and have maintained a healthy weight for nearly 35 years. But I know plenty of women have self-esteem issues when it comes to their bodies and I wanted to explore that theme. Using the idea of twins worked out perfectly. Patty Perreault is the overweight heroine of FATTY PATTY, while her fraternal twin, Priscilla, is a thin beauty. The two sisters are very close. Patty’s childhood nickname was Fatty Patty. Though she’s an adult, Patty still remembers the cruel childhood taunts from the very same school playground where she is now a teacher. The novel deals with Patty’s struggle to confront her self-esteem issues, put down the fork and give her heart a try.

~~ I love it!
It is always so interesting to hear what authors have to say about their characters 'talking' to them.
I think it's fascinating!!

Thank you so much, Kathleen, for a little insight into your insanity or inspiration, which ever it is.



Author Bio

Kathleen Irene Paterka fell in love with writing (and food) at a very young age. By the time she graduated high school, she’d completed her first manuscript and she weighed 300 lbs. Though the extra pounds have long since disappeared, Kathleen still carries the emotional scars of being a former fatty. FATTY PATTY was born from the cruel teasing she endured on the school playground. Kathleen is the author of numerous novels which embrace universal themes of home, family life and love, including the Women's Fiction series, "The James Bay Novels". Kathleen is the resident staff writer for Castle Farms, a world renowned castle listed on the National Historic Register, and co-author of the non-fiction book FOR THE LOVE OF A CASTLE, published in 2012. Having lived and studied abroad, Kathleen's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Michigan University. She and her husband live in the beautiful north country of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Kathleen loves hearing from readers.

Connect with Kathleen!


Buy the Book!


**Everyone who leaves a comment on thetour page will be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy ofFatty Pattybefore August 27 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**



WWW Wednesdays August 15

I have 3 giveaways going on right now! 
Go check out the Giveaways page!!
One of them ends today.


WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Clicking on the book covers will take you to Goodreads
for more information about the books listed here.

What are you currently reading?

Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles
I met Ann last fall in Deadwood and am hoping to meet up with her again this fall at the South Dakota Book Festival. She is currently working on book #4 of this series. I am loving it!

What did you recently finish reading? 

The Healer of Fox Hollow by Joann Rose Leonard
LOVED this book! My thoughts are here.
TLC Book Tours offered a copy of this amazing book for a giveaway. Go check it out!

Fatty Patty by Kathleen Irene Paterka
Another great book! My thoughts are here. 

Bossypants by Tina Fey
I took a little road trip this past weekend and this was a perfect book to listen to in the car. Tina reads the audio book so it was a great way to hear it, in her own voice.  

What do you think you will read next?

And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman
This book is on tour later in the month. 
I am so excited to read it!


What's on your WWW this week?

Leave me a comment and 
I'll stop by to check out your reads. 

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

On Tour: Fatty Patty by Kathleen Paterka

Small towns, long memories. Everyone in the exclusive summer resort of James Bay, Michigan remembers FATTY PATTY, the chubby little girl with the round face and wild red curls. All grown up now, Patty Perreault teaches at the same elementary school where the painful playground memories still taunt her. She hasn’t forgotten the cruel nickname—plus she still hasn’t lost those extra pounds. Convinced her weight is the biggest reason why she’s a four time loser in the semi-finals for Teacher of the Year, Patty resolves to make some changes in her body and her life.

Sam Curtis, an overweight accountant she meets at the community pool, swims into Patty’s life with romance on his mind. But as their friendship grows, Patty finds it hard to see beyond his extra pounds. She’s torn as Sam refuses to deal with his own overweight issues. Her heart tells her one thing, but her eyes see another. She’s not interested in an overweight boyfriend. When it comes to winning the Grand Prize in life and love, Patty has some hard lessons to learn. Will she be able to confront her fears about the kind of woman she yearns to be? Will she be able to put down the fork and give her heart a try? ~~ synopsis from Goodreads

My thoughts on Fatty Patty ~~

I love this cover! Doesn't that dessert look yummy? And all that beautiful red, curly hair? Okay ..... now on to my thoughts about the book.

I really liked this story for the fact that it's main character is not the svelt, blond, perky character we see in a lot of chick-lit novels. She is on the heavy side, with red, curly, sometimes out of control hair. She is not perfect. But who is?

Patty struggles with her weight the entire book, wanting to be 'good enough' to win the teaching award, to be 'good enough' to get the hot guy. Little does she know that a lot of people in her life already know she is 'good enough'. But I do have to say that there were times when I got a little irritated with Patty and the way she treated some of the people in her life, couldn't she see how much they cared about her?

But the bottom line is, Patty just wants to be happy. Isn't that what we all strive for? And she thinks losing 20 pounds will be the magic that will make her happy. Don't a lot of us think that or struggle with some other kind of change in our life, hoping that that little change will make all the difference?

Fatty Patty is a very well written, real story with a great message ~ you do not have to get to 'perfect' to find happiness. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fatty Patty and I love the way Kathleen writes.

Whoo hooo ~ I just checked out Kathleen's web page and Fatty Patty is book #1 of The James Bay Novel Series! Book 2 is out already and 3 is scheduled for release sometime this year. I am going to have to get my hands on them. Thank you, Kathleen for writing such a great, real story. I am excited to read more!


Author Bio

Kathleen Irene Paterka fell in love with writing (and food) at a very young age. By the time she graduated high school, she’d completed her first manuscript and she weighed 300 lbs. Though the extra pounds have long since disappeared, Kathleen still carries the emotional scars of being a former fatty. FATTY PATTY was born from the cruel teasing she endured on the school playground. Kathleen is the author of numerous novels which embrace universal themes of home, family life and love, including the Women's Fiction series, "The James Bay Novels". Kathleen is the resident staff writer for Castle Farms, a world renowned castle listed on the National Historic Register, and co-author of the non-fiction book FOR THE LOVE OF A CASTLE, published in 2012. Having lived and studied abroad, Kathleen's educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Michigan University. She and her husband live in the beautiful north country of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Kathleen loves hearing from readers.

Connect with Kathleen!


Buy the Book!


**Everyone who leaves a comment on the tour page will be entered to win a $25 Amazon gift card! Anyone who purchases their copy of Fatty Patty before August 27 and sends their receipt to Samantha (at) ChickLitPlus (dot) com, will get five bonus entries.**




Monday, August 13, 2012

On Tour and a Giveaway: The Healer of Fox Hollow

According to folklore in the Smoky Mountains,“When you enter the world with your feet pawing the air before your eyes can see where to put them, it’s a strong sign you’ll lose your way from time to time.”

Right from the start, Layla Tompkin’s way forward is full of detours after her mother dies in breech birth, leaving only her and her devoted, sorrowful father, Ed. Then, at the age of five, Layla is rendered mute after a horrible accident. “God is leading Layla to speak in new tongues," proclaims Pastor Simpson at the local serpent handling church.

Soon after, Layla is found to possess the gift of healing and her reputation spreads. Even Doc Fredericks, the area’s skeptical physician, is forced to re-examine scientific tenets when Layla's healing touch is the only treatment that brings relief to his son Brian, whose legs were blown off by a landmine in Vietnam. Doubt and the miraculous, loss and survival, hurt and forgiveness collide when a secret challenges what everyone holds true, leaving Layla, her family and the community profoundly changed in a story about what it means to be truly healed. ~~ synopsis from Goodreads

My thoughts on The Healer of Fox Hollow ~~

I absolutely LOVED this book!! It grabbed me from the very beginning of the book and kept me entralled until the very end. It is a beautifully written story of a little girl who has to endure so much but has so much to give back. I don't want to give away any more of the story other than what is written in the synopsis above. This is one that you have to experience yourself, page by page.

I would have read this book from cover to cover in one sitting, no matter how many hours it would have taken, if I could have. A little thing like my life and work got in the way of me totally devouring this story.

There are so many wonderful and beautiful lines in this story. I can't share all of the ones I marked because I don't want to give away too much of the story but here are a few passages that I loved ~~

'In addition to losing all the ways she loved his wife, he'd also lost all the ways that she loved him.'

'....she prayed that when she died.... she'd be able to say all she'd been waiting to tell her mama. And she's ask God why He let her mama die.'

'Saying his daughter had keen ears was saying a lot because the sensibilities of most mountain fold were as fine-tuned as a fiddler's string.'

'Sometimes, Layla thought, death wasn't the worst thing. Living life in the claws of fear was worse because whatever time you did have was ruined.'

'....if you watch the sunrise each morning, you are given a new beginning. And each evening's sunset offers respite from whatever trials the day may bring.'

Aren't these lines just amazing?

I highly recommend The Healer of Fox Hollow and I will be encouraging all of my friends to read it. It is probably one of the most memorable books I have read this year!

TLC Book Tours is offering a copy of this wonderful book to a reader of The Book Bag. US/Canada only.
Enter the Rafflecopter below.

About the author


Wisconsin born Joann Rose Leonard was Texas-raised and has chigger bite scars to prove it. Theatre-trained and frostbitten at Northwestern University, she worked as an actress in New York and in regional theatres across the U.S. She studied mime in Paris with Marcel Marceau at École Internationale de Mimodrame while dubbing films into English to earn her daily baguette. Later she raised 9 kids (2 human, 7 goats) in State College Pennsylvania, where she was founder and director of MetaStages, the youth theatre program at Penn State University. With her husband Bob, a retired professor and professional theatre director, Joann recently relocated to northern California to be nearer their sons, Jonathan (DJ Child, award-winning music producer and founder of the multi-media company, Project Groundation) and Joshua (actor/filmmaker including The Lie, Higher Ground and The Blair Witch Project.)

Joann is author of The Soup Has Many Eyes: From Shtetl to Chicago; One Family's Journey Through History (Bantam); "From Page to Stage,” a chapter in Holt Rinehart Winston’s Elements of Literature; and two collections of multicultural folk plays, All the World's a Stage Volumes I & II (Baker's Plays).

In her research for The Healer of Fox Hollow, Joann discovered that the truth the novel is based upon is infinitely stranger than the fiction she wrote.

"The Healer of Fox Hollow began as a personal exploration. To better understand what unifies us as well as what separates us, I imagined myself with radically different mindsets from my own.

Guided by the all-too-real, this story pushed me to places where ordinary language fails. Places of darkness and the horrific. Places of doubt where we stand naked in our fear, loneliness, suffering. Places of healing and light where we experience heartbreaking human kindness, forgiveness, grace, love, and ultimate mystery."  ~~ Joann Rose Leonard



Enter the rafflecopter below for a chance to win a print copy of this amazing book!


Friday, August 10, 2012

Dog Days of Summer Sale: 3 Authors, 3 Books, 3 Bucks! And a Giveaway!!

Dog Days of Summer Sale

The Dog Days of Summer Sale

Three Great Books! 

Three Great Ladies! 
Three Single Bucks!

You have just got to check out these 3 books! They are all on sale for 99¢ each this weekend. That's a whole lot of fun for under $3.00!!

And be sure to enter the giveaway for a $50 gift card from Amazon. Buy more books!

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I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Ann Charles in Deadwood last fall. She is a hoot and her books are awesome! 



"The first time I came to Deadwood, I got shot in the ass."--Violet Parker (isn't that the greatest first-line ever?)

Little girls are vanishing from Deadwood, South Dakota, and Violet Parker's daughter could be next. She's desperate to find the monster behind the abductions. But if she's not careful, Violet just might end up as one of Deadwood's dearly departed. 

Once upon a time, I thought my crush on Deadwood, South Dakota was going to be just a summer fling. Boy, was I wrong. I had fallen head-over-heels. Deadwood had gotten under my skin. Its golden history filled my mind with daydreams; its promising future spurred tales that needed to be told.

Nearly Departed in Deadwood is a contemporary mystery full of colorful characters that have been taking root inside of my noggin for almost three decades. The seed was planted when I was a young teenager sitting on the bench outside of the old Prospector Gift Shop on Main Street, waiting for my mom to get off work. Over the years, the seed sprouted as I hiked all over town, strolling around Wild Bill Hickok's and Seth Bullock's gravestones at Mount Moriah Cemetery, sitting on the steps outside the Deadwood Public Library, walking up and down Main Street, perusing the tourist shops.

As times changed, so did Deadwood. The drugstore where I used to buy candy, the clothing store where I bought my favorite Levi's, and the Prospector Gift Shop are all gone now. At first I was sad to see them go, but then I realized that Deadwood had to transform and grow in order to survive. Just like I did.

A couple of years ago, I was driving down Strawberry Hill on my way into Deadwood when an idea hit me. It was a "what if" moment that sparked the fire of a story in my head. This time, the "what if" involved a single mom, living in Deadwood, struggling to make ends meet with two kids--twins--for whom she had to provide. I had one young child and another on the way at the time, so taking care of kids was front and center in my mind (and my body).

As I drove through Deadwood that day, memories ran rampant in my mind, and the story you hold in your hands began to take shape. I could see it clearly. I'd name the heroine Violet, an old-fashioned name. I could hear her voice; see her in her favorite purple cowboy boots. I knew exactly the location of the realty office where Violet would work, the street she'd live on, and how I'd pull Deadwood's past into the story and intermingle it with the present.

Over the following month, I plotted this story. My poor husband was forced to listen to my ideas morning, noon, and night; there was no shutting me up. Then he caught the Deadwood bug, too, and he joined me in brainstorming and planning. Before I even wrote the first line, I knew that one book was not going to be enough to tell this story, but I had to start somewhere. Finally, after months of writing, I reached "The End" of Nearly Departed in Deadwood, the first book in a series, with much hooting and hollering in celebration.

Now, after several rounds of editing and a lot of polishing, I want to share Violet's story with you. If you have half as much fun reading it as I had writing it, you'll close the book when you're finished with a big grin on your face--especially since you know there is more fun to come.

Thank you for joining me in this adventure. Hold on to your hat!

Welcome to Deadwood. 

Purchase Nearly Departed in Deadwood from Amazon

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The Tylers have a perfect life--beautiful home, established careers, two sweet and talented daughters. Their eldest daughter, Leah, an exceptional soccer player, is on track for a prestigious scholarship. Their youngest, Justine, more responsible than seems possible for her 12 years, just wants her sister's approval. With Leah nearing the end of high school and Justine a seemingly together kid, the parents are set to enjoy a peaceful life...until Leah meets Todd, a high school dropout and former roadie for a rock band.

As Leah's parents fight to save their daughter from a world of drugs, sex, and wild parties, their divided approach drives their daughter out of their home and a wedge into their marriage. Meanwhile, twelve-year-old Justine observes her sister's rebellion from the shadows of their fragmented family-leaving her to question whether anyone loves her and if God even knows she exists. Can this family survive in Leah's wake? What happens when love just isn't enough?

Terri Giuliano Long has written marketing pieces for print and online media, edited technical articles, and written news and feature stories for numerous publications, including the Huffington Post. She lives with her family on the East Coast and teaches at Boston College. In Leah's Wake is her debut novel.

Connect with Terri


Purchase In Leah's Wake from Amazon

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I write about men, women, sex, & chocolate. My experiences, my truth, my martinis. If you're looking for satire, love and romance, and sex depicted with humor, buy this book!

You can find Rachel most days on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, providing social media tips on her own interactive Twitter stream and popular blog, consulting with social media clients (See BadRedhead Media), or promoting her books A Walk In The Snark and The Mancode: Exposed, both Kindle bestsellers!


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