Thursday, February 28, 2019

Gone Haunting in Deadwood by Ann Charles ~ My Thoughts #GoneHauntingInDeadwood


Gone Haunting in Deadwood

Gone Haunting in Deadwood by Ann Charles
Series: The Deadwood Humorous Mystery
Audio-book narrated by Caroline Shaffer
Published September 11, 2013 by Blackstone Audio, Inc. 

Trespassers will be gutted and hung!—Slagton’s Town Motto

Normally, not even drunk on a bet would Violet Parker go to Slagton, a creepy ghost town inhabited by those too stubborn—or deranged—to leave.

But a certain bullheaded Deadwood detective has a problem—his informant from Slagton has gone missing. When Violet is shanghaied into taking a hunting trip to the ghost town to search for the missing snitch, she stumbles into trouble that will take more than a double-barreled shotgun to escape.

Will Violet survive this new Hell that haunts her, or will she end up on Slagton’s growing list of those gutted and hung?

My thoughts about Gone Haunting in Deadwood ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"Friday, December 14 Slagton, South Dakota (in the boonies south of Deadwood) If Hell had a butt crack, the town of Slagton would be located one freckle north of the sphincter." 

I absolutely love this series! The characters that Ann Charles has created and woven into this hilarious mystery series are unique, memorable, quirky, and lovable. I am truly amazed at the story-lines this author comes up with as she pits them her characters against the evils of another world, and sometimes against each other. I love all of the characters in this series and love stopping back in Deadwood to visit with them. Life is never dull in Violet's world, that's for sure.

Gone Haunting in Deadwood is book #9 and one might think that a series that has gone on that long might get kind of stale and repetitive. But this series is anything but that. The relationships of the characters have grown and developed with each book—there is definitely nothing stagnate there. And Violet and her crew are constantly coming up against different creatures and learning new ways to conquer them. I have to hand it to Ann, she has one crazy vivid imagination!

I listened to the audio-book of Gone Haunting in Deadwood, as I have several other ones in the past. The narrator does an AMAZING job and I just love listening to this series on audio.

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About the author

Ann Charles

Ann lives in the beautiful Northern Arizona mountains with her clever husband, charming kids, and an incredibly sassy cat. After many years and several colleges, she managed to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree in English with an emphasis on creative writing from the University of Washington.

Her books are mixed-genre mysteries full of mayhem and fun, romance and comedy, and whatever else feels right. Sisters in Crime was kind enough to let her join their membership years ago. In addition, she’s been a member of Romance Writers of America for so many moons that she’s lost count.

Ann has written a bunch of contemporary, award-winning novels in multiple series full of quirky characters with whom she loves to spend time as much as reality allows. Right now, while you’re reading this, she’s probably frolicking around in another story.

While her reading preferences range from adventure to horror to mystery, ever since she tried on her first training bra, she has loved a good mix of romance, too.

When she’s not dabbling in fiction, she’s penning writing-themed articles or standing on her workshop soapbox, sharing what she has learned over the years about the writing craft and self-promotion.

Connect with Ann


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Monday, February 25, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? February 25, 2019


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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A repeat of last week—snow, and more snow. Plus a blizzard on Sunday. Holy cow, the wind! Hubby and I went and got groceries Sunday morning then we stayed inside the rest of the day. 

We ended up with company for most of the weekend, with our son and his son spending Saturday afternoon with us. And then we ended up watching that same 4 year old grandson for most of Sunday. So it was a busy weekend with not much reading or blogging progress. Oh well, we were making memories, right? 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

30278752
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
This is a reread for me, it's this month's book club pick.

18053227
Ripper
by Isabel Allende 
(audio-book)

36139641
Family Secrets
(Whispering Pines Mystery #1)
by Shawn McGuire 
(audio-book)
I read another series by this author, which was completely different from this one. I'm enjoying this one too.

What I recently finished

43171369
The Southern Side of Paradise
(Peachtree Bluff #3)
by Kristy Woodson Harvey 
Pub date 5/7
I love this author and have read everything she's written. And I love this series!

43428648
Gone Haunting in Deadwood
(Deadwood #9)
by Ann Charles
(audio-book)
Love this series! Ready to move on to book #10.

40642958
The Liar's Child
by Carla Buckley
Pub date 3/12

40167540
Until the Day I Die
by Emily Carpenter 
Pub date 3/12

What I am going to read next

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Random Acts of Kindness
by Dete Meserve and Rachel Greco
Pub date 3/26
Another author that I just love and read everything she writes. She constantly posts uplifting, positive, and kind acts on her Facebook page Random Acts of Kindness Book. I know I'm going to love this book.

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Miss Etta by Deanna Lynn Sletten #MissEtta


I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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The book I'm giving away this week is a Kindle copy of one of my favorite books, written by one of my favorite authors. I've read all of Deanna's books and when she has a new one coming out, I drop everything and devour it. Miss Etta is a wonderful historical fiction novel based on one of the characters in one of my all time favorite movies. I've already read it twice and listened to it once, it's that good!

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCn0POoQgc6eiWZZGGsCCk65YS5exALlB01qu-P0pHFbxSpdsIDAguvJhnK8wJE8l9Qplat3qc0FohtAG0Gv0WUB5Ykw4MNJHUDIFEbfenIwzkXrQMJrqJozwcCh6_gznJqJ2_sXSXO3o/s1600/Miss+Etta+Amazon.jpg

Miss Etta

Miss Etta: A Novel by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Kindle, 350 pages
Historical Women's Fiction
Published September 4, 2018 by Deanna Lynn Sletten

She rode with the most famous outlaws of her time. Then she vanished.

In the fall of 1895, Etta Place falls in love with Harry Longabaugh, alias the Sundance Kid. She gives up everything to follow him and his partner-in-crime, Butch Cassidy, in their outlaw life across the continent and beyond. Breathtakingly beautiful and every inch a lady, Etta can also ride and shoot as well as any man. As their fugitive life begins to crumble, she finds herself alone and living in a convent with her newborn son. Knowing she can’t hide away forever, she moves halfway across the country to begin anew. Etta prays her past won’t catch up with her.

In 1911 Emily Pleasants steps onto the train station platform of Pine Creek, Minnesota with a teacher’s contract in hand and a secret life she’s fled. A young widow with a small son, she’s searching for a safe place to raise her child where no one will recognize her. She meets Edward Sheridan, a successful merchant and bank owner, who quickly falls for her beauty, intelligence, and kindness. Still, she worries her notorious past will threaten the one thing dearest to her—her son.

From the deserts of Texas to the sweeping vistas of Wyoming, the refinement of New York City to the lush valleys of Argentina, Etta followed the outlaw men she loved so dearly. And then, she disappeared.

One woman, two separate lives. What became of the elusive Etta Place?

  

My thoughts about Miss Etta ~~ 
(originally posted September 4, 2018)

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First line—"Susan Sheridan hurried out of her car and headed across the street to the assisted-living facility where her grandmother lived."

I've always loved the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. I can't even guess how many times I've seen it. There is also a female character in this story, Etta Place. Little is known about her after the outlaws' lives fell apart.

I was so excited when I heard that one of my very favorite authors was working on a book depicting what she thinks Etta's life might have been like after she is separated from the duo. Miss Etta is a believable, heart-warming tale that looks at what life was like for a woman in the early 1900's. It was even tougher for someone like Etta, who was trying to leave her old life in the past and start all over with a new one.  

Etta moves to Minnesota, remaking her life as Emily, a young widow with a little boy. She is a strong woman who just wants to raise her son to be a good man, all while living in the fear that her other life will be found out. Is a happy, carefree life and a good man to love even possible for her to think about?  

Etta and Harry, the Sundance Kid, had a deep loving relationship—their story was such a beautiful love story, even though they led very unusual lives, very tough lives. Their strong bond and the deep love that they had for each other gets them through the tough times, even at the very end. 

I would love to think that Miss Etta's life ended up the way that Deanna wrote about it here. Sure, she had a tough life with tough decisions to make and she did it all while raising a little boy, a boy who was safe and loved. Miss Etta is a wonderful tale that ended for me just the way I wanted it to. I absolutely loved everything about this story.

The Real Etta Place

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWK4toFw5HpGgnKkaOXQC1F3tCb7BH_8e7lbnc7SUef94DDXY3YjFfZVst1zbZwmJ60sDvMr6VJLF7rHfz-bl27PeT2mg6uxeJJobjkLxe-Ht6OTlsIVm3Re-3wxU3S3GNUJTRfDjl_LY/s1600/sundance%2526etta.jpg

Harry Longabaugh alias the Sundance Kid
and Etta Place

Etta Place was a real woman who was married to the notorious outlaw the Sundance Kid. From 1895 to 1907, she followed Sundance and Butch Cassidy, the leader of the Wild Bunch, along the Outlaw Trail and down to South America where the threesome tried to go straight. She was a young, beautiful woman who was said to be refined and mannered, even though she could shoot and ride as well as any man. No one knew her real name. She went by the alias Etta Place, but some thought her name was Ethel.

Sometime around 1906–1908, she disappeared. Some say that during that time, she died in a Denver hospital and Sundance went on a drunken brawl and shot up a bar before returning to South America. Others say she died in childbirth. Stories persist that she left Sundance for someone else, that she came back to America alone, or that she died in the final shootout in San Vincente, Bolivia where it was believed that Butch and Sundance died. In reality, no woman was killed during that shootout, and there has yet to be any evidence that Butch or Sundance died that day.

What became of Etta Place? No one knows. And that is what makes her story so interesting. Using a timeline of true events that are known, I create her past life with Butch and Sundance, while giving a fictional version of her life after she disappeared. Enjoy!

About the author

Deanna Lynn Sletten

Deanna Lynn Sletten is the author of Maggie's Turn, Finding Libbie, One Wrong Turn, and several other titles. She writes heartwarming women’s fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime. Deanna believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, and happily ever after, and her novels reflect that.

Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd, traveling, and relaxing on the lake.

Deanna loves hearing from her readers. 
Connect with her here—

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Tuesday, February 19, 2019

The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton ~ My Thoughts #TheEdgeOfNormal #NetGalley


The Edge of Normal

The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton
Series: Reeve LeClaire #1
Print and e-book, 320 pages
Published September 10th 2013 by Minotaur Book

In many ways, Reeve LeClaire seems like a typical twenty-something woman: She has her own place in San Francisco, waitresses to pay the bills, and lives a pleasant, structured life. But Reeve is anything but normal. Ten years ago, she was kidnapped and held captive for four years. Her lucky escape made headlines-and since then, she's managed to rebuild her life, thanks in part to her brilliant psychiatrist, Ezra Lerner.

An expert in captivity syndromes, Dr. Lerner asks Reeve to help a young girl, Tilly, who has suffered a similar ordeal. But soon everything Reeve has worked so hard to achieve-independence, anonymity, a normal life-comes crashing down. As she tries to help Tilly, she finds herself involved in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a ruthless predator who always manages to be one step ahead of her. . . and is watching her every move. . .


My thoughts about The Edge of Normal ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"Her name had been out of the headlines so long that he was sure no one was searching for her when he fir the key into the lock for the last time."

Whew! What an intense and edge-of-my-seat story. The Edge of Normal was a quick read for me because I just had to keep going to find out what was going to happen to Reeve and all of the other girls. Reeve has been through a lot and at only 22, she is wise beyond her years. She is such a smart, strong person.

And then there's the evil in the book. So much evil. How can one person be so evil? The author does a great job of creating two such opposite personalities that I came to love and hate. I found myself rooting for Reeve and hoping that the bad guy gets what he deserves, for putting her and the other girls through what he did to them.

The character of Reeve, and the strength that she has, endeared her to me. This book, and her character left such an impression on me that I immediately got book 2 of the series so I can follow up with Reeve's life.



About the author

Carla Norton

Carla Norton is an award-winning novelist and best-selling true crime writer.

* WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER: 2016 Nancy Pearl Book Award Winner & FAPA Book Award Winner
* THE EDGE OF NORMAL: Thriller Award Finalist & Royal Palm Literary Award Winner
* PERFECT VICTIM: #1 New York Times bestseller
* DISTURBED GROUND: now in ebook format

Carla's first book was a true account of a shocking kidnapping case, and that story fuels her fiction. After covering the trial, Carla wrote PERFECT VICTIM with the prosecutor. It made the reading list for the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit and was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

Carla morphs her true crime expertise into fast-paced fiction with an extraordinary heroine: Reeve LeClaire, a 22-year-old survivor of kidnapping and captivity who is introduced in THE EDGE OF NORMAL. Reeve returns in the "high-octane" sequel, WHAT DOESN'T KILL HER (titled HUNTED overseas).

Carla also wrote DISTURBED GROUND, the true story of a Sacramento landlady who murdered her tenants and buried them in her garden. Carla covered the nine-murder-count trial, examining psychological issues and explaining forensic evidence.
*"Brilliant!" Ann Rule

Carla earned her MFA degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College in 2009. When not writing books, she's writing hotheaded essays and really bad poetry. You can find her on Goodreads, follow @CarlaJNorton on Twitter, and find Carla Norton: Novelist & True Crime Writer on Facebook. For more, please visit her website: CarlaNorton.com. ~ Amazon

Connect with Jessica

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon

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Monday, February 18, 2019

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? February 18, 2019


It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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Snow, more snow. And wind and cold. That seems to be our lives right now. Our plans for the weekend with some of the kids and grandkiddos had to be scraped because of the winter weather. Ugh! 

We did make it over to our daughter's house here in town yesterday for some wonderful chili and family time. So we did get to see some of the kids and grands, just not the ones from out of town that we had planned on seeing.  

I'm enjoying a three day weekend because of President's Day so hopefully I can sit under a blanket today and get some reading in today. Bliss! 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week. Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

40642958
The Liar's Child
by Carla Buckley
Pub date 3/12

18053227
Ripper
by Isabel Allende 
(audio-book)

43428648
Gone Haunting in Deadwood
(Deadwood #9)
by Ann Charles
(audio-book)

What I recently finished

40167540
Until the Day I Die
by Emily Carpenter 
Pub date 3/12

What I am going to read next

30278752
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
This will be a reread for me, it's this month's book club pick.

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Sunday, February 17, 2019

Paper Wife by Laila Ibrahim ~ My Thoughts #PaperWife #NetGalley

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Paper Wife

Paper Wife by Laila Ibrahim
Print and e-book, 293 pages
Published October 30th 2018 by Lake Union Publishing

From the bestselling author of Yellow Crocus comes a heart-wrenching story about finding strength in a new world.

Southern China, 1923. Desperate to secure her future, Mei Ling’s parents arrange a marriage to a widower in California. To enter the country, she must pretend to be her husband’s first wife—a paper wife.

On the perilous voyage, Mei Ling takes an orphan girl named Siew under her wing. Dreams of a better life in America give Mei Ling the strength to endure the treacherous journey and detainment on Angel Island. But when she finally reaches San Francisco, she’s met with a surprise. Her husband, Chinn Kai Li, is a houseboy, not the successful merchant he led her to believe.

Mei Ling is penniless, pregnant, and bound to a man she doesn’t know. Her fragile marriage is tested further when she discovers that Siew will likely be forced into prostitution. Desperate to rescue Siew, she must convince her husband that an orphan’s life is worth fighting for. Can Mei Ling find a way to make a real family—even if it’s built on a paper foundation?


My thoughts about Paper Wife ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first line.)

First line—"Before opening the door, Mei Ling turned back for one last look at her family. Swallowing hard, she studied them, burning the tableau of faces into the folds of her memory. Soon they would be separated, perhaps forever."

I love books written about the Chinese culture. Everything about the culture, their traditions, and the way they live their lives has always fascinated me. Paper Wife was an excellent look at the times and traditions of China in the 1920's—an arranged marriage for Mei Ling and a long voyage to America with a man she didn't even know. And then to find out that what she thought was the truth, was a lie. But wasn't she living a lie, as well?

Paper Wife is beautifully written and I fell in love with all of the characters that made up Mei Ling's family. The story is full of life struggles as everyone tries to adjust to each other, and to their new lives, but it's also full of love. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to ready more books by this author.

I received Paper Wife from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

About the author

Laila Ibrahim

My education and experience in multiracial, developmental psychology and attachment theory provide ample fodder for my novels. My passion for early childhood education, child birth and religious education are reflected in my writing.

I was the founder and director of Woolsey Children's School where I had first hand experience loving children that were not my own. There are scenes in Yellow Crocus that were largely influenced interactions I had with children from Woolsey.

As a birth doula I had the privilege of witnessing the intensity and joy of childbirth. You can see that my birth experiences are reflected in my novels.

Spiritual themes that cross over multiple religious traditions come directly from working as the Director of Children and Family Ministries at the First Unitarian Church in Oakland.

I live in a small co-housing community in Berkeley, California, with my wonderful wife, Rinda, our amazing children, Kalin and Maya, and our crazy dogs, Bella and Lucie.

I'm very grateful to be a full time writer starting in 2015.

I was surprised when the writing bug bit me. The idea for the story came to me in 1998, I was with a group of people talking about Tiger Woods. Someone mentioned that he identifies as much as an Asian person as an African-American person. I thought to myself, "Of course he does, his mother is Asian. You form your core identity in relationship to your primary caregivers. It's a basic part of the attachment process."

Then the image of Lisbeth, a white baby, breastfeeding in the loving arms of Mattie, an enslaved wetnurse came to me in a flash. I thought about what it would be like for Lisbeth to dearly love Mattie and then be taught by society that she wasn't a full person. I wondered how it would feel for Mattie to be forced to abandon Samuel, her own child, in the slave Quarters. Then I imagined what the experience would be like for Miss Anne, the birth mother, to have her own child twist away from her to get into Mattie's arms. These characters started to haunt me. Various scenes popped into my head. Though I had never written anything, I was being called to tell this story. For my fortieth birthday, I began the personal marathon of writing my first novel. I hope you will come to love these characters as much as I have.

At face value Living Right seems like a big leap from Yellow Crocus, but it deals with the same themes: a caregiver loving across a huge societal barrier.

I LOVED returning to Mattie, Lisbeth and Jordan for Mustard Seed. The story of finding faith in hopeless times really resonates for me. I plan to return to their families' ongoing journey after I finish my current novel-Paper Wife.

Paper Wife focuses on Mei Ling, a young Chinese woman immigrating to San Francisco through Angel Island a in the early 1920's. Reactionary anti-immigration laws in the United States and warfare in China caused people desperate for survival to be misleading about their identities so they could be united with family and have access to work. Mei Ling yearns to have a life of integrity though it was built on a foundation of lies. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Laila

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

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Saturday, February 16, 2019

Book Spotlight Giveaway! Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks


I have sooooo many books! The Book Spotlight Giveaway feature that I post every Saturday is a way for me to clear my shelves and to share some of the many books I have. This feature is a way for my to cull my collection and to give someone else the opportunity to enjoy these treasures.

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Once again, I discovered I had duplicates sitting on my bookshelves. I'm letting this one go. Thanks for stopping by. 

Good luck and be sure to stop back next week!


Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks 
ARC, 311 pages
Published August 21st 2012 by St. Martin's Press

Imaginary friend Budo narrates this heartwarming story of love, loyalty, and the power of the imagination—the perfect read for anyone who has ever had a friend . . . real or otherwise.

Budo is lucky as imaginary friends go. He's been alive for more than five years, which is positively ancient in the world of imaginary friends. But Budo feels his age, and thinks constantly of the day when eight-year-old Max Delaney will stop believing in him. When that happens, Budo will disappear.


Max is different from other children. Some people say that he has Asperger's Syndrome, but most just say he's "on the spectrum." None of this matters to Budo, who loves Max and is charged with protecting him from the class bully, from awkward situations in the cafeteria, and even in the bathroom stalls. But he can't protect Max from Mrs. Patterson, the woman who works with Max in the Learning Center and who believes that she alone is qualified to care for this young boy.


About the author

Matthew Dicks

Matthew Dicks is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend, Something Missing, Unexpectedly, Milo, The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs, and the upcoming novels The Other Mother and Cardboard Knight, as well as the nonfiction Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life Through the Art of Storytelling. His novels have been translated into more than 25 languages worldwide.

Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend was the 2014 Dolly Gray Award winner and was nominated for a 2017 Nutmeg Award in Connecticut. Matthew was also awarded first prize in 2016 and second prize in 2017 in the Magazine/Humorous Column category by the CT Society of Professional Journalists.

He is also the author of the rock opera The Clowns and the musicals Caught in the Middle, Sticks & Stones, and Summertime. He has written comic books for Double Take comics. He is a columnist for Seasons magazine and has published work in Reader's Digest, The Hartford Courant, Parents Magazine, The Huffington Post, and The Christian Science Monitor. He was awarded first prize for opinion writing in 2015 by the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists.

When not hunched over a computer screen, Matthew fills his days as an elementary school teacher, a storyteller, a speaking coach, a blogger, a wedding DJ, a minister, a life coach, and a Lord of Sealand. He has been teaching for 20 years and is a former West Hartford Teacher of the Year and a finalist for Connecticut Teacher of the Year.

Matthew is a 35-time Moth StorySLAM champion and 5-time GrandSLAM champion whose stories have been featured on their nationally syndicated Moth Radio Hour and their weekly podcast. He has also told stories for This American Life, TED, The Colin McEnroe Show, The Story Collider, The Liar Show, Literary Death Match, The Mouth, and many others. He has performed in such venues as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Wilbur Theater, The Academy of Music in North Hampton, CT, The Bynam Theater of Pittsburgh, The Bell House in NYC, The Lebanon Opera House, Boston University, and Infinity Hall in Hartford, CT.

He is a regular guest on several Slate podcasts, including The Gist, where he teaches storytelling.

Matthew is also the co-founder and creative director of Speak Up, a Hartford-based storytelling organization that produces shows throughout New England. He teaches storytelling and public speaking to individuals, corporations, and school districts around the world. He has most recently taught at Yale University, The University of Connecticut Law School, Purdue University, The Connecticut Historical Society, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Miss Porter's School, The Berkshire School, and Graded School in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Matthew is the creator and co-host of Boy vs. Girl, a podcast about gender and gender stereotypes.

Matthew is married to friend and fellow teacher, Elysha, and they have two children, Clara and Charlie. He grew up in the small town of Blackstone, Massachusetts, where he made a name for himself by dying twice before the age of eighteen and becoming the first student in his high school to be suspended for inciting riot upon himself. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Matthew



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Thursday, February 14, 2019

Release Day! Tainted By Prophecy by Hanleigh Bradley ~ Excerpt, Launch Event, and a #Giveaway!



Tainted By Prophecy

Series: Kumari’s Kitsune: A Reverse Harem (#2)
Author: Hanleigh Bradley
Release Date: 14th February 2019
Price: $2.99 (pre-order & release date) & $4.00 (thereafter)





Even at its very beginning, her reign felt tainted by the prophecies that surrounded it and the death that they foretold.

They were dark, speaking of unknown evils and the potential destruction of the realm and even the eradication of magic. It was not a destiny that Bae, the Kumari, wanted but it was the one allotted her.

Bae wished that she could deny them, call them falsehoods but she couldn't, not when the fate of the whole realm rested on her shoulders.

It might cost her her life, or the lives of those she loved most, but she would stop at nothing to save magic, save her ren and hopefully save herself.













Hanleigh and several other Reverse Harem authors are giving away a bundle of books to celebrate the release of Tainted By Prophecy. There are a variety of ways to enter this giveaway and the more times you enter, the more chance you have of winning.





Hanleigh is throwing a party to celebrate the release of Tainted By Prophecy on February 14th in Author Friends With Benefits and would love you to attend. There is a brilliant line up of authors including; Emma Jaye, Jaliza A. Burwell, Lucy Felthouse, Tiffany Carby, Melissa Adams, Anita Maxwell, Kim Faulks, Cecilia Randell, Lyn Forester, Lily Harlem, K.B. Wheelock, Elle Cross, Cari Robe, Beth Hendrix, C.R. Jane, Joelle Greene, A.M. Hardin, Catherine Banks, V.kelly and Stephanie Nichole





There was an urgency surrounding Bae’s guards as they began to pack the luggage into the procession of carriages that would take them to Nun or at least as close to the mountain range as they could safely get without the aid of the Nunsmen. Even the low ranging hills that ran the path towards the higher mountains were dangerous to traipse through, although compared to the highest of Nun peaks they were child’s play.

Bae could only hope that her emissary would be able to arrange for safe escort through the mountains at such short notice. Nunsalem, the Nunman who was supposed to be attending them, would not be expecting them for another ten days.

Bae knew that leaving Laoshi so soon after the Claiming would not be well received by the Laoshian Ren. She hadn’t even had an opportunity to hold court in the city before she was preparing to leave. It was hard to believe that the Laoshians wouldn’t resent her for it. The time following each Claiming was an opportunity to build bonds of friendship and loyalty with each of the tribelands so to leave now was a horrific snub but Bae had no choice.

Her schedule had been completely thrown aside this morning when her elder brother, her Chief Protector, had knocked on her bedchamber door to announce news from Kumai. There had been an attack on several of her Kumaian suitors and it was completely possible that her yet to be claimed Kumaian mate was amongst those hurt.

That knowledge had her blood boiling with anger and her magic sizzling with a strong need to claim him as her own.

Threatful, Bae was stood watch as her belongings were loaded into the carriages. Her mind was disordered as she tried to process everything that had happened in the small period of time that had passed since her Commencement. She had been Kumari for just over a month and yet so much had happened.

Much of it didn’t make sense.

She’d hoped that Laoshi would hold some of the answers in its many libraries but what information she had been able to garner had done little to alleviate her concerns. If anything, her fears had grown rather than diminish. She felt as if she was racing against an enemy whose speed she could not gage.

It was now clear why her advisors believed her to be the Kumari that the prophecies spoke of. Her destiny had been predetermined by the death of her mother. There were countless prophecies surrounding the line of the Kumari but over four-fifths of them were relating to a single queen.

Those prophecies were far harder to swallow than the others.

They were darker, speaking of unknown evils and the potential destruction of the realm and even the eradication of magic. It was not a destiny that Bae wanted, but it was the one that had been allotted her if the prophecies were to be believed. Bae wished that she could deny them, call them falsehoods but everything that had happened and even the words of the Kitsune on the night of her Commencement made sense only in the light of the prophecies.

Even at its very beginning, her reign felt tainted by the prophecies that surrounded it and the death that they foretold.



Tainted By Prophecy is the second book in a Seven Book Fantasy Reverse Harem Series. If you haven't read Cursed By The Crown, the first book in the series, there's no better time than the present.





Hanleigh is a British author. She was born in Scotland but has lived near enough her whole life in the South of England, although she recently moved to the Midlands. Hanleigh loves reading books more than anything in the world; whether it’s reading them or writing them, Hanleigh just can’t get enough.




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