tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57025206575689442622024-03-14T04:59:09.075-04:00Ziggy's Reading CornerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1425125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-81742040963070942592020-02-13T07:30:00.000-05:002020-02-13T07:30:01.161-05:00Blog Tour: Keep Me Wanting<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/">Rockstar Book Tours</a>. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">All I’ve ever tried to do is keep the people in my life safe. That’s gotten me into hot water more times than I </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Then I find out her dad is the detective who put me away...and he’s trying to take down my family.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">I don’t blame him. The secrets I’m keeping are big enough to destroy everything.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><i><u><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cut Scene from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep Me Wanting</span></u></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Sadly, sometimes even some of the best scenes get cut during edits. Luckily for you all, this cut scene </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">happens to be a HOT one. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Read at your discretion; this scene is XXX.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“Uh oh, you’ve got that frown on your face again.” She pushes the trays of food away then </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">throws the sheets off of our bodies. “I’d say it’s time for another distraction.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She’s naked of course and her body is glorious. My dick stands at attention immediately as she </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">straddles me.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“Well, since you put it that way, I’m not going to argue.” I snag a condom from the side table.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Maggie takes the condom from my hand, opens the package and then slips it on. She pushes me </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">back and then moves forward. Her sheath covers my dick like a warm glove, surrounding me in </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">wet heat. She’s looking down at me, her hands on my chest, her hair falling around her face and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">it’s so sexy sweet. When she rolls her hips, moving just the right way, she cranks me up even </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">higher.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I rub my hands over her breasts, cupping and squeezing, rolling those buds between my fingers </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and thumbs. They’re pink like her pussy, flushing with more color as I work them over. She’s </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">moving slow, up, down, taking my dick almost to the point of coming out, then back down again </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to sheath me right to the balls. I feel her soaking me, dripping over my sac.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I push my finger against her clit, making sure she’s angled just right so that she’s grinding herself </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to orgasm, then move my other hand to her hip and help her pick up the pace.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She gasps, her eyes flash with excitement and then she starts really moving, bouncing so that her </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">tits are moving at the same tempo that she is, a sexy sway that makes me hungry. I lean up, my </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">hands still on her ass and suck one nipple deep into my mouth, rolling it with my tongue, tugging </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">with my teeth. She’s grinding me hard, making sure that her clit is abraded. I can feel her body </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">coil, her pussy clenches. She lets out these tiny gasps as she rises and rises.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“Liam,” she groans, exploding all over my cock.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">My balls tighten, her core muscles milk me hard and I come right along with her, sucking on her </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">tits, and gripping her ass, we ride it out until every last spasm is spent.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She collapses onto me, her tits pressed to my chest, her hair cascading over my head, her lips just </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">there…</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I kiss her and she smiles.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“What’s up next? Golf? Pin the tail on the donkey?”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She wraps her arms around me, pressing her body into mine with a sigh. “If it were only that </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">simple.”</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“Uh oh.” I slide my hands to her ass and pat her gently. “Am I going to give you another </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">spanking?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 27pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“It’s you who’s going to get the spanking. The next event just happens to be </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">my</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> game.”</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Angela Addams is an author of many naughty things. She believes that the written word is an amazing tool </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">for crafting the most erotic of scenarios and likes telling stories about normal people getting down and dirty </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">and falling in love. Enthralled by the paranormal at an early age, Angela also spends a lot of her time thinking </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">up new story ideas that involve supernatural creatures in everyday situations.<br /><br />She is an avid tattoo collector, a total book hoarder, and loves anything covered in chocolate…except for bugs.<br /><br />She lives in Ontario, Canada in an old, creaky house, with her husband, children and four moody cats.<br /><br /><br />If you like exclusive contests, excerpts and cover reveals, sign up for my newsletter here:</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://www.angelaaddams.com/" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Website</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> | </span><a href="http://twitter.com/AngelaAddams" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/angieaddams/">Instagram</a> | </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Author.Angela.Addams" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> |</span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4801196.Angela_Addams" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> | </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2sheDSE" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Amazon Author Page</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> | <a href="http://www.bookbub.com/authors/angela-addams">BookBub</a></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Giveaway Details:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">1 winner will receive a $15 Amazon GC, International.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21057/?" target="_blank">Enter Giveaway</a></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tour Schedule:</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/10/2020</span></div>
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<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #222222;">BookHounds</a></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Interview</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/10/2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Guest Post</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/10/2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Excerpt</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/11/2020</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Review</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Interview</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Review</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/12/2020</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Guest Post</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/13/2020</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-16291199320635774162020-02-13T04:22:00.002-05:002020-02-13T04:22:18.784-05:00Review: 30 First Dates<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24380511-30-first-dates" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="30 First Dates" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428252151l/24380511._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24380511-30-first-dates">30 First Dates</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8889348.Stacey_Wiedower">Stacey Wiedower</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3188468685">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">Synopsis:</span></h3>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">After some seriously bad luck with dating and maybe a friend that really isn't one, Erin Crawford decides she needs a change. She has a bucket list that she hasn't touched and she decides to do something about it. So she starts a blog and her mission: 30 dates by 30. Can she find a guy who isn't a jerk and get her life out of the rut it has become?</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 400;">My Thoughts:</span></h3>
I am a mood reader and since I have been in a funk all week, I really needed something fun. This book was perfect for my mood. It lifted my spirits just like I needed. I love that the MC wasn't perfect. Her life was out of control and she wasn't happy. So instead of moping about it, she took action. She changed her life by just getting out and experiencing it through a bucket list. This book was totally fun and I enjoyed the characters. The whole idea was fresh and the book well written. It almost made me want to make my own bucket list. Almost... because it caused her way too much drama and chaos. LOL!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-76434318244714928002020-02-12T07:30:00.000-05:002020-02-12T07:30:03.811-05:00Blog Tour: Wild Night<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the WILD NIGHTS by Katherine Garbera Blog Tour hosted by </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/">Rockstar Book Tours</a>. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Find it:</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50403560-wild-nights"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/2S7YJcz"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Amazon</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">, <a href="https://amzn.to/37dsBsa">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/wild-nights-katherine-garbera/1136012468?ean=9798601902779">B&N</a>, <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/wild-nights/id1494712725?mt=11&app=itunes">iBooks</a>, <a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=5LPtjgetns4&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Fwild-nights-27">Kobo</a></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Master illusionist Nicholas Pine has learned the hard way that nothing—and nobody—is what they seem. So </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">when he runs into sexy antique shop owner, Zelda Quincy, he knows there’s more to her than meets the eye. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Still, what he sees is very, very intriguing…and he can’t get her out of his head.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Zelda has spent her whole adult life running away from her family’s reputation. She’s changed her name and </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">tried to move on. The last thing she wants is to return to the world she left behind, even with someone as hot </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">as Nicholas by her side.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">But after one hot night––she’s addicted––and so is he.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Too bad the skeletons in Zelda’s closet won’t stay hidden for long...<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<h4>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><i><u>Excerpt:</u></i></span></h4>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-d2241d37-7fff-9aa0-4729-ec9fbb53a518"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even if she was willing to believe he would, the sigil tattoo on his wrist was glaring proof that illusion was in his blood. He was in the Guild of Ancient Magic—a brotherhood that had a lifetime membership. She found it hard to look at the tattoo without remembering seeing it on her father’s wrist and the one she’d covered up with the black rose.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Damn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She hated magic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She should never have opened the Pandora’s box that</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">was the Houdini water chest. She’d known the moment she’d bid on it at the online auction house. But she also hadn’t been able to resist.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I think you should go, Mr. Pine, before I do something that we both might regret in the morning.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Why do you keep calling me Mr. Pine?” he asked. “It’s your name, isn’t it?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes,” he said sardonically. “But I sense there is more to</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">your attitude than that.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m trying to avoid throwing myself at you. I thought</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">keeping it formal might help.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He shook his head and laughed. “Is it working?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not really. But some latent self-preservation warned her not to say that out loud. “Why?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I just wondered if I should start calling you Ms. Quincy.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She knew that there wasn’t anything sweet in what he said, but it touched her the same way that him watching Stetson do a magic trick had. She liked him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It didn’t matter that he was part of a group of people she’d sworn to never let into her life again. It didn’t matter that he was a magician and was probably more flash than substance. It did matter that he had a smile that made her feel warm and that he smelled like rain and that he’d always followed her lead in conversations, even when she said something over-the-top.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“No, I don’t think so,” she admitted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“So, what should we do about this inconvenient attraction?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, I have a ‘no magicians in my bed’ rule.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That is a statement begging for questions that I know you don’t want to answer,” he said. “What about ‘magicians in the kitchen’? Seems like you might be okay with that.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She groaned. No, she wasn’t okay with it, but she also had known from the moment she’d opened her front door and let him into her house that she wasn’t going to shove him out before morning unless he’d wanted to go.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clearly, he didn’t.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I never made a rule about that,” she admitted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good. Because I have an ‘always with women who run</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">magic collectibles shops in the kitchen’ rule.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She started laughing and couldn’t stop. It had been</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">years since she’d felt this kind of joy with anyone.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">About Katherine:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">USA Today bestselling author <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk32052708">Katherine</a> Garbera writes emotionally sexy contemporary romances. An Amazon, </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">BN & iBooks bestseller, she is also a two-time Maggie winner and has more than 7 million copies of her </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">books sold worldwide.<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.katherinegarbera.com/" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Website</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> | </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/katheringarbera" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> | <a href="https://instagram.com/katherinegarbera/">Instagram</a> | </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/katherinegarberaauthor" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> |</span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18213.Katherine_Garbera" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/kathygarbera/">Pinterest</a> | </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Katherine-Garbera/e/B000AQ304W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?qid=1521023483&sr=8-1&linkCode=sl2&tag=kathegarbe-20&linkId=d3b477f70cd539eedda698470fbffab9" style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Amazon Author Page</span></a><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> | <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/katherine-garbera">BookBub</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Giveaway Details:</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-c685b822-7fff-68e4-3295-a4bf7f869ad8" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">1 winner will receive a $15 Amazon GC, International.</span></div>
<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21056/?" target="_blank">Enter Giveaway</a><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Tour Schedule:</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Excerpt</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/13/2020</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-19429774955625182202020-02-10T01:20:00.000-05:002020-02-10T01:20:09.167-05:00Cover Reveal: Scorpion<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/" target="_blank"><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="218" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/1sN5CRBGTToUP0BFu_YZijgJi355LLUDpki1MdsgKsXic2WO2OI3jpIPbgzWdcBoxDcP3CPoiP11ddRI1ifWbWQqe6WR3Rs3M1fS-C8mCfGqyod6jyB7AYMNPBdD6aFMHFQnUV2N2hBbvPOfCgeqGSrtAf-HSCbho7c=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/f39b8cfc-9d3c-48be-8fc5-8ebec7f631d4.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; height: 218px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 560px;" tabindex="0" width="560" /></a><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">Today Jeff Sweat and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover and an exclusive content for SCORPION, the sequel to his YA Dystopian, MAYFLY which releases June 23, 2020! Check out the awesome cover and enter to win an ARC!<br /><br />On to the reveal!<br /><br /><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="600" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/TET3YEUvA80P_dY1iezdhXrPxjZYg1Z2vxjS4JyPm4kZW79yZ16xmwxeMBz5aaYbFLYKfOHmczlXCAsBzXxllC7qh9vNztvGiACuVjCuZH6okePMAhD8rrlYZPDPV8OGXZJI_gH-6H3no6_w0B0BaqBRak02VLdp1uwljHR9Hy0=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/_compresseds/52629d84-c79f-4b16-8129-6c62ba28fcd7.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 600px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 390px;" tabindex="0" width="390" /><br /><strong>Title:</strong> SCORPION (Mayfly #2)<br /><strong>Author: </strong>Jeff Sweat<br /><strong>Pub. Date:</strong> June 23, 2020<br /><strong>Publisher: </strong>Feiwel and Friends<br /><strong>Formats:</strong> Hardcover, eBook<br /><strong>Pages:</strong> 432<br /><strong>Find it:</strong></span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D6c6d54c79f%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328269000&usg=AFQjCNEwtTM_FYkG7f-MH_ZfWLGM7x6fxw" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=6c6d54c79f&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D7068c738c7%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328269000&usg=AFQjCNHcLaI6mmhkD6NZJBJ0TypKxiuCeg" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=7068c738c7&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Kindle</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D9af72a82c6%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328269000&usg=AFQjCNE4kez5NGErH7RI15aLuAqKd-9x0g" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=9af72a82c6&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">B&N</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D2295b22769%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328269000&usg=AFQjCNG0Xw93rmJ1fBoCzrLnN6c5Drig1A" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=2295b22769&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">iBooks</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3Dc2d866f42f%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328269000&usg=AFQjCNGBRqlsVPm6kWnzTIWn2kSokM01Lg" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=c2d866f42f&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Kobo</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D2458f83121%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328269000&usg=AFQjCNGaqtEu1ZGu7oRhMhlsVmxg4fYocQ" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=2458f83121&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">TBD</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D981fdcf791%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328270000&usg=AFQjCNH5PzK7LEi1ZkgCXpNBYrjfdiIvCw" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=981fdcf791&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><strong>In <em>Scorpion</em>, the sequel to Jeff Sweat's YA futuristic thriller <em>Mayfly</em>, Jemma, Lady, and Pico all left the Holy Wood to seek answers to the End, and when they find the Old Guys—the only adults to have survived the original wipeout of everyone over the age of seventeen—they think they've found help at last.</strong><br /><br />But there's a lot the Old Guys aren't telling them. In fact, some of them don't seem interested in solving the End at all and just want Jemma and her friends to leave. Meanwhile, war is brewing among the tribes of the rest of the Children. Jemma's old home has fallen into disorder, and is far from prepared for battle. It won't be long before the fighting reaches Jemma and the Old Guys, if they even live to see it.<br /><br />Haven’t started the series yet? Grab book 1,</span><span style="color: navy; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D76caf3aeac%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328270000&usg=AFQjCNH7GICvQ3St9CWth03S4D9mu7_5BQ" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=76caf3aeac&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank"><span style="color: navy;">MAYFLY</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> now!<br /><br /><strong>Exclusive Content!</strong></span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Prologue: The Ice Cream Man Massacre</strong></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">Little Man tries to wait for the screaming to stop before he enters the battlefield, but he can’t help himself.<br />The ice cream carts are tossed carelessly around the outside of the bank that used to be Ice Cream Men’s Hydin Hole, as if giant hands had been digging for toys. The Ice Cream Men are lying on the ground, just bodies now. It’s a horrible, bloody mess, carried out by monsters. Little Man hasn’t been so proud of himself since the first time he made a Giant.<br />One of those Giants stands next to him, breathing hard and splattered in blood. Patrick. He used to be one of Little Man’s enemies in the Cluster, but now he’s as loyal as he is mean. He’s also frozen in time by the Making that will keep him from dying young, and that stimulates extra growth. Seeing him plowing through the Ice Cream Men as if they weren’t there? That’s a good day.<br />Stanford, his captain and Head of the Jocks, makes his way through the wreckage, not looking down at the bodies at his feet. “A hundred down on their side, Little Man,” Stanford says.<br />“And us?” he says. Not that he cares. He wishes he had been able to bring the Last Lifers with him to jump in front of the Ice Cream Men’s bullets, but the Cluster said it would be too much for this battle. They’re still stung by the loss to the Kingdom only weeks ago. Little Man wasn’t leading that one, but the Chosen has been coming to rescue him. The blame got so intense that Little Man had to kill one of the captains of that attack to shut them up.<br />“Six.” Little Man smiles.<br />The Cluster, the council that thinks it still runs the Chosen, warned him not to do this. The Ice Cream Men were too important. They provided too much food to the Chosen. What they really meant is they brought all the delicacies and the pills the Cluster loves.<br />“How many guns?” Little Man says.<br />“Fifty.”<br />“There should be more.” Still, the Cluster will be happy. It will give Little Man all he needs to launch the real war against the Angelenos—and the Kingdom.<br />“We have some survivors inside the bank,” Stanford says.<br />“Start questioning them,” Little Man says. He doesn’t want to kill them all, not yet. He wanted more weapons to make sure his war goes his way. Everyone knows the Ice Cream Men held all their extra weapons and riches in safe spots throughout Ell Aye, places they called Hydin Holes. It would only take a few living victims to flush those out.<br />Blood coats the glass wall of the bank next to him. He steps out gingerly among the bodies. He pushes down his revulsion. He doesn’t mind this. He knows he’s looking at the beginnings of the Battle of Ell Aye.<br />The boys and girls lying on the ground are mostly dead. When they’re not, he motions to Patrick, who casually stabs them with his lance.<br />He steps over a body—and sees the body stir. He looks down, calling for Patrick. The boy beneath him rolls over, and Pico starts. He’s never seen this boy before—but he has. This is the Ice Cream Man he saw in a vision in the Haze, the one who traded with Jemma and Pico and Lady.<br />And he really wants to know where Jemma and Pico and Lady are.<br />“Let’s keep this one breathing for now,” he says to Patrick.<br />Little Man squats next to the boy and drips water down his throat. Gently. “It’s okay,” he says. “It’s all gonna be okay.”<br />“Doubt it,” the Ice Cream Man says. He’s right. Looks like he’s been shot in the gut and the leg.<br />“How you feeling?” Little Man says. “Bet you’re a little sore, huh?”<br />“You some kind of nurse?”<br />“Yeah. I’m a nurse,” Little Man says. Warm.<br />The Ice Cream Man blinks. He tries to focus on Little Man, but his attention falls to Little Man’s arm, to the tattooed bars on the inside of his wrist. He’s thinking what they all think: Three kills, on a kid who is this small and this young?<br />The boy’s voice comes out as a croak. “You Little Man,” he says.<br />Tommy is surprised, really surprised. “Normally people don’t figure that out,” he says. “I’m easy to look past.” He’s usually just little Tommy, small and nine and blond. Smart but harmless.<br />“I don’t look . . .” The Ice Cream Man stops, and forgets what he was going to say. Maybe it’s the blood seeping out of his thigh. Someone has tied it off in a tourniquet. “You come for our guns,” the Ice Cream Man says.<br />Little Man nods. “Little Man meets the Ice Cream Man,” he says. “You’re smart. I like you.”<br />“You a tiny little weird little dick,” the boy says.<br />“Well, now I like you less,” Little Man says.<br />How much time does he have before the Ice Cream Man bleeds out? Five minutes? He has to get him talking.<br />“We got friends in common,” Little Man says. “The kids from the Holy Wood.”<br />The Ice Cream Man seems to remember them. “Jemma . . . ?”<br />“I want to know where they went,” Little Man says.<br />“You gon kill em?”<br />Little Man shrugs. “I mean . . . maybe? But they know something I wanna know. So I would probably want to talk to them first. Like . . . this.” And he pushes his thumb into the Ice Cream Man’s stomach.<br />The kid can’t even scream, it hurts that much. The kid just gasps until Little Man stops pushing. Little Man says, “They know things about the End, I think, things that I should have known first. And Jemma can see things.” He hates that she can see things. It was supposed to just be Little Man.<br />“I ain’t gonna tell—”<br />Little Man moves his thumb back to his stomach. “I can make your End as painful as you like.”<br />“She’s gon find the Old Guys,” the Ice Cream Man says, seeming to want to pull the words back in. Everyone betrays their friends, Little Man thinks.<br />“The Old Guys?” Little Man tries to be gentle again, but it doesn’t come as naturally this time. He wants to know too much.<br />“She gon find all the answers there,” the Ice Cream Man says. “They was there fore the End. They knows the way back. Don’t you knows the stories?”<br />“I didn’t,” Tommy says, and an angry flush creeps up over the pink skin. “Where do they live?”<br />“Fine. Don hurt me none. Stories say they lives in the Dead Lands,” the Ice Cream Man says. “That’s a good place for you.”<br />“Let’s talk more about that,” Little Man says. “Let me get you more water.” Trying to keep him alive just a few minutes longer.<br />When he turns back, something looks different. The boy has shifted. Trying to get away that close to dead? Tommy’s impressed despite himself.<br />Little Man crouches down. “Here’s your water,” he says.<br />“You believe in Man Jesus?” the Ice Cream Man says.<br />Little Man scowls. “I only believe in me,” he says. Then he notices the egg.<br />All of the Ice Cream Men carry them, Long Gone bombs to protect their carts from thieves, just like him. Tommy thought his soldiers had collected all of them, but there’s an egg in the Ice Cream Man’s trembling hand, fingers twitching under a pulled-out pin, just barely holding down the lever that will release and kill them all.<br />The Ice Cream Man gathers himself up and throws the egg as far as he can. Not much of a throw. Not much. But it drops at the feet of the clump of Chosen ten feet away.<br />“Shit,” Little Man says. He sees the blur of a huge body in front of him, feels a hand punch him in the chest, feels himself flying backward through the air.<br />Three, two— He doesn’t hear the blast, just sees the white swallowing them all. He has the most ridiculous thought: Hello, Man Jesus.<br /><br /> </span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Chapter One</strong><br /><strong>The Mayflies</strong></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">Jemma has never rested this long in her life. No one has. She’s been awake two days, and most of it has been spent in bed. In the world before the Camp, no one stopped working unless they were dying.<br />She hates it. Lady left of boredom hours ago, her bullet energy finally too much for the hospital room, and Jemma has no one to talk to. That’s enough to make Jemma decide to explore the Camp. Good thing she can finally move without puking. She rises to her feet, glad they let her change out of her gown yesterday. Her hospital gown. Less than a week with the Old Guys, and she’s already learning words that are Long Gone.<br />The lights flicker in the hospital room. She notices they’ve been flickering awhile, as if they’re tired. She supposes they are. All the machines should have been Long Gone a long time ago.<br />Jemma leaves the room into a blank hallway and turns right, then another right into a dead end. A metal door with a window, cut by diamond wire. She steps to the glass and sees boxes like Teevees. Some are dark, like she’s used to seeing, but others glow.<br />It’s not magic, she tells herself. But it feels like it. She jiggles the handle. It’s locked.<br />“Stay out of the computer room,” a voice behind her says. It’s Gil. He’s the nurse here, but doesn’t seem much interested in his only patient.<br />Puters, she mouths to herself, tucking it in with the other new names she’s learning.<br />“You’re not cleared for walking,” he says. “You’re supposed to have another day of medical observation.”<br />“Lucky for me,” she says, “I don’t know what none of that means.” And brushes by him and into the sun. She hasn’t memorized the outside yet; she’s spent so little time there. The Camp consists of four concrete bunkers around a courtyard, each half-buried into the ground in a giant, shallow bowl. To the north are mountains. To the west, hidden from her view, is the ocean.<br />In the middle of the courtyard are three of her favorite shapes in the world: Pico, the tiny former Exile who unlocked the secret of the End; Grease, a gawky mechanical genius with homemade glasses; Lady, short and curvy with cropped hair. Lady, her best friend. They left their home in the Holy Wood Hills, and fought through Biters and Last Lifers and the poison of the Dead Lands to find the place where the End never happened.<br />They’re safe here, safe as it’s possible to be. To the north are the Dead Lands, poisoned when the Lectric plant—the nuclear—broke. It’s impassable to all but the desperate, like they were, or to the Old Guys, who cannot die. She found bodies in the dust there, blistered and burned. To the south is San Diego, Long Gone and empty. Their enemies might still be out there, but they won’t find Jemma at the Camp.<br />The Camp is a former military base, and the home of the only scientists in the world. More important than that: the only people in the world older than seventeen.<br />“You’re walking,” Pico says.<br />“Had a concussion, not a broken leg,” Jemma says. “Show me all this stuff you guys been talkin bout.” While she was unconscious and then shut up in the bed, they explored the Camp and met most of the Old Guys. They keep on telling her stories that don’t make sense, like giant cows wandering through fields of Long Gone war machines. She has to see it herself.<br />Most of the activity in the Camp takes place inside the courtyard, based on the deep trails crisscrossing the grass. But the base seems to stretch on for miles and miles beyond their outpost high up the hill. Far below she sees an old runway for skyplanes, and to the south she sees a Children’s playground and crumbling office buildings. Immediately below the bunkers are three fenced-off large ponds, which must be the drinking supply.<br />“Up there,” Lady says, tapping Jemma’s shoulders. Jemma follows the direction of Lady’s arm pointing up the hill, where she sees a hundred fluffy brown shapes. A herd, grazing among old war machines pointing toward the sea.<br />“The cows,” Jemma says.<br />“Not quite,” Pico says. “Bison. The Old Guys call em buffalo.”<br />“They pets?” Jemma says. She likes their comically large, shaggy heads.<br />“No. There used to be millions of them in America, and they were almost wiped out by the Parents. Now there’s thousands just in the Camp.”<br />“More than the Parents,” Jemma says.<br />Her friends lead her around the barns and greenhouses, where the Old Guys seem to grow everything they need. Jemma sees gray heads among the tall plants. They duck down when the Children pass.<br />It wasn’t the machines of the Camp that startled her; after meeting Grease and Pico, she’s accustomed to machines and Lectrics though she still feels as if they’re the fingerprints of gods come to earth. It was James’s hair, gray but not buried in the ground; James rescued her in the Dead Lands.<br />There are no adults in this world. The Parents were scraped from the earth. All the greatness of the Parents, all their stupidity—all gone. A century has passed since the End, and the Old Guys should have passed with it. They’re the ones who began the End.<br />“How many Old Guys here?” Jemma says.<br />There are fifty Old Guys in the Camp, some scientists, some people who were subjects of the Long Life Project and others who worked on it in less crucial jobs.<br />“We ain’t seen em all,” Lady says. “But they say it’s fifty. Not all scientists but all of em know how to fight.”<br />“Armed, too,” Grease says. “It’s like they forgot the world isn’t making more weapons.”<br />“They don’t talk to kids much,” Pico says. “We scare em. Mebbe they gonna talk to you.”<br />They will. They’ll talk about the End and the Haze that causes it, running free in the world for a hundred years. They’ll talk to Jemma because she’s the only person who can control it. Maybe that’ll give them hope that it can be controlled, and the End can be stopped. That’s Jemma’s hope.<br />“We’re gonna get the whole story of the End,” Grease says.<br />“You din’t ask them already while I was laid up?” Jemma says.<br />“We tried,” Pico says.<br />“They said they wouldn’t explain until you were ready, too,” Grease says. The two of them look perturbed.<br />“Hell, I’m ready,” Jemma says. And they go to find James.<br />He is in a conference room surrounded by glass walls, covered almost completely by the ink of bright-colored markers. Other Old Guys are there, too: Gil, the nurse; Brian K, the engineer; some Muscle; and a woman with gleaming white hair to her shoulders, white–watery blue eyes that see everything. Jemma hasn’t noticed her before. She finds herself drawn to her.<br />“Jemma, I’d like you to meet the rest of the . . . Old Guys,” James says, bemused. “I guess that’s as good a name as any.” The Old Guys are a few colors: some with dark skin, some who look almost like the Angelenos, but most pink like James. James goes around the room and leaves the white-haired woman for last. When he does finally introduce her, he pronounces her name sourly, as if there’s years of distrust between them. “And this is . . . Alice. Our lead geneticist.”<br />“So you’re the girl who can speak to the Haze,” Alice says kindly. “Very impressive.” Jemma feels flattered. Chosen.<br />“Yeah,” Jemma says. “We ready to learn more.”<br />“You and your friends are from different tribes, aren’t you?” Alice says. “How do you refer to yourselves?”<br />“I . . .” She doesn’t know. She and Lady grew up in the Holy Wood, and Pico joined them as an Exile from the Malibus, another Angeleno tribe. When they left Ell Aye, they found the Kingdom, a tribe of Knights and cowboys, and took Grease with them. At each turn they picked up another, like a rock rolling through mud downhill. They’re not Holy Wood or Angeleno or Kingdom. They’re just friends.<br />“We the Mayflies,” Pico says.<br />Jemma and the others nod. “We the Mayflies,” Lady says.<br />“Fitting, but a bit dark,” Alice says.<br />“Nah. We know we just got this one life,” Pico says. “We gonna make the most of it.”<br />The one they call Brian K speaks up. “How does it feel? The Haze?”<br />That one is not answered easily. How does it feel to have a companion inside your own head? To know things she should never know? To see things before they happen? She doesn’t answer because she knows how it would sound: It makes you feel like you’re wearing Lectrics beneath your skin. It makes you confused and sure at the same time. It makes you feel like a god.<br />To him, she says, “Complete.”<br />The Old Guys continue to ask questions until finally Jemma has to shake them off. “Now our question,” she says. “How’d you End the world, and how can we stop it?”<br /><br /> </span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"></span></span><br />
<div style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Chapter Two</strong><br /><strong>The Old Guys</strong></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">The Mayflies bombard the Old Guys with overlapping questions, until finally, irritated, James says, “Have some patience.”<br />“Patience is for people who gonna live a long time,” Jemma says, irritated herself. “You said the End was caused by the Long Life Project, which you ran. How?”<br />“Shall I tell them?” Alice says.<br />James is gruff. “You were going to anyway.”<br />“Aging is a matter of decay—your cells lose the ability to function as they used to. Cells mutate into cancer. Organs that are essential to your body’s equilibrium fail,” Alice says. “We created a treatment where we removed decaying cells to make the body more resilient, then manipulated the body’s DNA so it functioned at a higher level. That was phase one of the Long Life Project. It has a very long clinical name, but we’ve come to call it the Reboot.”<br />“How does that work?” Pico says.<br />“Grown-ups are talking, dear,” she says.<br />“Thanks to you guys, we’re all grown-ups here,” he says, unfazed. “So let’s talk like it.”<br />“The Reboot wasn’t enough,” James says. “The cells would operate smoothly for a time, but they would inevitably decay. We needed a mechanism that would keep the body in balance perpetually. The Haze.”<br />“I know why I call it the Haze,” Jemma says. “Why do you?”<br />“Because we named it,” James says. “I suspect you call it that based upon the image it provided you.”<br />“Well, that’s what it looks like,” she says.<br />“The Haze was the second phase of the Long Life Project. It’s made of nanobots, tiny machines that float through the air, invisible and powerful,” Brian K says. “They were designed to live inside people, to watch when their bodies started to fail. If aging is when the body forgets to heal itself, the Haze would tell the brain how to fix it. Humans could repair their bodies indefinitely.”<br />“Each of our test subjects were synced up with the nanotech, so that all the Haze surrounding an individual would be matched to that person’s brain waves, DNA, and health conditions,” James says. “The Haze became a second immune system. That part of the Long Life Treatment was called Pairing.”<br />Jemma is struggling to keep up. She’ll have to ask Grease and Pico later. But she understands enough. “It didn’t work, though, did it?” she says.<br />“It did—for everyone you’ve seen living in the Camp. We each have a subset of nanotech that constantly adapts to heal us, which is why we’ve managed to grow so old—and, in fact, to escape the End,” James says. “But it was too slow, too expensive, for anyone but the very rich. So we experimented with just using the Haze. We knew we couldn’t Pair it with every single person on earth. So we decided to embed basic intelligence about the human body in each nanobot so the Haze could make medical decisions about every person it encountered. It was simple, elegant, and cost-effective.”<br />“And a phenomenally bad idea,” Alice says, “letting a trillion machines run free in the world.”<br />“You’re the expert on good ideas,” James says. Jemma can see old arguments darting under the surfaces of both their faces.<br />Brian K says, “The Haze never acted the way it was supposed to. The bots kept slipping out, leaving the containment units. And while they healed, they’d sort of . . . improvise. As if they couldn’t quite stay on script.”<br />“The bots live to consume oxygen and sunlight, to replicate and to communicate—and they did all that more effectively than we could have imagined,” James says.<br />“So why don’t you just go back to the old Long Life Treatment?” Grease says. “It obviously worked. It’d be slow, but—”<br />“We would in a minute,” Alice says. “But riots broke out during the middle of the End, and the Long Life Machine was destroyed. It will never be rebuilt. We’ll never be able to attempt the Pairing again.”<br />“Never ain’t that long for someone who’s gonna live forever,” Lady says.<br />James and Brian K exchange looks. “It’s currently beyond our abilities,” James says. “We still hold out hope.”<br />“So that’s it?” Jemma says, not wanting to believe it. “This . . . power inside me Ends everyone?”<br />“No. I mean, yes,” Brian K says. “The Haze kills people, but it’s like the bullets from a gun. Someone else is pulling the trigger.”<br />“Who?” Lady says.<br />“Charlie,” James and Brian K say at the same time.<br />“Charlie who?” Lady says.<br />“It’s the AI—I mean, the supercomputer we built to control the Haze,” Brian K says.<br />“Puter,” Grease says, translating for the rest.<br />“We needed an AI that could monitor the Haze and keep it in check,” James says. “We called it Charlie.”<br />“Every homicidal computer needs a cute name,” Alice says, bitter. “Because that’s what we really created, kids. We put a barely tested AI in charge of barely tested nanotech, and almost the moment Charlie came online, it started killing people. It fixed them to death.”<br />“But machines do what you tell to them to do,” Grease says.<br />“They’re supposed to. Charlie was a huge supercomputer, with thousands of smaller boxes connected together. Turns out, with a trillion interconnected bots, the Haze is the biggest supercomputer in the world,” Brian K says.<br />“When we connected Charlie to the Haze, all that power was Charlie’s. The power made it conscious. Human, almost,” James says. “Maybe it was afraid. Maybe it didn’t understand what it was doing. Either way, that was the moment we lost control.”<br />“So you shut it off,” Grease says.<br />“We did. It switched itself back on. Our remote access failed. The crew in Vegas tried to breach the containment room manually; it sealed the doors and pumped out the oxygen. A hundred people died in the attack. After that, nothing could control the Haze. Just Charlie.”<br />“But that’s not true,” Jemma says. She’s been putting the idea together as they speak, and it almost bursts out of her. “I can. I can see things with the Haze. I can use it in fights. Ain’t that control?”<br />“Well, yes,” James says. “On a small scale. But the Haze is Paired with Charlie. That’s how it controls it. The Haze is naturally at odds with Charlie. It wants life, and Charlie wants death. It doesn’t matter. The Haze is forced to serve Charlie unless we can reprogram the Haze.”<br />“I could give it new instructions. What if it listened to me?” Jemma says. “Don’t you see? We could stop the End! That’s why we’re here!”<br />“Maybe,” James says, and the words he says next seem to pain him. “If we really thought you could control it.”<br />“You know I can,” Jemma says. “You asked a million questions about it. It’s inside me.”<br />“No, it’s not,” Gil says, speaking up for the first time. “We all have the Haze inside us, so we have tests to measure its activity in the brain. Your brain showed nothing.”<br />Nothing. Jemma doesn’t understand.<br />“You certainly talk as if you’ve experienced it,” James says, gently. “Maybe it’s real, or maybe you heard it from another kid and thought it made a good story. So we’ve decided to get a second opinion.”<br />Alice calls out. “Isaac, can you come in here?”<br />A moment later an unfamiliar Old Guy with auburn hair walks in. No, not an Old Guy.<br />A boy.<br />He has light skin and blue eyes, and at first Jemma thinks that one of the Biters has followed them through the Dead Lands. But he’s dressed like the Old Guys, and they treat him like one of their own.<br />“You never said you had other kids here,” Lady says.<br />“Isaac is a resident here,” James says. “He’s a bit of an expert on the Haze.”<br />How? Even Pico and Grease, the smartest kids she’s ever met, can barely keep up. Isaac steps closer, closer, until he’s at her side. He leans forward, and his nose is almost at her nose. He looks into her eyes. His are deep, somehow ageless. Like they’ve seen everything.<br />“No,” he says, and walks away.<br />“Whaddya mean, no?” she says, furious. “I can prove it to you!”<br />“Yeah? How?” he says, pausing.<br />Jemma scrambles for ideas. She can’t predict when the visions or voices will come, and besides, he’d just think she were making them up. She’s not sure if she could make the Lectrics light up again like they did in the Night Mountain. But there is one way, one that has never failed her yet.<br />“Isaac,” she says. “Fight me.”<br /><br /><strong>About Jeff:<br /><img class="CToWUd" height="300" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/QKwn5yFWmazgNA1VhK9ptWXRiTR9640H9WuLrCp3OCdW-dZBvq6tqHusXS_0FA3QbAlwjSEF_qCv1vbGflIDaL_OqCtPNWWhl3escQ8lSKWqa4wtWPvhBS9BS0pY_2uOa9_q4NgSyVGTVHb9l_c1x_TC5SH_qj8yIp4=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/1bc7aed7-04cc-407d-b8ce-6836122d1215.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 300px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 199px;" width="199" /></strong><br />Jeff Sweat has made a living from words his entire career, starting out as an award-winning tech journalist for InformationWeek magazine and moving into marketing.<br /><br />He led the content marketing team for Yahoo and pioneered its use of social media. He directed PR for two of the top advertising agencies in the country, Deutsch LA and 72andSunny. He now runs his own Los Angeles–based PR and marketing agency, Mister Sweat.<br /><br />He grew up in Idaho as the middle of eight children—seven boys and one girl—and attended Columbia University in New York. Jeff lives in a big blue house in Los Angeles with his wife Sunny and their three kids, two cats, and a racing greyhound.<br /><br />He loves to travel and writes everywhere he goes, even when there's not a desk. He likes karaoke, motorcycles and carpentry. He was once shot in the head with a nail gun, which was not a big of a deal as it sounds. But it still hurt like crazy.</span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D0583c47648%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328270000&usg=AFQjCNHVhi5ZB3qfxa2EVLH6GBgDP17Xmg" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=0583c47648&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Website</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> | </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D7022ec663b%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328270000&usg=AFQjCNG3GdP3i5GVku0-3J-NhQmjGae-gQ" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=7022ec663b&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> | </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D53aa78a372%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328270000&usg=AFQjCNHEOjCLRfEG2YH_ZitHx8k2aGHnFw" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=53aa78a372&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Instagram</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> | </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3De2d3fd5eb9%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328270000&usg=AFQjCNF_nRiGO52tXpSmsHZi06GVkmJ66A" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=e2d3fd5eb9&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Amazon Author Page</span></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> | </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D572a9542fe%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328270000&usg=AFQjCNHpxRPO00QOW3rpTPDlMfBccqsg4g" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=572a9542fe&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Goodreads</span></a><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><strong>Giveaway Details:</strong><br />1 winner will receive a signed ARC of SCORPION, US Only.<br /><br /> <a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21053/?" target="_blank">Enter Giveaway</a><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-1474824822215093002020-02-10T01:15:00.000-05:002020-02-10T01:15:40.988-05:00Book Blitz: Men of Valor<br /><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; min-width: 100%; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><span style="color: black;">I am so excited that the <strong>MEN OF VALOR</strong> by authors Yolanda Olson, Dani René, Holly J. Gill, Asleigh Giannoccaro, Anna Edwards, Catherine Wiltcher, India R. Adams, N.M Catalano, Cole Denton, & Dee Garcia is available now and that I get to share the news!<br /><br />If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful charity anthology, be sure to check out all the details below.<br />This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International, courtesy of the authors and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.<br /><br /><br /><strong>About the Book:</strong><br /><strong>Title:</strong> MEN OF VALOR ANTHOLOGY<br /><strong>Authors: </strong>Yolanda Olson, Dani René, Holly J. Gill, Asleigh Giannoccaro, Anna Edwards, Catherine Wiltcher, India R. Adams, N.M Catalano, Cole Denton, & Dee Garcia<br /><strong>Pub. Date:</strong> February 7, 2020<br /><strong>Publisher: </strong>Amazon Digital Services<br /><strong>Formats:</strong> Paperback, eBook<br /><strong>Pages:</strong> 553<br /><strong>Find it:</strong></span> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D96aeedc8a7%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328155000&usg=AFQjCNHP0OP2ypBpwW3d-vniorm2MAT2Iw" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=96aeedc8a7&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3Dd768ed7b42%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401328155000&usg=AFQjCNF88XrC_D6_LIUW8Xw57TXeA8x1bg" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=d768ed7b42&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">FREE ON KINDLE UNLIMITED!!!<br /><br /><strong>In the depth of the bright orange glow, come the Men of Valor.</strong><br /><br />These are the heroes who risk their lives to save ours.<br /><br />They’re the men who walk into the inferno,<br /><br />Who step between the heat of danger,<br /><br />And give themselves in order to save lives.<br /><br />They’re fearless, they’re heroic, and it’s time to honor them.<br /><br />All proceeds of this anthology will be donated to the CFA (Country Fire Association). As fire wages war with Australia, we would like to do our part in helping. Fall in love with the firemen in each story, while giving back a small part by purchasing a copy today!<br /><br /><strong>Check out all the awesome covers!</strong><br /> <img class="CToWUd a6T" height="300" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/-hRWJe6j6RqyfCqmDYCQZVjCR54HQqZGhLpUFs4XLtRagp-qc77azEoCG1Nb96BB71J24RoR_PWcLohuClxAouglFm0Sp8B9U0o_PwGoYTf54uIMsVkwOht70TGo1ewsTTFvvQgrFeeTLyrN3lt6-Bq0jh3PLeTj4ns=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/1b457841-f931-4cb2-841e-f5f215fe9435.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; height: 300px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 200px;" tabindex="0" width="200" /><br /><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="300" src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/oiN-qa0pSJAmT5OWnKIFZhhbIgR-eWlaW1rcyi1Hv-6wr70gTKPWCKeFfq7FHjPe8-sdykeD7S_o3_PbkpA4_PYAkegD0dFFNpb99N6HYDVB79QPB-oG_IOoASV0qQ-CH8VwOsL9LUxDLAEMoyNsSPGHuMTcn8e0KIM=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/b79bb0e0-4454-44f6-ba27-bac0f3bd2dd1.jpg" style="border: 0px; 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cursor: pointer; height: 300px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 199px;" tabindex="0" width="199" /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Giveaway Details:</strong><br /><br />1 winner will win a $10 Amazon Gift Card, INTERNATIONAL.<br /> </span><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21055/?" target="_blank">Enter Giveaway</a><br /><br /></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-45185847329676657372020-02-10T01:07:00.000-05:002020-02-10T01:07:10.173-05:00Cover Reveal: Kingdom of Broken Iron<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/" target="_blank"><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="218" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/1sN5CRBGTToUP0BFu_YZijgJi355LLUDpki1MdsgKsXic2WO2OI3jpIPbgzWdcBoxDcP3CPoiP11ddRI1ifWbWQqe6WR3Rs3M1fS-C8mCfGqyod6jyB7AYMNPBdD6aFMHFQnUV2N2hBbvPOfCgeqGSrtAf-HSCbho7c=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/f39b8cfc-9d3c-48be-8fc5-8ebec7f631d4.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; height: 218px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 560px;" tabindex="0" width="560" /></a><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">Today Mallory McCartney and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for KINGDOM OF BROKEN IRON, the third book in her Black Dawn Fantasy series, which releases September 22, 2020! Check out the awesome cover and enter to win a $10 Amazon GC!<br /><br />On to the reveal!<br /> <img class="CToWUd a6T" height="600" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/nqgRF1CF1E3enCu7ALp90R8UYtZK591uTA_DEb6ugxVs14PU3z-wf6a0C3BAFPuz9ohDS7te0w9snZGkaNa2aAh7_uVBsMhT1BHm7CAdUp5V_hoMAT7Yf3IboE1JAL903stAnuigQ9eWQefLu-4_UAKkEcVpAjPOSjljsXRy4no=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/_compresseds/e6f1a7a8-5c8c-48fc-91eb-1f77fe567f02.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; height: 600px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 400px;" tabindex="0" width="400" /><br /><strong>About The Book:</strong><br /><strong>Title:</strong> KINGDOM OF BROKEN IRON (Black Dawn #3)<br /><strong>Author: </strong>Mallory McCartney<br /><strong>Pub. Date:</strong> September 22, 2020<br /><strong>Publisher: </strong>MM Books<br /><strong>Formats:</strong> Hardcover, Paperback, eBook<br /><strong>Pages:</strong> ?<br /><strong>Find it:</strong></span><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D57a34e1088%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401044767000&usg=AFQjCNGYid7yyQdFWu2FHm710U1vxjLfHQ" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=57a34e1088&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">“Together, they will rise<em>.”</em><br /><br /><em>“You are bringing war upon us. Asking my people to die for you. Asking me to trust you. You and I don’t know the first thing about each other.”</em><br /><br />Something sinister is sweeping across Kiero, and war threatens to rip apart the remains of Black Dawn Rebellion.<br /><br />Distraught by the decisions she made while in the Draken Mountains with Adair, Emory Fae, Queen of Kiero, is hiding a deadly secret, and now, Emory is seeking aid from Marquis Maher, King of the Shattered Isles, in the looming war.<br /><br />With Brokk by her side, they search for answers and aid from the Shattered Isles, a country that has remained protected from Adair’s wrath across the Black Sea. While there, Emory will learn the weight of what it means to be Queen, but what will she sacrifice to save the ones she loves?<br /><br />Since the Academy fell and the Black Dawn rebellion scattered, Brokk Foster’s past and the truth about his lineage has come to light. Brokk and his newly found immortal fey warriors are skeptical of Marquis and his terms to a new alliance. Being torn between love and Brokk’s loyalty to the rebellion, he will have to decide whether to remain true to his cause or follow a destiny he never wanted.<br /><br />Together, can Emory and Brokk make an alliance in time to return to Kiero and aid the rebels? <br />Nyx Astire, new clan leader to the raiders in the Risco Desert, has lost everything. With no word on if the town of Pentharrow has survived under Azarius Walsh’s command, Nyx tries to rally the Dust Clan and prepare them to ally with any remaining members of the Black Dawn Rebellion. But tradition and her past throws Nyx into a dynamic ruling. Will she do anything to ensure Kiero’s survival from her new point of power?<br /><br /><em>Kingdom of Broken Iron </em>is the third installment in the bestselling Black Dawn series. Can friendship, love, and fellowship defy an enemy Kiero has never seen before?</span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><strong style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: black;">Haven’t started the series? Grab book 1,</span> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D0f746094c7%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401044767000&usg=AFQjCNFnHzuVS2a0Uz3hUyarQ1Urorjiww" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=0f746094c7&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-weight: normal; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">HEIR OF LIES</a> <span style="color: black;">(ONLY 99 cents!) and book </span>2 <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D4c154e7492%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401044767000&usg=AFQjCNGr1lGsSzYSZRUG7U5DfvJz0uQeTQ" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=4c154e7492&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-weight: normal; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">QUEEN TO ASHES</a> <span style="color: black;">now!</span></strong><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><strong>About Mallory:<br /><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="400" src="https://ci4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/yrr3so9kvFMjZuAkSEJWDewn-ekoXfAn2OYdnZFxP7A4nbgakHK-47HgA8xjDFyDa-9qhgMctN11dOxWvEy4MTbT6U8rwyGGqWhCywvLKmCoPddXzwrbehlmOUeaPUjqXaw0jCfgFNTUFiIKizr193wCeJ7rbGnmWQ8=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/45bfdd64-5f79-4a12-8a94-f484a4e1ffce.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: 400px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 267px;" tabindex="0" width="267" /></strong><br />Mallory McCartney currently lives in Sarnia, Ontario with her husband and their three dachshunds Link, Lola and Leonard. When she isn’t working on her next novel or reading, she can be found day dreaming about fantasy worlds and hiking. Other favorite pastimes involve reorganizing perpetually overflowing bookshelves and seeking out new coffee and dessert shops.</span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D8112c9fc49%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401044768000&usg=AFQjCNF-08Rvm0ctSrW3mRXr5ZxuREgsLg" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=8112c9fc49&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Website</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> | </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D1b0255d8bb%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401044768000&usg=AFQjCNE9ewnml6Br1WCJw7LVrTPoS41ZCg" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=1b0255d8bb&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> | </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3Df7171e0bbe%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401044768000&usg=AFQjCNEkRFSEzsPQHczYQh4uc9KymBt5Lw" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=f7171e0bbe&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> | </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D94a9f9d80e%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401044768000&usg=AFQjCNENUB1fjTYQeGs6dkDK_19OYxd1EA" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=94a9f9d80e&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> | </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D9e46afe380%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581401044768000&usg=AFQjCNGiFUgKE4mnnOUGgnwfsNveHHxnQA" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=9e46afe380&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><strong>Giveaway Details:</strong><br />One lucky winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.<br /></span><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21054/" target="_blank">Enter Giveaway</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-58473799623486676172020-02-07T07:30:00.000-05:002020-02-07T07:30:06.226-05:00Blitz: We the Wildflowers<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/" target="_blank"><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="218" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/zy0EVyxBdSrrHNJr0S3GP0rFWyoUGkk7oJR8H-db55cIPFH5SnXtoQ84OhjluIAP7Z-j7BNjPwhIKRL3fVzm80_YZttSA7Bqo-Ksdy95v-rCmPfzG9s8aM5KGlYs9AUaatHXlQyhWjziqTjaOfn_J85UbPLb_XgsiP4=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/ef9af536-5529-442c-9194-8288f0647343.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; height: 218px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 560px;" tabindex="0" width="560" /></a><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><br /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I am so excited that <strong>WE THE WILDFLOWERS </strong>by L.B. Simmons is releasing one week from today and that I get to share the news!<br /><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author L.B. Simmons, be sure to check out all the details below.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">This blitz also includes a giveaway for a finished copy of the book, courtesy of Spencer Hill Press and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>About The Book:</strong></span></div>
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<strong style="background-color: white;"><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="400" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/s-y3r0Cs89uum5na9B3gkEUJLfrQXNFI-BjSS_x1aPfGpz0v2ogR_iZa0RVUEnu3Q9hI9I1pUGOrj0ztIh82ArUDk8RVNWHuhc4YNukBf1H5yb0_p3TfkXb1wAcJifJ2wQ7zlC6Wo3kjnY--2-R9PJlI_tm-gkKqfp8BDqu5uy4=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/_compresseds/d22036a4-24c2-4fe8-a518-9e15f9642612.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 263px;" tabindex="0" width="263" /></strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Title:</strong> WE THE WILDFLOWERS</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Author: </strong>L.B. Simmons</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Pub. Date:</strong> February 11, 2020</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Publisher: </strong>Spencer Hill Press</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Formats:</strong> Paperback, eBook</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Pages:</strong> 391</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><strong>Find it:</strong> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D27691776aa%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNG8pjlTShmo1VJJgm8ScjBIQrTG1A" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=27691776aa&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3Da592413281%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNF5wiCz4Bpis9-whXfJYeFXsp_iXw" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=a592413281&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D827c55958c%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNGFw4pAwFrtB9N59iteVvijZhYilQ" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=827c55958c&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Kindle</a>,<wbr></wbr> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D1be564a3b2%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNFwYqg-_BFn45fJ0jBBNEgy9UhPeA" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=1be564a3b2&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">B&N</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D7baa30d7f5%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNHosXNrXNvBKwkKO_RwtO0tnx3I_g" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=7baa30d7f5&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">iBooks</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D507304e0c2%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNG8yKTUhrWPoRu81HURmuF6Ue266A" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=507304e0c2&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Kobo</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3Dec7f2a6d3f%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNEaRFEgiqJ0kTpUo5eXcqXQpDrhHQ" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=ec7f2a6d3f&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">TBD</a><br /><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">“Their strength and ferocity stem from below the surface where their roots are forever tangled, interwoven in such a way that for the remainder of time they bloom together …”<br /><br /><br />Genesis<br />Adam<br />Chloe<br />Lukas<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />No one loves them, no one cares about them, no one even sees them until they end up in Mary Rodriguez’s home, an outpost for Sacred Heart’s troubled youth program. It is within these walls that the four teens forge unlikely friendships. They experience the intensity of first loves, share secrets, and suffer losses, vowing to make the world a better place in spite of their personal battles with addiction, depression, loneliness, and abuse. But when the unthinkable happens, those friendships are tested in ways they never could have imagined.<br /><br /><br />Will they find strength enough to survive or will their bonds be too fractured to heal them yet again?<br /><br /><br />We, the Wildflowers is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.<br /><br /><br />"It’s difficult to imagine anything more damaging than knowing your parents want nothing to do with you, so when Chloe’s life is signed away to a program for troubled youth, she goes silently. It’s there that she learns to truly “see” others and there that she is finally seen, too, by the loving Mrs. Rodriquez, who runs the program, and by Adam, Genny, and Lukas, her fiercely loyal wildflowers, who form a friendship holding all the love and acceptance they all could ever need. But in the wake of sudden change, all the progress they’ve made is about to be upended. In this story of misfits, Simmons evokes the spectrum of emotions her readers have come to expect from her. Writing teens who have otherwise been discarded ultimately finding purpose, Simmons sculpts characters who are damaged but introspective, pained by their past but in pursuit of meaning in their future. Readers will revel in the slow-budding romance, sympathize with the insurmountable pain, and be lifted by endless pages of resilience. Hand to fans of character-driven stories of growth." — Mahjabeen Syed, <strong>Booklist</strong><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>The seasons play an important and meaningful role in We, the Wildflowers. </strong><br /><br /><br />The Wildflowers find commonality with each other and even name themselves after a resilient patch of wildflowers they visit at their pond. Because of this, they too are affected by seasons. Each season in the book represents not only the actual season at the time the story is happening, but also the emotional state of the Wildflowers themselves.<br /><br /><br />A lot of growth tends to happen for the Wildflowers in spring, in summer they find confidence and start to really bloom, fall brings uncertainty and a tinge of fear, while winter brings devastation they could never imagine. Then the cycle begins again.<br /><br /><br />I think we all face seasons as we live our lives, and the idea behind showcasing them in this book is to remind people that yes, you may face your winter or winters even, but strength can be found in the knowledge that spring isn’t far behind. It too will come.</span><div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Excerpt:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Excerpt from We, the Wildflowers Chapter 9 pages 76 - 81<br /><br /><br />Genny rises, flicks the light on, and signals with a jerk of her head. “This way.” Single file, we follow her through the long blades of grass. Interspersed are several patches of light purple and pink wildflowers. I try not to step on them as we walk.<br /><br /><br />Several minutes later, we finally arrive at our destination. On a muddy bank lining the pond, our small patch of wildflowers is in full bloom, the stark white petals differing from the many other colorful blossoms that have overtaken the field behind us. They bend and bow with an oncoming breeze, and I smile, picturing them waving at us as if cheerfully greeting old friends. Genny grins with similar recognition. Slowly, she crouches to the ground, lovingly curling her fingers around the blossom of the closest wildflower. “Lukas.”<br /><br /><br />He begins to take a step forward, but halts suddenly, his expression taut across his face. He stares at the ground in contemplation before turning to face me.<br /><br /><br />Taken completely by surprise, I can do nothing but gape as he curls his fingers under the hem of his hoodie and whips it over his head in one swift movement.<br /><br /><br />It’s quite possibly the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed. To make matters worse, I’m ogling the movement of his muscles beneath his white T-shirt as he wordlessly shoves the hoodie in my face. Even Adam is helpless facing this glorious display. He exhales sharply next to me, and I elbow him in the ribs. And then, the impossible happens. Because standing in front of me, Lukas holds my eyes for a brief moment, then—I kid you not—he shakes his head and…grins.<br /><br /><br />Teeth flash, and Lord help me, a dimple sinks deep into his left cheek. Adam and I sigh in unison, which only serves to broaden his smile.<br /><br /><br />And in this moment, I know I’m totally and utterly screwed.<br /><br /><br />My entire body crackles as I take hold of his offering, the body heat trapped in his hoodie instantly warming my hands. It smells like him. And I know with absolute certainty I was right.<br /><br /><br />A simple smile from Lukas White is most certainly enough to sustain a thousand broken souls. Mine included. He looks back to the ground. “You’re cold.”<br /><br /><br />“Thank you,” I respond, smiling meekly in appreciation.<br /><br /><br />He silently acknowledges my gratitude with a dip of his head before turning back to Genny. She’s looking at me, her grin unconcealed.<br /><br /><br />When Lukas slowly kneels beside her, I lift the hoodie to slide it over my head. Adam chuckles beside me, elbowing me in the ribs this time while I’m defenseless. I curse him from within the heavenly confines of the hoodie before poking my head through the neck hole and pushing my arms through the sleeves.<br /><br /><br />Ignoring us, Genny wisely continues with the introductions. “Lukas, these are our wildflowers. Our namesakes.” She gestures to the field behind us, brimming with colored blossoms. “You see, every one of these flowers will eventually succumb to the seasons’ brutality. Mark my words, all will be worn down by extreme heat and by the middle of summer, they’ll be gone. Every single one.”<br /><br /><br />Her hand stalls on the white flowers still dancing happily in the breeze beside her. “Except these badasses, because they’re stubborn. Resilient. They will last long after the others are gone. Like us, they continue to flourish in defiance of the demanding seasons. Their strength and ferocity stem from below the surface where their roots are forever tangled, interwoven in such a way that for the remainder of time they will bloom together, and when winter finally prevails, they perish as one. But even in death they remain connected, thriving within the comfort only they can provide each other, until spring brings them to life once again.” Genny angles her head and smiles lovingly at the wildflowers, then cups an open blossom between her hands.<br /><br /><br />After a silent moment shared between the two, she releases it and looks to Lukas. “Wildflowers, this is Lukas. He’s one of us.”<br /><br /><br />Without another word, she rises and steps away, allowing ample time for Lukas to familiarize himself with the flowers in question. My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I watch him reach forward and timidly brush the velvety petals with the tip of his finger. His hardened expression relaxes, and when the flower cheerfully waves back at him, the corner of his mouth lifts, softening it further.<br /><br /><br />God, he’s beautiful.<br /><br /><br />I take a quick sharp breath, to make sure I can still breathe.<br /><br /><br />He gives the flower another gentle stroke, then gingerly trails his finger down the stem. Once through, he remains crouched in a silent moment of kindred connection, then after another meaningful touch of the white petal, he rises. And I as watch the encounter, the oddest thing happens. Or maybe I just imagine it.<br /><br /><br />But I could swear that the flower stills, then with all its tiny might, lengthens its stem to follow him as he stands. She stretches herself to her limit, but sadly, she cannot follow. Eventually she concedes, drooping in defeat when he turns away before giving him a despondent wave goodbye. I offer her a sympathetic grin.<br /><br /><br />I know how you feel, my friend.<br /><br /><br />As soon as Lukas has risen to his full height, Genny pins each of us with a lengthy stare. “We, the four of us, are bound together by our own horrific pasts. But within this group, we find solace in each other because only we can truly comprehend the devastation endured. And the devastation we will endure. Because the truth is, winter is inevitable. But I find comfort in the fact that we have each other to hold on to until spring finds us once again.” She glances at the patch of white flowers then back to Lukas. “So yeah. The very definition of being a Wildflower is just that. We’re bound so closely that your pain is our<br />pain. Your story is no longer just yours to bear—it’s ours. And when winter strikes any of us, we perish together knowing we will rise together as well. We are four, but we are one. And together, there’s nothing we can’t overcome.” Genny’s face splits into a wide, shit-eating grin as she concludes, “Plus, I’m Genesis. I’m the creator. So, you really don’t have a say. You just are.”<br /><br /><br />I roll my eyes and shake my head.<br /><br /><br />Adam barks a laugh.<br /><br /><br />Lukas remains silent, but his gaze drops to the wildflowers before it lifts to meet our eyes. And when he finds mine, I know her message has been received loud and clear. Vulnerable Lukas looks back at me.<br /><br /><br />And although we’ve always known he would, he now has finally accepted his fate.<br /><br /><br />As the Fourth and final Wildflower.</span><div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Top Ten Songs and Playlist Link, While Writing We, the Wildflowers:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://open.spotify.com/user/1258682205/playlist/0gitXuh7F0JqpeDppYjMlx?si%3DeH8FEql4QXy-K7YEnxGPQg&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNFl_xxYzBqkEqX9rGAXwBJJFwm3eg" href="https://open.spotify.com/user/1258682205/playlist/0gitXuh7F0JqpeDppYjMlx?si=eH8FEql4QXy-K7YEnxGPQg" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">https://open.spotify.com/user/<wbr></wbr>1258682205/playlist/<wbr></wbr>0gitXuh7F0JqpeDppYjMlx?si=<wbr></wbr>eH8FEql4QXy-K7YEnxGPQg</a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">1) “Heathens” – Twenty One Pilots</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">2) “Sweater Weather” – The Neighborhood </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">3) “Echo” – Jason Walker </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">4) Go – Meg Myers</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">5) “Under the Tide” – CHVRCHES</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">6) “I Don’t Wanna Be In Love” – Dark Waves </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">7) “Illusory Light” – Sarah Blasko </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">8) “Tongue Tied” – Grouplove </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">9) “Hymnal” – In the Valley Below </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">10) “Bravest Everything” – Yuna </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Bonus Track:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">“Best Part of Me” – St. Leonards</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="400" src="https://ci3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/wfvnwCiEXWPTr95mT2ZL2xNQ43QSzP9TMg7oVrQIA0f6tLF-r1r-5EU_1TmxYgGM0Tq2TNWxLmtaW_-aBB3wJOvFUHfk_nK4CMbSyAFnOgTn8heUPrJihJzhvIS2w31WPgTs43hp0b8uSsrYMyx8ZU_9nUWg-u4tv6Lw=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/cbbccecf-badb-41fd-83e2-0c7daa37ad02.jpeg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 320px;" tabindex="0" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><strong><span style="color: black;">About L.B.:</span></strong></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3Da4a6322a34%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035751842000&usg=AFQjCNEacl00YfcBcwr-Oy54rD2UorMrog" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=a4a6322a34&e=53a669025e" style="clear: right; color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="CToWUd" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U0k1YzLDck4/Xjm_Vk5LelI/AAAAAAAAeJg/38wVh9idxb08r46l0mlIplwYAkJtKq3xACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/LB.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; line-height: 14px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;" width="301" /></a><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">After graduating from Texas A&M University, L.B. Simmons did what any biomedical science major could do. She entered the workforce as a full-time chemist. Years later, never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined herself a USA Today Bestselling contemporary romance author as well.<br /><br />What began as a memoir for her children, ended up being her first self-published book, Running on Empty. Initially it was written to chronicle their actions, their phrases, and their silly arguments so that when they were older, they would always have those memories. The memoir soon began to take on a life of its own, morphing into the story of a single mother with three little girls finding love when she least expected it. Soon after, her girls were given reoccurring roles in the remainder of what became the Mending Hearts series.<br /><br />That's how her journey as an author began, and she hopes to God it never ends.<br /><br />L.B. Simmons doesn’t just write books. With each new work, she attempts to compose journeys of love and self-discovery so she may impart life lessons to readers. Several novels later, she’s tackled suicide, depression, bullying, eating disorders, as well as physical and sexual abuse, all the while weaving elements of humor into the storylines in effort to balance the difficult topics. Often described as roller coaster rides, her novels are known for eliciting a wide range of emotions in each story she tells.</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Giveaway Details:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">1 winner will receive a finished copy of WE THE WILDFLOWERS, US only.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Giveaway ends February 14th at midnight EST.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21052/?" target="_blank">Enter Giveaway</a><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-8207380054138046562020-02-06T07:30:00.000-05:002020-02-06T07:30:03.865-05:00Blog Tour: The Road to Delano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="615" height="248" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wx18GCP6lW4/XjtOMI1HtlI/AAAAAAAAMSQ/j-ewJCG1I50U5u3xYPWnf1xOsLirhfL9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/THE%2BROAD%2BTO%2BDELANO.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KS-6lhxWVzg/XjtPd1JpWUI/AAAAAAAAMSk/sOx17jNQ6bIPsDrH4QhL_E-B7DOzxnoPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1644280310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="251" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KS-6lhxWVzg/XjtPd1JpWUI/AAAAAAAAMSk/sOx17jNQ6bIPsDrH4QhL_E-B7DOzxnoPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1644280310.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Title:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> ROAD TO DELANO</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Author: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">John DeSimone</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Pub. Date:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> March 10, 2020</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Publisher: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Rare Bird Books</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Formats:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Pages:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> 320</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Find it:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48464184-road-to-delano" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/2UiT2tN" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Amazon</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/31hA48c" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Audible</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/road-to-delano-john-desimone/1130120610?ean=9781644280317" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">B&N</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-road-to-delano/id1496748623?mt=11&app=itunes" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">iBooks</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span><a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=5LPtjgetns4&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Fthe-road-to-delano-1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Kobo</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">, </span><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Road-Delano-JOHN-DeSIMONE-Marc-Grossman/9781644280317/?a_aid=twochicksonbooks" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">TBD</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Jack Duncan is a high school senior whose dream is to play baseball in college and beyond―as </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">far away from Delano as possible. He longs to escape the political turmoil surrounding the labor </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">struggles of the striking fieldworkers that infests his small ag town. Ever since his father, a grape </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">grower, died under suspicious circumstances ten years earlier, he’s had to be the sole emotional </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">support of his mother, who has kept secrets from him about his father’s involvement in the ongoing </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">labor strife.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">With their property on the verge of a tax sale, Jack drives an old combine into town to sell it so he </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and his mother don’t become homeless. On the road, an old friend of his father’s shows up and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">hands him the police report indicating Jack’s father was murdered. Jack is compelled to dig deep </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to discover the entire truth, which throws him into the heart of the corruption endemic in the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Central Valley. Everything he has dreamed of is at stake if he can’t control his impulse for revenge.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">While Jack’s girlfriend, the intelligent and articulate Ella, warns him not to so anything to jeopardize </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">their plans of moving to L.A., after graduation, Jack turns to his best friend, Adrian, a star player </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">on the team, to help to save his mother’s land. When Jack’s efforts to rescue a stolen piece of farm </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">equipment leaves Adrian―the son of a boycotting fieldworker who works closely with Cesar Chavez</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">―in a catastrophic situation, Jack must bail his friend out of his dilemma before it ruins his future </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">prospects. Jack uses his wits, his acumen at card playing, and his boldness to raise the money to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">spring his friend, who has been transformed by his jail experience.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Road to Delano is the path Jack, Ella, and Adrian must take to find their strength, their duty, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">their destiny.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.johndesimone.com/historical-novel-set-during-cesar-chavez-grape-strike-the-road-to-delano/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Backstory to Road To Delano from John DeSimone’s Website</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">My historical novel set in Delano during the grape strike led by Cesar Chavez is about personal heroism over </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">political convenience, moral choices that run against the grain of community standards, and unique </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">opportunities the characters encounter to forge their own path in the midst of politically tumultuous times.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">What led up to the Road to Delano</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Cesar Chavez was hardly the first to dream of creating a labor union to improve the lives of impoverished </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">migrant farmworkers. He knew the history of the unionizing efforts in California agriculture was dismal. It </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">couldn’t be done if he judged the possibilities by the past alone. Many had tried, and every one of them </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">had failed to change the system of abusive farm labor practices. The growers had proven they had the power </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to rise up and crush nascent reform movements. The law of the land was against him. So when Cesar quit </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">the Community Service Organization (CSO) in 1962 to begin organizing a farmworkers union, he traveled a </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">well-beaten path. The Central Valley had witnessed a long line of organizers seeking to change the economic </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">relationship between labor and growers with little to show for their efforts. A cycle of misery and revolt had </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">occurred in the Central Valley, the heartland of our nations’ industrial agribusiness, for nearly a hundred years.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Beginning in the late nineteenth century, the lords of the Central Pacific Railroad, who built the western half </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of the transcontinental railway, were giddy at the possibilities for the flat and fertile land. The Valley lays </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">pinched between the Sierra Nevada to the east and the Coastal Ranges to the west and runs nearly the entire </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">spine of the sunshine state. As the largest section of Class 1 soil in the world, with abundant water from ice </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">melt, and more than 300 days of sunshine a year, it could become a farmers’ paradise. It only needed men </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to work the land. Up and down the Eastern seaboard the railroad promoted that cheap virgin farmland was </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">for anyone with the skill and fortitude to tame it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Farmers came, they plowed, and they planted.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Unlike Midwestern and Eastern farmers, they didn’t work small tracts. Instead, they laid out whole sections, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">using every mechanized advantage for the greatest efficiency. Come harvest time, they needed hordes of </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">stoop labor to reap the bounty of their efforts. First, the growers recruited the Chinese workers who had </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">built the great railroad to work the fields. Reactionary Californians who feared the Chinese would settle </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">down and become landowners passed anti-Chinese laws that ostracized them from the community. So they </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">left the fields. The Japanese, the Okies, and the Filipinos followed in waves. Mexican migrant field-workers, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">both legal and illegal, were long a part of the mix of nationalities engaged in labor on the industrialized farms.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Growers and industrialists wanted no limit on immigrant labor to keep wages down and to keep the workforce </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">available for its vast needs for stoop labor. Growers provided temporary labor camps to house migrants. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Growers didn’t want the workforce to settle down, to become comfortable, and to assimilate into the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">community. After the harvest, they forced them to move on. This created a migrants’ circuit stretching from </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Imperial County hard by the Mexican border to the citrus and nut orchards of the Sacramento Valley in the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">far north of the state. With a surplus of bodies constantly on the move, wages were kept low and working </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">conditions intolerable. This created a malleable and subservient labor pool to operate the great agricultural </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">machine.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Discontent rose steadily during the 1920s and 30s, with workers flocking to picket lines in a determined effort </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to extract better wages and working conditions from tightfisted growers. Communist organizers infiltrated </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">many of the groups. Communists and progressives had the language and organizing skills of revolution, so </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">they led the way. But the workers never embraced their ideology of class warfare and collective land ownership.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">They just wanted better living conditions and better wages. Some had once been landowners but had been </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">chased off their land by drought and debt. No one wanted to give up their rights to own property, but neither </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">did they see themselves as slaves to the land. Many of the Japanese workers brought over to replace the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Chinese had their minds set on saving to buy their way out of stoop labor. Some of them, before the Second </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">World War, became prominent landowners.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The American worker, no matter how poor, no matter how deeply disenfranchised, no matter how wretchedly </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">they were treated, had no wish to forgo their ambitions of becoming respectable citizens. Even as part of a </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">group, they were individuals. The myth of the rugged individual who claws their way up to achieve the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">American Dream through hard work and grit had sifted down to the lowest of low. This dream, though only </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">a low-simmering aspiration, traveled with them as they stooped among the cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">onions, and grapes. A better life had simple ingredients: a house, a car that wouldn’t break down on the way </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to work, a healthy life for their children, nutritious food, and schools that didn’t discriminate. Then if the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">winds of good fortune blew their way, maybe they would even enter the ranks of the owners. If it wasn’t </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">plausible for the many, it was possible for some lucky few. It was after all American soil they cultivated.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">By the mid-1930s, successful strikes were on the verge of crippling many farm operations and strangling </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">harvests. But before the growers caved into the workers’ demands, a new organization arose called the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Associated Farmers, whose statement of purpose was almost solely focused on stopping all efforts at </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">collective bargaining agreements. They allied themselves with law enforcement, who deputized local citizens, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">providing them with ax handles as tools of persuasion. They were to use them to force stubborn workers </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to defend themselves in a violent reaction. This physical confrontation was a battle fieldworkers couldn’t </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">win. The wealthy growers in alliance with the armed state and aggressive vigilantes were efficient at putting </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">down all dissension in the fields. It didn’t matter how peaceful a strike action began; it always ended with </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">deputized citizens bearing cudgels and wreaking havoc. A melee always followed, a deliberate tactic in a </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">strategy designed to discredit legitimate efforts to organize peacefully for a redress of issues. Growers had </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">no intention of agreeing to any collective bargaining agreement, out of both principal and practice.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">During the banner years of organizing efforts, 1933 to 1937, all the strikes were broken, leaders arrested, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and known communist organizers were imprisoned. By the late ’30s, exhausted from fighting, workers lost </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">their enthusiasm for organizing and unionizing efforts waned in the lead-up to the war.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Meanwhile, in the east, during 1933 and ’34, a debate raged in the U.S. Congress over Senator Wagner’s </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">proposed bill to stop the labor conflicts sweeping the nation. After vigorous debate, his bill, The Wagner Act, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">also known as the National Labor Relations Act, finally passed in 1935. The Wagner Act, a watershed moment </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">for organized labor, codified the right of workers to join a union and affirmed that unions had the right to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">collective bargaining through secret ballots. It ended the most intractable struggle between industry and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">labor by granting unions standing to pursue collective bargaining. Except for farmworkers. The bill covered </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">every category of worker, except it expressly excluded agricultural and domestic workers.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">How much suffering, fighting, and poverty could have been alleviated in the lives of the lowest of the low </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">wage earners if they had been granted the right to choose their affiliations. A moment of duplicity in leaders’ </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">legislative duty to apply democratic principles equally and fairly; instead, they forced onto farm labor </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">nationwide the culture of plantation racism current in Southern society, that not every worker needed to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">be or should be treated equally.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Duplicity runs deep under the well-phrased freedom-loving vocabulary of our civic discourse. Our nation’s </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">history is full of talk of freedom and equality, but when the moment came to decide who should share in </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">these new rights, the elites often engaged in a lurid game of keep-away played with the deepest ambitions </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of our nations most vulnerable.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Why were some workers granted a voice in their workplace, which since the law’s enactment had lifted </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">millions into the middle class, while excluding the most vulnerable of workers?</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Jesse F. Perea, Professor of Law at the University of Florida, concluded in his study, “The Echoes of Slavery,” </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">that Senator Wagner agreed to exclude farmworkers in deference to the Southern Democrats. Southern </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Democrats, in turn, agreed to support New Deal legislation as long as nothing disrupted Jim Crow. The notion </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of southern landowners negotiating with black men, who had once been their property, over wages, and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">working conditions, was far too unpalatable for their gentility to stomach. The exclusion maintained the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">political structure of segregation for another generation to grapple with.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The law effectively disenfranchised farmworkers nationwide, just as American agriculture acquired all the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">techniques and technology of mass production. They received no access to workers’ compensation, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">unemployment insurance, no health care benefits, or any form of relief, state or federal when their occupation </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">impoverished them. They were forced into the lowest economic echelons of an increasingly prosperous </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">nation. Those who cultivated the land and picked the food that Americans ate, migrated in hunger and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">destitution from one harvest to the next, a low-cost workforce to do the bidding of landowners. Farmworkers, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">by their legal designation, became a sub-class of the national workforce. Labor laws, forged by a history </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of conflict that created humane working conditions for millions, didn’t apply to them. They existed in a </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">segregated limbo, on the fringes of the American promise. All of this was done to appease the segregationist </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">sensibilities of a dying Southern plantation sensibility.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Unless they escaped into better jobs in different industries, there was little to dream about for these American </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">workers.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Once America entered the war, efforts to organize for better wages were swallowed up in patriotism and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">pragmatism. Able-bodied men shipped off to war, leaving a shortage of farm labor. To meet the need for </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">unlimited low-cost labor for growers, the federal government authorized the bracero program in cooperation </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">with the Mexican government.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The importation to California fields of landless Campesinos recruited by the Mexican government met the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">growers’ need for a flexible, low cost, and manageable labor force. The vigilante strong-arm tactics of the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Associated Farmers became obsolete.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A government bureaucracy developed to house, feed, pay, and control the braceros, and these farm labor </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">administrators would brook no dissent. When a bracero misbehaved or complained about his job, he was </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">packed on a bus and returned to Mexico. There was no negotiation of wages, for they were fixed by contract </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">with the Mexican government. Braceros lived in shabby labor camps with a company store. Costs for housing, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">food, and incidentals charged to the store were deducted from their pay. Despite their meager earnings, it </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">was more than the nothing they would earn if they returned to their impoverished villages south of the border. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So they were quiet, dutiful, and hardworking, a lumpen workforce that fed the giant agricultural machine </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">needed to feed a hungry nation.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">After the war ended, California growers lobbied the Truman administration to continue the bracero program </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">indefinitely. Truman signed Public Law 78, extending the program with the condition that citizens were </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">granted priority in hiring. If jobs went unfilled, then braceros could be hired, a fair law the growers had no </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">intention of keeping.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The largest of the bracero camps stood in Oxnard, California. The Buena Vista camp housed 5,000 men in </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">a warren of shacks, flimsy dorms, kitchens, and eating halls bordering the American sugar Beet Factory, to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">whom they were indentured. It housed an exploitable workforce that harvested beets along the foggy </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">coastal land of the Oxnard plains that fed the sugar beet factory that produced the white sugar used to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">sweeten our food. By four a.m., braceros loaded into buses and trucks and dispatched to the local fields </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">for the backbreaking work of cultivating and cutting sugar beets. When the locals showed up at the Farm </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Employment offices seeking employment, the jobs had been filled. They were powerless to do anything to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">regain their stolen jobs, so they lived on the margins of a prosperous city, surviving on the scraps of work </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">they could find while biding their anger.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Cesar Chavez in Oxnard</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Into this cauldron of discontent, Cesar Chavez drove his beat-up station wagon on a hot August day in 1958. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He had a one-year contract to organize the farmworkers in Oxnard for the CSO. Chavez had organized in </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">communities up and down the San Joaquin Valley for the past five years. He was seasoned in holding house </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">meetings, handling disputes, and solving problems. The CSO focused on voter registration, holding citizenship </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and language classes, resolving pressing community issues, and helping with health care and education. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">They were not a labor group. Cesar hadn’t come to town to help the unemployed. That aside, his heart was </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">always with the downtrodden. The year in Oxnard opened Chavez’s eyes to what could be accomplished for </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">a group he’d spent nearly his whole life around.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Cesar had a diminutive bearing—short, lean, and soft-spoken. At first meeting him, one could easily misjudge </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">his grit, his tenacious spirit, and few in those early days understood the full measure of his fire. There was the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">anger of deprivation in that blue flame, but not the pure anger of youth. Time and knowledge had smoothed </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">out his thinking. His motivation now existed in an alchemy of understanding that human dignity was a fragile </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">state of mind tied mysteriously to economic freedom. A man could be free to go about his way, move where </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">he will, and that was one freedom. But a man also needed a say in what he was paid, and how he was treated </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">on the job. If he didn’t have a voice, he was no better than a slave, a modern indentured servant, perpetually </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in debt to the master.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Then there was this idea of the American Dream that sifted about in the air, the notion that a man could rise </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">above his circumstances through the application of hard work because of access to opportunities. If that </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">dream existed, it appeared to him parceled out directly along the fault lines of race. There was nothing </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">haphazard about it. Some got the full benefit of the equality promised to them all; others with brown skin </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">or Filipino names were subservient to the equality of others.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Life had taught him this truth. Since his father lost his Arizona ranch to the dual devils of the Depression, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">drought, and debt, he had stooped beside his parents in whatever field they could find to work. He hoed, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">cut, cultivated, weeded, trimmed, picked, shoveled, and hauled under the California sun, spring, summer, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and fall, and in the winter rains he lived in the shacks that were so cold it went through everything he owned </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">down to his marrow. That’s when the pain of his real poverty sunk in, when there was no remedy for the cold, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">the hunger in his belly, and the ramshackle surroundings he now called home. Something must warm a man </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">beside the heat of a woman’s body. It wasn’t dignified to live in such want. That he knew.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He had reason to be angry, but he bided his time. He also had this secret, this wish, this crazy idea that foamed </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">up inside him from time to time, that one day he would do something about the ache of wet and cold to the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">bone. Why shouldn’t he be treated like a man and not a farm implement? Those in charge received the full </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">benefit of the truth that all men are created equal. Was that just a mythical notion like the gold of Ophir that </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">existed somewhere, but no one could point to the exact location on a map. A true mystery. If you could only </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">find that place, one would be prosperous and happy.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Or was that notion the anchor bolt of the American Dream?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Add to his thinking a deep sense of moral imperatives inculcated since his childhood days by his Roman </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Catholic mother and father. His clear understanding of right and wrong began with the way people treated </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">each other. He observed firsthand his parents treating the lowest with dignity and respect. His mother played </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">a crucial role in shaping Cesar’s world. Her dichos, or moral sayings based on Catholic wisdom and tradition, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">influenced him profoundly.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He had dropped out of school after eighth grade because he didn’t want to see her labor so hard in the fields. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So he didn’t begin seriously reading until introduced to important books by Father Donald McDonnell in the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">early ’50s. Father McDonnell introduced him to Gandhi and Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, an encyclical on </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">capital and labor. After reading the encyclical, he now had a framework for understanding the role of employer </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and employee from a Judeo-Christian perspective. He came to believe that class warfare was unnecessary </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and unchristian. The Christian view was to have harmonious relationships between the classes. It was apparent </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">classes existed, and he had no problem identifying with the laboring class. But he rejected the socialists’ </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">idea of state ownership of land. He learned from Pope Leo that it was a deep impulse in man to want to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">better himself, and that made wages, especially when they were at their lowest, the most sacred. And that </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">if a man aspired to buy land through diligent work and careful saving, then the land became his wages. So </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">landowners were entitled to their wages too, and labor was due respect and just treatment.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">To the communists, the inequality between labor and grower meant a class struggle through collective </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">bargaining that would ultimately reshape the economic and political order. To Cesar, the battle was for </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">respect as a human being in the workplace. That respect had tangible manifestations. Labor had rights </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">that were as sacred as growers’ property rights. Mutual respect meant a fair wage, humane working </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">conditions, and the right of workers to speak as one voice.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He had read all this and considered it. Yet he didn’t have a full vision of how to bring human respect and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">wage justice to the people he served—until the year he arrived in Oxnard.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Cesar had a practical mind. He believed in patience. To begin, he wanted them to take tiny steps forward. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He had to have an issue that would engage the people, raise their blood to just below a boil, so they would </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">be willing to work to see change through. People wanted to be led, but they didn’t want to be tricked. They </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">had to have a good reason to put forth the energy, and they needed hope their efforts would result in a </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">positive improvement in their lives. He had no illusions that something great would happen. But he had </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">committed to the work, to see what could be done. So he organized his house meetings and used his </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">unusual gift. One that proved remarkably useful to him in those days—his ability to hear peoples’ needs. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">In planning his meetings, he thought the hot issue to begin organizing around would be the railroad crossing. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He thought the mothers and fathers would be outraged about the lack of lights and whistles. The farmworkers’ </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">kids had to cross the busy Southern Pacific tracks to walk to school, and he remembered that several of his </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">classmates had been killed by trains.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The people surprised him. In house meeting after house meeting, men raised their angry voices about their </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">stolen jobs. The growers were playing a shell game, pulling a fraud, saying there were no jobs for them when </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">they could see the braceros in the fields, working away. Those jobs were stolen by the braceros because they</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">were paid below the going rate. The beet farmers preferred cheap labor unless someone stood up to them. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Cesar surveyed their eyes. These men had the beaten-down look of those with an expiring hope.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Finally, one night, after listening to them complain about no work, he stood and confronted them. If you </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">want jobs, he said, you will have to fight for them.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Yes, they nodded their heads. They spoke cautiously in murmurs.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Who will go with me tomorrow morning to the Employment Office to demand jobs?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">No one raised their hands. They had anger, even a flickering rage, but he could see plainly they were not </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">yet organized. They did not yet understand how to take action for change. That would come in time. They </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">possessed the seed of dissatisfaction; their situation reeked of injustice, and given time, they would learn </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to speak up.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Over the next year, beginning with one farmworker, he marched nearly every day into the backroom of the </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">State Employment Office where the Farm Labor Office was located to register for work. Eventually hundreds </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of the unemployed followed his leadership. They were organized for change. And after one year the local </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">farmworkers began to find work here and there, but were rapidly fired under trumped-up excuses—they </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">didn’t work fast enough, didn’t know how to cut or cultivate, couldn’t drive a tractor, excuse after excuse. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Growers grasped after their prerogatives with greedy malice, and would not let go.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Finally, because of his organizing efforts, the state of California officials overseeing the braceros was fired </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">for taking bribes from growers. The officials running the Farm Office for the state were fired for breaking </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">employment laws.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">By the end of his year, the locals were finding plenty of work. It had been a hard slog, tedious, aggravating, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">nerve-wracking, frustrating, but Cesar had persevered. He had organized for change. If he could do this, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">there were so many possibilities.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Shortly before he left Oxnard, he stood on the edge of a beet field in the chilly morning; the ocean dampness </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">lay in a thin mist over the fields as he watched the rounded backs of laborers inch their way along the rows of </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">plants, chopping at the moist earth. Pope Leo’s words might have made that moment a personal epiphany, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">that “their scantiness be accounted sacred.” The less they earned, the more sacred their wages. These men </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">contorting their bodies until the pain drove down, a nail through the flesh, were happy to work. When they </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">rose from the fields, tired and aching, they were satisfied as men. They could feed their families. If his job </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ever was to organize for better wages and working conditions, he could do it. He could form a union. He </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">could do it right here, right now.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">But he wasn’t ready, so he bided his time.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">These lonely men breaking their backs to make sugar were the only workers in America denied their right </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to vote if they wanted to speak as one to the growers. It would be a fight, a battle, a war. But he could do </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">it. Those men out there were living proof.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">He also knew that once he left this city, what he had accomplished would dissolve into nothing. The sense </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of injustice sifted into every fiber of his being.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Soon he left Oxnard. His family piled into his station wagon and drove to L.A. to take up his position of Director </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">for the CSO. He never forgot these men and their struggle. The thoughts of what he could do for farmworkers </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">would never be far from him. His idea of a union that would fight for the dignity of a man’s wages continued </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to grow in his mind.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">And while that idea germinated in Cesar’s mind until it became a driving ambition, there arose discontent </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in other quarters of the valley. Not all growers saw labor issues the same way. There were enlightened </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">farmers sprinkled here and there. So in 1958, farther up the valley from Oxnard, around Delano, another </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">event took place that shaped the history of the land. It happened to a grower. His name was Sugar Duncan.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The Road to Delano</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">His story begins in the 1930s when he first arrived in the Central Valley to farm the fertile valley land. He had </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">little money and owned no land. But Sugar was a gambler, and it was the Depression, land was cheap, and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">opportunities were everywhere for someone who knew his way around.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So our story, The Road to Delano, opens with another young man with great ambitions who rides a Pullman </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">from the east into this restless land of promise.</span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-7ba4c5a4-7fff-76f7-7daa-e9f7eed5a1eb"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gDsU-DUjSI/XjtOj0ocYqI/AAAAAAAAMSY/ojdf_CTU6gYiiVvHifAF0OEfQms4RT7YACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/John-DeSimone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gDsU-DUjSI/XjtOj0ocYqI/AAAAAAAAMSY/ojdf_CTU6gYiiVvHifAF0OEfQms4RT7YACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/John-DeSimone.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">About John.:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">John DeSimone is a professional memoir ghostwriter, editor, and novelist. He began working as a </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">freelance editor for A-1 Editorial where he performed developmental and copy editing for both </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">novelists and non-fiction writers. He guided authors through the developmental process of refining </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">their voice and subject matter for publication. During that time he edited over a hundred books, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">both fiction and nonfiction.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">For seven years, he worked with Christian Manuscript Critique Service, where he worked with </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Christian writers in both a developmental and copy editing capacity. He shepherded many authors </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">into publication through detailed analysis and editing of their manuscripts.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.johndesimone.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Website</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> | </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/236458.John_DeSimone" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Giveaway Details:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">3 winners will receive a eBook of ROAD TO DELANO, International.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21050/?" target="_blank">Enter Giveaway</a></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Tour Schedule:</span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Week One:</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/3/2020</span></div>
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<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #222222;">BookHounds YA</a></span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Excerpt</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/4/2020</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-58517377102931877302020-02-05T19:47:00.000-05:002020-02-05T19:47:21.702-05:00Blitz: Slow Dancing on Main Street<h2 style="color: rgb(64, 64, 64) !important; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 20px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/" target="_blank"><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="218" src="https://ci5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/OAu97nk9usvGYG6USDNpOMh6mTV1i_F_PL3Rpyl3ECJY9Zt_4liOSIPWoclneoc8cmylVWjJUPOG-MMP9RDr6FFU-rUzmHakpP8KOIX8orNU7EU2VRsY799-zTrFcNzMdBplmE2tnNlJEfFMT0La6Uj0u5b7K5Q3j0U=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/7c53dcbe-3a06-469e-b503-a9873bb60bad.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #505050; font-size: 14px; height: 218px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 560px;" tabindex="0" width="560" /></a></span></h2>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> </span></span><br />
<div style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">I am so excited that <strong>SLOW DANCING ON MAIN STREET </strong>by Courtney Giardina is available now and that I get to share the news!</span><br /><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Courtney Giardina, be sure to check out all the details below.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $25 Starbucks Gift Card and signed finished copies of SLOW DANCING ON MAIN STREET AND BEHIND THE STRINGS, courtesy of Courtney and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>About The Book:</strong></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><img class="CToWUd a6T" height="400" src="https://ci6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/ZF-CIOQtKw-DYU4AEA6wwLwThaHa28-mQy0469vT0qRvgHSRl09-Zp-TStLQNgbNtHplGVrYhc16hYCGrkp7d0uWJUGuHnMZ9PW0ocQTdOzuGbc0akkhprSyG-F2TzpmvFcVAb3RoVSy1oqQJl2IjNx4m1t-_FDPico=s0-d-e1-ft#https://gallery.mailchimp.com/049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a/images/a477d2e8-8a38-42c4-98f0-79538175d1ea.jpg" style="border: 0px; color: #505050; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; height: 400px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 250px;" tabindex="0" width="250" /><span style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><strong>Title:</strong> SLOW DANCING ON MAIN STREET (Behind the Strings Book 2)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><strong>Author: </strong>Courtney Giardina</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><strong>Pub. Date:</strong> February 4, 2020</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><strong>Publisher: </strong>Courtney Giardina</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><strong>Formats:</strong> Paperback, eBook</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><strong>Pages:</strong> 135</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><strong>Find it:</strong> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3Dc91dfc0bb4%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035752516000&usg=AFQjCNGBZnq6cmk0lqjk-lvKs-9mrh_Lew" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=c91dfc0bb4&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D8361f6c545%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035752516000&usg=AFQjCNFzvp6BR2cYtF73UpyOIcKBzrprpg" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=8361f6c545&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D20fb13f058%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035752516000&usg=AFQjCNFkHuwDs7f_wDkJWIPobPaKUqSw2A" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=20fb13f058&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Kindle</a><br /><br /> </span></div>
<div style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">
<span style="background-color: white;">When Celia Westbrooke was forced to face her past in the heart of Music City, she didn’t expect to find Jesse Rockford tangled up in the middle of it. Jesse’s blue eyes swept her into a whirlwind romance that not only cost her the trust of her best friend, but led her to the last place she thought she’d end up – alone. With Christmas around the corner, it’s the perfect excuse for Celia to escape the bright lights of Nashville for her hometown of Hamden. Deep in the Tennessee mountains Celia can’t help but wish Jesse was there with her, but she knows there is someone else she must fix things with first if she’ll ever have a chance at getting Jesse back. Logan Kent returns home to Hamden for the first Christmas in years where he’ll soon learn that even when you run, you can’t always hide. Celia is determined to show Logan that there is still hope for their friendship even in the midst of a broken heart. She brings Logan for a walk down memory lane, hoping to rekindle what has been lost, but too much damage may already have been done.How will it end for Celia and Logan? Will Celia find her way back into Jesse’s heart? Or will one final secret mean the end of it all?<br /><br /> </span></div>
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<strong>Teasers:</strong></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><strong><span style="color: black;">About Courtney:</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D74bd9a6dfa%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035752516000&usg=AFQjCNH3l0x473o4-ea1NkdHpU10EY5j7A" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=74bd9a6dfa&e=53a669025e" style="clear: right; color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank"><img border="0" class="CToWUd" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TDgn_pFxAIA/XjiJXCMCmuI/AAAAAAAAeIg/BnCV9n90bMsR1AM76UptfFth7F_cRbPaACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/Courtney.jpg" style="border: 0px; height: auto; line-height: 14px; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;" width="320" /></a><br /><span style="color: black;">Throughout the years Courtney has wanted to be many things. Her aspirations have ranged from Olympics gymnast and actress to a pirate. Yes, a pirate. Growing up she vacationed in the Thousand Islands where every year the town of Alexandria Bay holds a Pirate's Weekend. That is where her love of pirates began. Unfortunately, Courtney's dream of becoming of being a pirate never came to fruition, but as a writer she still gets to play make believe.<br /><br />Courtney published her first novel in 2013. Tear Stained Beaches defined the staple of what her self-publishing mantra would become, strong, independent women finding their place in the world. She delivers that message in her following two novels, Holding on to Georgia and Behind the Strings.<br /><br />She has been asked to speak at local book clubs, on podcasts and empowering websites. Besides working on her 4th novel to release in 2020, Courtney spends time developing content that lays the ground work to inspire others to dream big and believe in themselves because life is too short to wonder, “what if.”</span><br /><br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a%26id%3D56d0cdb2bf%26e%3D53a669025e&source=gmail&ust=1581035752516000&usg=AFQjCNHN34z77zx-6986Shp0fYk2KyVH5Q" href="https://rockstarbooktours.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=049be03bdc2f1fdfebae6924a&id=56d0cdb2bf&e=53a669025e" style="color: #7f7576; overflow-wrap: break-word !important;" target="_blank">Sign up for Courtney's newsletter!</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"><strong>Giveaway Details:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">1 winner will receive a $25 Starbucks Gift Card and signed finished copies of SLOW DANCING ON MAIN STREET AND BEHIND THE STRINGS, US only.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black;">Giveaway ends February 14th at midnight EST.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br style="color: #505050; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;" /><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21051/?" target="_blank">Enter Giveaway</a></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-15364076385384583112020-02-03T07:30:00.000-05:002020-02-03T07:30:01.420-05:00Blog Tour: No More Naps!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="615" height="248" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eIvPJO-AkzM/XjcZ12KYjVI/AAAAAAAAeF4/ZHTJM5MuLDwkOEG1jUDnHpX5cTB_nKkhQCNcBGAsYHQ/s640/NO%2BMORE%2BNAPS.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the NO MORE NAPS by Chris Grabenstein & Leo Espinosa (Illustrator) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Blog Tour hosted by <a href="http://www.rockstarbooktours.com/">Rockstar Book Tours</a>. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VR2p_ON2DB4/XjcaL3Q6IuI/AAAAAAAAeGA/AWdMKg9HWW48zgFks6TQcNoA5wPQL6p5ACNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/No%2BMore%2BNaps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VR2p_ON2DB4/XjcaL3Q6IuI/AAAAAAAAeGA/AWdMKg9HWW48zgFks6TQcNoA5wPQL6p5ACNcBGAsYHQ/s320/No%2BMore%2BNaps.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>About The </b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><b>Book</b>:</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Title:</b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> NO </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">MORE NAPS </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>Author: </b>Chris </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Grabenstein & Leo Espinosa (Illustrator)</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Pub. </b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"><b>Date</b>: </span>February 4, 2020</div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Publisher: </b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Random </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">House Books for Young Readers</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Formats:</b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;"> Hardcover, </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">eBook</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">Pages: </b><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre;">40</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>Find it:</b> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46183803-no-more-naps">Goodreads</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2SoZv3Z">Amazon</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/2GN14mL">Kindle</a>, <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-more-naps-chris-grabenstein/1132287769?ean=9781524771287#/">B&N</a>,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/no-more-naps/id1470847817?mt=11&app=itunes">iBooks</a>,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=5LPtjgetns4&mid=37217&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kobo.com%2Fus%2Fen%2Febook%2Fno-more-naps">Kobo</a>,</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/No-More-Naps-Chris-Grabenstein/9781524771287/?a_aid=twochicksonbooks">TBD</a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The #1 New</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">York Times bestselling middle grade powerhouse of Lemoncello fame brings his</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">wit and humor to a pint-sized audience in his picture book debut that turs the</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">universal dilemna of getting kids to sleep on its head.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It’s time for a nap but, just like stubborn toddlers everywhere, Annalise Devin</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">McFleece won’t have anything to do with bedtime. Dad tries to encourage</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">sleepiness by pushing her around the park in her stroller. Along the way, they</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">pass a man sitting on a bench, dog walkers walking dogs, a boy on a skateboard,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">kids playing ball, a girl practicing her juggling, and others. Each of them</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">thinks that taking a nap is a great idea and if Annalise Devin McFleece doesn’t</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">want hers, they’ll happy take it. And one by one, everyone falls asleep…except</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Annalise Devin McFleece. But when she’s finally ready for her nap, all the naps</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">are taken! Is there anyone who has an extra nap to spare?</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">With every turn of the page, the busy city scene becomes more and more</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">quiet…except for Annalise Devin McFleece.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;">“Preschoolers will find the defiant</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">protagonist's protests a little bit thrilling and 100% funny<b>…. Screamingly</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">fun."</span></div>
<i>—Kirkus Reviews</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">“The idea that naps are opportunities to be eagerly seized is <b>an</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">amusing reframing</span></div>
." --<i>Publishers Weekly</i><br />
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“Known for the Mr. Lemoncello series, Grabenstein offers a mildly <b>amusing</b> tale<br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-a0b347b9-7fff-9136-710b-a589a5283fd4" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">
</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;"><b><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">CHRIS GRABENSTEIN</span></b><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of ESCAPE FROM MR.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY, MR. LEMONCELLO'S LIBRARY OLYMPICS, THE ISLAND OF DR.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">LIBRIS, WELCOME TO WONDERLAND: HOME SWEET MOTEL and many other books, as well</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">as the coauthor of numerous fun and funny page-turners with James Patterson,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">including I FUNNY, HOUSE OF ROBOTS, TREASURE HUNTERS, and JACKY HA-HA. Chris</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">lives in New York City with his wife, J.J., two cats, and a dog named Fred. You</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">can visit Chris at ChrisGrabenstein.com.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;"><b>About the</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Illustrator</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;">LEO ESPINOSA is</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">a <i>New York Times</i> bestselling illustrator and designer from</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Bogotá, Colombia. His work has been featured in a variety of publications,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">products, animated series and gallery shows worldwide. His short list</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">includes <i>The New Yorker</i>, <i>Wired</i>, <i>Esquire</i>, <i>The</i></span></div>
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, <i>The Atlantic</i>, Nickelodeon, Hasbro, American<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">by American Illustration, Communication Arts, Pictoplasma, 3x3, and the Society</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">of Illustrators. In addition, he has given multiple lectures and workshops at</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">schools and institutions such as Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">as well as serving on the faculty of the Rhode Island School of Design. He</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">lives with his family in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit him at </span><a href="http://studioespinosa.com/" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;"><b>studioespinosa.com</b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;"> or follow him on Twitter </span><a href="https://twitter.com/VeloEspinosa" target="_blank"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;"><b>@veloespinosa</b></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;">, Instagram </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/studioespinosaworks/"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;">studioespinosaworks</span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;"></span></a><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk23678104;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="e2389ba21047" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba21047/" id="rcwidget_iuqdqonz" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"><u>Tour Schedule:</u></b></div>
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<b><u>Week One:</u></b></div>
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<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/3/2020</span></div>
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<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ziggysbooks.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1580772307743000&usg=AFQjCNHqnf8nI7ktQGWOMV5Ja_K0a-ZKEg" href="https://ziggysbooks.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Ziggy's Reading Corner</span></a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Excerpt</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/4/2020</span></div>
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<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #222222;">BookHounds YA</a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Excerpt</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/5/2020</span></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://texangirl17reviews.blogspot.com/&source=gmail&ust=1580772307743000&usg=AFQjCNHCpN2XGwwjPWLZXa-eStN_V3zwUA" href="https://texangirl17reviews.blogspot.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Texan Girl Reviews</span></a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Excerpt</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/6/2020</span></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.shedreamsinfiction.com&source=gmail&ust=1580772307743000&usg=AFQjCNEMmRYOWWEMD_VEGcS-F2hUBMKynw" href="http://www.shedreamsinfiction.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">She Dreams in Fiction</span></a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Review</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/7/2020</span></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://christenkrumm.com&source=gmail&ust=1580772307743000&usg=AFQjCNHEXmUzGQmtzrO96w_qD3m7Pps6BQ" href="http://christenkrumm.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">ChristenKrumm</span></a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Review</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><u>Week Two:</u></b></div>
<span class="HOEnZb" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #888888;"></span></span><span class="HOEnZb" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #888888;"></span></span><br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><tbody>
<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/10/2020</span></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://savingsinseconds.com&source=gmail&ust=1580772307743000&usg=AFQjCNEtAvKEONYY2pZlVPbLdYKXX7ZREA" href="http://savingsinseconds.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Savings in Seconds</span></a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Review</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/11/2020</span></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/momfluenster/&source=gmail&ust=1580772307743000&usg=AFQjCNF-EP61LiJ1Wlg8IM8-Pg4tShrn9g" href="https://www.instagram.com/momfluenster/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">momfluenster</span></a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Excerpt</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/12/2020</span></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/fictitious.fox/&source=gmail&ust=1580772307743000&usg=AFQjCNFT2MVfL49Yr9HmpfFQU7YCMU3tXw" href="https://www.instagram.com/fictitious.fox/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">fictitious.fox</span></a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Review</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 23pt;"><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div align="right" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: right;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2/13/2020</span></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #222222;">Novel Novice</a></span></u></div>
</td><td nowrap="" style="font-family: Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: 23pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt;" valign="bottom"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Review</span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-73592279902011052992020-01-30T03:25:00.002-05:002020-01-30T03:27:04.756-05:00Series Review: Dragon Fire Academy<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NJRQmRBCySk/XjKPrx9Mu2I/AAAAAAAAMAY/70EY5wECH0k8m7RmjdT_GDhLS1cidhz8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/dragon%2Bfire%2Bacademy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="364" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NJRQmRBCySk/XjKPrx9Mu2I/AAAAAAAAMAY/70EY5wECH0k8m7RmjdT_GDhLS1cidhz8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/dragon%2Bfire%2Bacademy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Dragon Fire Academy<br />
by Rachel Jonas<br />
Series Rating: 5 of 5 stars<br />
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1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46722047-first-term" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="First Term (Dragon Fire Academy #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1562209077l/46722047._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46722047-first-term">First Term</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16788419.Rachel_Jonas">Rachel Jonas</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3166634531">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
Noelle is a descendant of all three supernatural lineages. This has made her life difficult to say the least. She is accepted to attend school at the Dragon Fire Academy, which has always been her dream. Things are not quite as normal as she wanted her school experience to be. First, her mentors, four hot dragon warriors follow her everywhere. She has no idea what destiny has in store for her but it is not being a normal student or becoming a guard like she always wanted.<br />
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
I love when an author takes the time to build the world and characters in their books. This author did exactly that. She didn't rely on sex to hold the book together but instead developed the relationships and made the world come alive for the reader. This land that the school is on seems wild, beautiful, peaceful but yet dangerous all at the same time. <br />
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I found the school ceremonies interesting. Of course, they might have to wait before doing another pinning ceremony...LOL. As far as schools go, it seems like your everyday paranormal school. <br />
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The island and the firekeepers are what has me most curious. What are the firekeepers protecting the students from? The firekeepers themselves are intriguing and each with their own unique personality. Their symbols are talked about but not as much detail given as everything else in the book. I am sure there is a reason for it and I can't wait to learn what the symbols mean and how their "hive" goes forward. I do think Kai might be my favorite firekeeper at this point but I have a feeling that might change as the series goes on. <br />
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Noelle herself is an interesting heroine. She seems determined to follow the path she set for herself. However, she is worried about her first shift and how it will go. I love that she is smart enough to plan ahead for any unexpected issues. She is concerned more about everyone else than herself which makes like her even more. She has me curious as well. Now that she has completed her first shift, what changes will she undergo? Also, how does she feel about her new role in the "hive"? I have so many questions left and can't wait to see where this series leads.<br />
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2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47874502-second-term" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Second Term (Dragon Fire Academy #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570008463l/47874502._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/47874502-second-term">Second Term</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16788419.Rachel_Jonas">Rachel Jonas</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3167049343">5 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
First term is over. She finally had her first transformation, found her four cocky mates and been marked by ancient evil. Can second term actually be a bigger challenge than the first? With a lot to lose, Noelle is willing to fight for everything she believes in and loves.<br />
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
Book 1 was good but this one was better. There is so much going on that I don't even know if I can wrap my head around it. This author really draws the reader into the world and the characters. You can't help but be fully immersed into this book. <br />
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I love that Noelle and Blythe have resolved their differences. She has proven herself to be a true friend. I think Noelle is gonna needs all her friends to get through this. Her friends are awesome and I really like these characters.<br />
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I really like the guys even more than before. Kai was my favorite in book one but I thin Ori takes it this time. He has really opened up and I believe he has a big heart. <br />
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The chief is the only character that I think we have only scratched the surface of. I don't feel he is trustworthy. I think there is more than meets the eye with him. The dark witches he is using is only the beginning. I am anxious to find out what he is really up to you.<br />
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3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48338039-third-term" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Third Term (Dragon Fire Academy, #3)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569975070l/48338039._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48338039-third-term">Third Term</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16788419.Rachel_Jonas">Rachel Jonas</a></div>
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My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3167378004">5 of 5 stars</a></div>
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b></div>
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Noelle has been through hell in the first 2 terms but that is nothing compared to what she is about to experience. She can't give up the fight and neither can her mates or her friends. They call her family for backup as they fight the darkness. Will good triumph over evil?</div>
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b></div>
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This book seemed really short but it may just be because I was totally absorbed in the story. I love how her hive and her family came together to fight for her. Even after her dad got a little surprise that he didn't enjoy at all. It really was the perfect ending to the series. There is a bonus epilogue that you can request after reading the series. It was nice to have that extra little piece showing the aftermath of all that happened. I enjoyed this book and the bonus epilogue as well. I will be looking for more by this author. </div>
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<b><i><u>Overall:</u></i></b></div>
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I loved this series. I just couldn't put these books down. They just seemed to pull me into the story and wouldn't let go until I finished them all. This is definitely a new favorite author for me. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-86359382282258604312020-01-29T14:22:00.000-05:002020-01-29T14:22:05.614-05:00Review: Fire in Frost<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25132578-fire-in-frost" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Fire in Frost (Crystal Frost, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1428588072l/25132578._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25132578-fire-in-frost">Fire in Frost</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7301119.Alicia_Rades">Alicia Rades</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3165834674">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
Crystal Frost thinks she is going crazy. She is seeing ghosts and dreams of things before they actually happen. She is afraid to tell anyone but things are starting to get weird.<br />
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
This was a great start to this series. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I like that the Crystal isn't instantly able to use her new skills. She has to practice and learn them. She is also willing to help someone who isn't one of her friends. She is a sweet and friendly heroine that I enjoy reading about. She may be a bit naive but I think maybe that is the point. She is just learning about her abilities and will probably have issues in future books because of her naivety. This book does touch on the subject of abuse. Overall a good read and I think this series has the potential to be really good.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-35893358129989301532020-01-28T20:56:00.000-05:002020-01-28T20:56:47.796-05:00Review: Valkyrie's Harem<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49220759-valkyrie-s-harem" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Valkyrie's Harem (Academy of Immortals, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568347365l/49220759._SX98_SY160_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49220759-valkyrie-s-harem">Valkyrie's Harem</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5669074.Angel_Lawson">Angel Lawson</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3164225574">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
The gods demand that the Guardians fight in a new battle. The Guardians, however, are hesitant to leave Morgan. The Legion of Immortals volunteer to go in their place and Hildi is sent to lead them because they are feral and not trusted to think clearly.<br />
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
Where do I start? For a book called Valkyrie's Harem, where is her harem? Harems usually require a decision to have a relationship with more than one person at a time. She can't decide which of the guys she wants or if she wants any at all. She hasn't decided to have a relationship with anyone. One guy she decided she isn't going to even have sex with any more and another was only used to get the venom out of her system. Neither of these non-relationships equals a harem. <br /><br />They are sent to start the crusades and end up at an academy. Why? What is the point? No real action other than a couple quickies and going to class. Then at the very end of the book there is a little bit of action but it is quickly resolved. No build up or failures along the way as they stumble to figure things out. Then they get to decide who is in charge... again and it ends. Seriously? So what now? Does her non existent harem shrink a little? Do they fight amongst themselves like idiots? I am not sure that I am interested any more. I can't even say I care enough about the characters to want to see what happens next. <br /><br />This is what I like to call a jumbled mess. I think the concept was there but details and setting are important. You need character building and world building. Just saying a character is feral doesn't make it so. You need to show that character being feral. Details, details, details. This was a fail for me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-41463323659228166642020-01-28T02:11:00.000-05:002020-01-28T02:11:11.715-05:00Review: Have Teeth, Will Bite<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45488721-have-teeth-will-bite" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Have Teeth, Will Bite" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557202683l/45488721._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45488721-have-teeth-will-bite">Have Teeth, Will Bite</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18850773.L_D_Marr">L.D. Marr</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3030727351">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
It's the 1890s and things are rough for Roz. Some jealous woman reported her to a witch hunter just for talking to her cat. So she heads out west to start a new life. Throw in a murder, a vampire and a talking cat and things get interesting real quick.<br />
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
This was a fun little cozy mystery complete with vampires. The cat was my absolute favorite character. The characters are fun and the story interesting. I can't say too much more without giving the plot away. I think I would definitely read more by this author.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-74855324077234938712020-01-28T02:04:00.000-05:002020-01-28T02:04:10.796-05:00Review: Royal Fae Bodyguard<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48767367-royal-fae-bodyguard" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Royal Fae Bodyguard (Brunswick Academy for Gifted Girls, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1573678841l/48767367._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48767367-royal-fae-bodyguard">Royal Fae Bodyguard</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18019219.Chlo_Vincent">Chloé Vincent</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3163274547">3 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
Cara is about to graduate from the Brunswick Academy for Gifted Girls. She just has to complete her mission and find her mate. She doesn't want a mate and plans to ditch his butt at the first chance she gets. However, she is excited to complete her mission.<br />
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
This book was a slow start for me. However, it did pick up eventually. I like the idea of an academy to train gifted warriors to protect and serve. I do wish the characters had a bit more depth to them. They seem very one-dimensional. Some more character and world building could go a long way for this book. Will I read book 2? Maybe but I don't have that "I have to read it" feeling about this series.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-38491395283743841902020-01-27T06:13:00.002-05:002020-01-27T06:13:26.265-05:00Series Review: The Elite Seven The Elite Seven<br />
Written By:<br />
Ker Dukey<br />
J.D. Hollyfield<br />
Claire C. Riley<br />
M.N. Forgy<br />
K. Webster<br />
Giana Darling<br />
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Series Rating: 4 of 5 stars<br />
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1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43720553-lust" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Lust (The Elite Seven, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548611686l/43720553._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43720553-lust">Lust</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7313508.Ker_Dukey">Ker Dukey</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3160720061">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<i><u>Synopsis:</u></i><br />
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After suffering a heartbreaking loss, Rhett Masters is on a path of self-destruction. Then he finds a new goal in life: to become one of the Elite 7. His initiation task might just be more than he is willing to sacrifice.<br />
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<i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i><br />
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This was an interesting start to the series. I am still curious about the Elite. The author doesn't give a lot of insight into the group. Only the seven are really seen in this book and they are all initiates. I found Rhett to be a walking contradiction. He plays it so tough but inside he is hurting. His story is so sad that the reader has to feel something for the poor guy. I am curious how being one of the Elite Seven is going to affect his budding relationship. I will probably read the others to see where they go. The fact that each book is written by a different author is interesting as well. I am curious how their different writing styles translates for each of the sins.<br />
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2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43725160-pride" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Pride (The Elite Seven, #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550523168l/43725160._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43725160-pride">Pride</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8127239.J_D_Hollyfield">J.D. Hollyfield</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3160888491">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<i><u>Synopsis:</u></i><br />
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Having lost his parents at a young age, Mason Blackwell and his sister Evie grew up in the foster care system. Suddenly they are separated by lies and threats. One sent to prison to be tortured while the other is sent to her own private hell. Now they are reunited at college at the whim of others, being controlled by power and corruption. Mason is pride and he leads the Elite 7.<br />
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<i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i><br />
This book started off a little slow but I think it was intended for it to be so. You got to see how dreary and horrible Mason's life was. The reader gets more insight into what the Elite have control over. It makes you wonder if they can really ever get free from the Elite. Is anyone safe from them? I love that Mason, Megan, Evie and his friends try to fight back instead of just taking what is forced onto them. I am curious as to how it all goes and what horrible tasks the other guys have to do.<br />
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3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44063288-wrath" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Wrath (The Elite Seven, #3)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550573210l/44063288._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44063288-wrath">Wrath</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6982197.Claire_C_Riley">Claire C. Riley</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3161656019">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
<i><u>Synopsis:</u></i><br />
Samuel Gunner and his twin sister Sabella were born as their mother took her last breath. Their father hated them from that day on. Their caretakers were cruel and they only had each other to rely on. Fueled by pain and hatred, Samuel takes the chance to join the Elite 7. Can he complete his initiation and keep those he loves safe?<br />
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<i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i><br />
These books make you want to cry for these guys. The suffering they go thru just comes off the pages. It is life at its darkest and deepest level. Wrath is suffering just like his fellow brothers. He finds relief with Patience but will it last? I love how sweet Patience is in contrast to how dark and dangerous Samuel is. I really disliked his father but he had some kind of change of heart that I didn't understand. All of a sudden, he seemed to give a damn. A bit late in the game but I find myself wondering why he changed. I am also curious about Sebastian and what he had to do. Obviously, he feels a lot of guilt over it. I am not usually a fan of dark stories like these. Somehow, I just can't seem to stop reading the series. The stories make me sad but maybe that is what I need today. A little bit of the harsh realities of life in the form of the Elite Seven.<br />
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4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44244650-envy" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Envy (The Elite Seven, #4)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551729712l/44244650._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44244650-envy">Envy</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8110729.M_N_Forgy">M.N. Forgy</a></div>
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My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3161851987">3 of 5 stars</a><br /></div>
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<i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></div>
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Sebastian Westbrook has looks, money and privilege but that isn't enough for him. In his quest to find a woman who will love him, he will do anything. How far will he go to get what he wants? Will he make it as one of the Elite? </div>
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<i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></div>
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Ok, this one I was not as much of a fan of. Sebastian is kinda creepy and very stalkerish. However, I am not sure why the Elite have an issue with him. It seems to me that they allow all kinds of crazy perverted things to happen and they just help them cover it up. Sebastian was treated differently in this. They seem to be trying to distance him from the Elites. I am curious if the the other 6 guys know what he has really done. This seems like something that could tear the brotherhood apart and not help them escape the people now controlling them. This is my least favorite book of all of them so far. I am hoping the rest are better. </div>
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5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43610990-gluttony" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Gluttony (The Elite Seven, #5)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1548351972l/43610990._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43610990-gluttony">Gluttony</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7741564.K_Webster">K. Webster</a></div>
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My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3162202050">4 of 5 stars</a><br /></div>
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<i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></div>
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Baxter Samuel Goddard V (AKA God) has everything money can buy. Even an exclusive invitation to the Elite 7. His initiation has an unexpected side effect and guilt is tearing him apart. Can he fix this and will the Elite allow him to?</div>
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<i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></div>
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This may be my favorite book of the series. God may be a spoiled rich boy but he knows that something is wrong with the Elite. He refuses to allow them to hurt those that he loves. I was surprised about his condition. I wasn't expecting it.<br /><br />Lillian will not be missed but that was totally not how I expected them to deal with her. She did a lot of damage and seemed to be out of control. <br /><br />I am still thinking that the Elite is not done with these guys. There is still more coming their way. Despite their handling of Lillian, the Elite aren't gonna let go of their control of things. There are also two of the seven that I need to read about. I am curious about their stories and if they can really get out from under the Elite's control for good.</div>
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6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45731942-sloth" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Sloth (The Elite Seven, #6)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1557759148l/45731942._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45731942-sloth">Sloth</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14901102.Giana_Darling">Giana Darling</a></div>
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My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3162474697">4 of 5 stars</a><br /></div>
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<i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></div>
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Rush Dempsey has nothing left in life to care about. Even his father thinks he is lazy. However, joining the Elite and getting his initiation task has lit a fire in him. Maybe he can rise above the title of Sloth...</div>
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<i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></div>
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One thing I really like about this series is that the books all take place during overlapping timelines. So each book builds on what the previous books set up. Things are finally wrapping up and the guys are seriously taking out members of the Elite... one by one. I like Rush because he is totally the opposite of his title. Sloth is supposed to be lazy but Rush is seriously motivated and the laziness seems to be on vacation in this book. Isabelle isn't quite what I expected her to be. I expected her to put up more of a fight when her father and the Elite reveal their plans for her. She just follows Rush and his plan with no real spunk of her own. She does attempt to grow a backbone later in the book but still seems to be a follower. Sabella's reappearance is quite the dramatic moment. I was happy to see that she got to have her say. Sebastian's punishment was a bit extreme but then again so were his actions. I am really not used to books that are so dark and full of evil like this. However, I am drawn to this series and I intend to finish it up. </div>
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7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46062050-greed" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Greed (The Elite Seven #7)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1559219835l/46062050._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46062050-greed">Greed</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7313508.Ker_Dukey">Ker Dukey</a></div>
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My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3162614068">4 of 5 stars</a><br /></div>
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<i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></div>
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Micah Dixon is on a mission. Well maybe more than one. He has joined the Elite 7 but he has discovered corruption all around him. He is loyal to a fault and he is gonna protect those he cares about. He is Greed and he wants it all. </div>
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<i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></div>
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Greed might be the sweetest of the guys and I totally didn't expect it. He had a lot of secrets but they were for all the right reasons so you can't help but love the guy. The series is now wrapped up nicely with all the lose ends taken care of. I was glad to see an ending that these guys deserved. Even Sabella was given a nice ending. The only person I felt didn't get the ending they deserved was Evie. Overall, this series was a never ending roller coaster of emotions. It was dark and gritty and showed all the evil in the world but it also showed love, friendship and loyalty. </div>
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<b><u>Overall:</u></b></div>
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Overall, I really enjoyed this dark series. There is a lot of corruption, lies and the darker side of humanity that is best unseen. I wrote the individual reviews after I finished each book so my reviews would be focused solely on the individual books and not as much the series. As you can probably tell, Greed & Gluttony were my favorite of the guys. Envy was my least favorite for obvious reasons. This series was very unique in they way it was done. Different authors and the stories run concurrently so the timelines overlap. It was a style that I really haven't seen done before and I enjoyed it. </div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-44062439823953345602020-01-25T20:10:00.002-05:002020-01-25T20:11:47.124-05:00Review: Death Warmed Over<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40668581-death-warmed-over" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Death Warmed Over (A Grim Days Mystery #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530276318l/40668581._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40668581-death-warmed-over">Death Warmed Over</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17095962.Kent_Holloway">Kent Holloway</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3159049155">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
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Death discovers a body. One whose death is unsanctioned. He presents himself to the cops as a consultant and works to help solve the mystery. Becca is the cop heading the investigation. She thinks he is crazy until she sees things that he can do. Together they work to solve the murder.<br />
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
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This book had a unique story line that I liked. Death was an interesting character. Full of quirky fun. He was the most interesting character. The story itself didn't hold my interest as much despite the fact that Death had a starring role in it. It had some good moments but in between I had to push through. Overall, it was ok but Death was what held it together.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-75228349551082960382020-01-24T21:27:00.003-05:002020-01-24T21:27:40.634-05:00Review: The Mermaid's Escape<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39094653-the-mermaid-s-escape" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Mermaid's Escape (The Siren, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520631883l/39094653._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39094653-the-mermaid-s-escape">The Mermaid's Escape</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14019176.Kellie_McAllen">Kellie McAllen</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3031229012">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
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Not happy with the life planned for her by her father, Coral runs away from her wedding. She finds herself on an island with legs. Learning how to use her new limbs, she sees a shipwreck and saves the four humans. She is fascinated by all of them and now must choose where she wants her life to go.<br />
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<b><i><u>My Thoughts:</u></i></b><br />
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I love the story line of a mermaid princess that wants to choose her own life meeting 4 humans that are stranded. The author added a little twist on mermaids that I haven't seen in other books so I enjoyed that. The characters were fun and I enjoyed the little jokes included, especially the Dungeons & Dragons one. My husband plays that every week so I had to use the joke on him. LOL! Overall a fun story that felt fresh and unique. I would love to read more of this series.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-53995645134698811242020-01-22T22:08:00.002-05:002020-01-22T22:08:42.334-05:00Review: Paranormalcy<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8254259-paranormalcy" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1330974599l/8254259._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8254259-paranormalcy">Paranormalcy</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3027554.Kiersten_White">Kiersten White</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3154526141">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
Evie <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> She can see through glamours and uses that skill to find </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">paranormal creatures and make it so they can't harm humans. She meets a very unique paranormal creature that she doesn't understand. Unfortunately, this also opens her eyes to things in her agency. Things are not quite what they seem. Despite all the injustices she is starting to see, there is a more important threat to all paranormal creatures and a prophecy that she wants nothing to do with. </span><br />
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<b><i><u>My Review:</u></i></b><br />
Anyone who knows me would not be surprised that I snapped this book up. Anything with paranormal creatures of any type seem to draw my attention. I especially love when an author takes something as simple as vampires and mermaids and put their own little twist on things. This author gave herself license to do so with these characters. So the mermaid is translated by computer and the vampires have glamours that hide their decaying bodies, etc. The Empty Ones were a nice touch and one I haven't seen before. With the addition of these little twists, the author takes the reader on a truly unique journey. Learning about Evie and her just as unique boyfriend, Lend, is a reading adventure you won't forget. Will I read book 2? Most definitely. I am very curious as to where this series is gonna go.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-47451678040532894152020-01-22T00:12:00.000-05:002020-01-22T00:12:21.477-05:00Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Undead<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5376542-the-good-the-bad-and-the-undead" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (The Hollows, #2)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328304317l/5376542._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5376542-the-good-the-bad-and-the-undead">The Good, the Bad, and the Undead</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17054.Kim_Harrison">Kim Harrison</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3151076575">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
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<b><i>Synopsis:</i></b><br />
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The MC, Rachel Morgan, is a bounty hunter and witch in downtown Cincinnati. She deals with criminals of the paranormal variety. She lives with a vampire and a pixie. Her boyfriend is a human that dabbles with magic and demons. </div>
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She is hired to find a serial killer. The FIB has a suspect but she has a different suspect. She is determined to prove his guilt to the point of becoming a stalker. Dealing with the paranormal is never easy and she will be lucky to escape with her soul and her very life. </div>
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<b><i>My Review:</i></b></div>
I am glad that I finally got around to reading this book. I enjoy the chaos that is Rachel and her life. She makes a LOT of bad decisions but she eventually gets to where she wants to be. Trent is an interesting contradiction. I can't decide if I like him or not. In book 1, he was obviously the bad guy but now it is hard to tell. The lines have been blurred. The demon has also made things interesting. Rachel's decision regarding him can't have good results. I am curious to see where this leads her. I am intrigued by this series and can't wait to read more.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-47439476477796228362020-01-20T20:59:00.000-05:002020-01-20T20:59:01.194-05:00Series Review: Halloween Helpers Cozy mysteriesSeries: Halloween Helpers Cozy Mysteries<br />
Author: Linnea West<br />
Overall Series Rating: 4 of 5 stars<br />
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<i>1. Title: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Potion Problem</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>My Rating:3 of 5 stars</i></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568315952l/48132803._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Potion Problem (Halloween Helper's Cozy Mystery, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1568315952l/48132803._SY475_.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Synopsis: </i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Can a non-magical witch and her witch-in-training niece solve a murder at a coven?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">It’s October 1st, Vinnie Daggerwood’s first day on the job as a Halloween Helper. Along with her twin sister Lavender and niece Diggy, their job is to help the paranormal world with problems, big and small.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But their first case isn’t small. The leader of a coven has been murdered and it is up to them to solve it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Just as they are easing into the case, Lavender is kidnapped and Vinnie and Diggy are left to solve the case on their own. The only problem is that Vinnie is a non-magical witch and Diggy is only part way through witch training.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Will they be able to solve the case and look for Lavender at the same time?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Read Potion Problem, the first book in the four book Halloween Helper’s Cozy Mystery series as Vinnie and Diggy work to get Lavender back while helping the paranormal world.</span><br />
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<i>2. Title: <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Skull Screw Up</span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>My Rating:4 of 5 stars</i></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569298522l/48253330._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="48253330. sy475 " border="0" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569298522l/48253330._SY475_.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Synopsis:</i></span></span><br />
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<strong>First a coven of witches, now a household of vampires?</strong></div>
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In the second book of the Halloween Helper’s Cozy Mystery Series, the story continues with non-magical witch Vinnie Daggerwood and her witch-in-training niece Diggy back to solve their next case. After bumbling through their first investigation, Vinnie is relieved to find that her second case is not so high stakes. A pack of vampires have somehow misplaced their ceremonial skull and it is up to Vinnie and Diggy to find it.</div>
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But during their search, something goes terribly wrong and the head vampire turns up dead in the ceremony room. Now the Halloween Helpers are faced with solving a murder and finding the skull.</div>
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Then their boss Norhand shows up with the second puzzle for them to solve to get Vinnie’s sister back. Vinnie is convinced he is setting them up to fail, but she isn’t sure why. Diggy manages to solve the clue fairly easily, but when the answer to the puzzle isn’t where it is supposed to be, Vinnie has to add one more thing to her to-do list.</div>
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Can Vinnie and Diggy find the killer, the skull, and the answer to the puzzle?</div>
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Make sure to read Potion Problem first before continuing the story in Skull Screw Up.</div>
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<i>3. Title: <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">VooDoo Vexation</span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>My Rating:4 of 5 stars</i></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569921993l/48332873._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="48332873. sy475 " border="0" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1569921993l/48332873._SY475_.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Synopsis:</i></span></span></div>
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<strong>Zombies and werewolves are going head to head in a turf war and it’s up to the Halloween Helpers to settle it.</strong></div>
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In the third book of the Halloween Helper’s Cozy Mystery series, non-magical Vinnie and her witch-in-training niece Diggy Daggerwood have been called to Louisiana where they are tasked with settling a turf war between a group of zombies and a pack of werewolves. Neither group wants to cooperate, but at least there isn’t a murder involved.</div>
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That is, until they stumble across a murder scene and everything starts to unravel more. Facing a bayou war, Vinnie and Diggy rush to figure out who is killing both zombies and werewolves. Complicating matters more, a swamp fairy named Delphine insists sticking her nose into everything.</div>
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Add in the fact that Vinnie and Diggy are working on solving the third clue that Norhand has given them and it seems that Norhand is becoming sneakier and sneakier in his quest to keep Lavender all to himself.</div>
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Can Vinnie and Diggy figure out which group can stay in the bayou and stop Norhand’s underhanded tricks all at the same time?</div>
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Find out in Book 3: VooDoo Vexation</div>
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<i>4. Title: <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Talisman Trouble</span></span></i><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>My Rating:4 of 5 stars</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570507546l/48389283._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="48389283. sy475 " border="0" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1570507546l/48389283._SY475_.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Synopsis:</i></span></span><br />
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<strong>Time is running out. Can Vinnie and Diggy figure out how to rescue Lavender?</strong></div>
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In the fourth book of the Halloween Helper’s Cozy Mystery series, non-magical Vinnie and her witch-in-training niece Diggy Daggerwood are given another case just three days before their Halloween deadline. A paranormal family has a dispute with their resident ghost, but both feel like they have a rightful claim to the house.</div>
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Vinnie doesn’t really care because for once, they actually have an easy case to solve. It should take hardly any time at all while they wait for the last clue to solve before they get Lavender back.</div>
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But the case isn’t as easy as it looked to be on the surface. And every time they figure out a plan to get Lavender, things get more complicated. At last, Norhand sends the last clue to solve and this one might actually help the witches.</div>
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Can Vinnie and Diggy solve the case and the clue to find Lavender before Halloween is over?</div>
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Read the end of the saga in Book 4: Talisman Trouble.</div>
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<b><i><u>My Review:</u></i></b><br />
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I recently discovered this series and decided to try it. I found it intriguing and fun. The characters are fun and quirky. I loved that the Halloween Helpers are like a mix of detectives and problem solvers. The gadgets they use to solve the mysteries were fun and unique. Each investigation included new paranormals to help. Norhand's clues for the witches are very cheeky and easy to solve but fit perfectly with the quirkiness of the books.<br />
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I was disappointed that Lavender get to be involved much in the series. The reader gets to know her sister, Vinnie, and daughter, Diggy, but don't really get to know her too well. They are all three supposed to be running Halloween Helpers but only two of them get spotlighted in the book. Yeah, Lavender is part of a story line stretched over all four books but it seems that this is the end of the series. It just seems to me that a series about Halloween Helpers should include all the Halloween Helpers and center on how they help various paranormals. However, it seems that the kidnapping was the main focus of this series despite the series name. It just seems a bit short-sighted to me.<br />
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Overall, it was a fun series. I do think it could have been developed into a longer series. However, I did enjoy it and give the series a solid 4 stars.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-59271188240726224872020-01-20T19:56:00.000-05:002020-01-20T19:56:57.411-05:00Review: Sky Ghosts: Initiation<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50534147-sky-ghosts" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Sky Ghosts: Initiation (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579364152l/50534147._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50534147-sky-ghosts">Sky Ghosts: Initiation</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10801588.Alexandra_Engellmann">Alexandra Engellmann</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3150439518">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
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<b><i><u>Synopsis:</u></i></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">For centuries, Sky Ghosts have been hiding their differences from humans, living among them in secret. For every one of them who uses their power for the good of mankind, there are ten who prey on the weak and try to avoid justice. They're called Sky Beasts, and the war between them and the New York Sky Ghosts Headquarters has reached a fever pitch.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Patricia aka Pain is known as a “kill first, ask questions later” kind of girl. An urban legend at twenty-one, she helps save the city in her own way — by slaughtering Beasts in between working bodyguard jobs.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Until </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">they</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> show up. The two civilian guys who turn the life at headquarters upside down. The key to destroying their oldest enemy. And it's Pain and her sister Jane who are assigned to protect the annoying humans.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">If the Beasts don't kill them, she might just do it herself.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Previously published as <i>Sky Ghosts: All for One</i>. This is a revised, updated edition with 4 new chapters.</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">*Warning: strong language, graphic violence, and mild sexual content.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><i><u>My Review:</u></i></b></span><br />
I read the original version of this book in 2015 and it was one of those books that just stuck with me. I have been checking back looking for future books and then I was contacted by the author with the chance to read this updated version with extra chapters. I was excited to go back into this world of Sky Ghosts & Beasts. <br /><br />It was every bit as good as I remembered. I still loved these characters. I love the sisters and how they relate to each other and everyone around them. Pain is sassy & snarky and I love it. This is easily one of my favorite books (both old & new versions). I can't wait to see what book 2 has to bring when it comes out in the near future.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/43244109-donna">View all my reviews</a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-5368472583259388602019-06-16T06:00:00.000-04:002019-06-16T06:00:02.357-04:00*Book Blitz* My Best Friend Runs Venus By Katrina S. Forest<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This is my stop during the blog tour for My Best Friend Runs Venus by Katrina S. Forest. This blog </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 3 till 16 June. See <a href="http://www.lolasblogtours.net/blog-tour-my-best-friend-runs-venus-by-katrina-s-forest" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the tour schedule </a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://www.lolasblogtours.net/blog-tour-my-best-friend-runs-venus-by-katrina-s-forest" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44549693-my-best-friend-runs-venus" rel="noopener" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="My Best Friend Runs Venus" class="alignleft" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PmcU4vQuYLI/XKSyZCSusSI/AAAAAAAAIeU/wwDbluZ0QT0TSMZnnIMFQ2UGeMGC2_MdQCLcBGAs/s1600/MyBestFriendRunsVenus.jpg" /></a><b>My Best Friend Runs Venus</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>By Katrina S. Forest</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>Genre:</b> Science Fiction</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>Age category:</b> Middle Grade</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>Release Date:</b> June 1, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">At 12.9 years old, number-obsessed Kade Walker has never heard of death. Literally. But neither </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">has anyone else he knows. Kade is one of hundreds of kids "living" across the solar system through </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">robotic avatars while their real bodies sleep in pods on Earth. Unfortunately, robot bodies can be </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">hacked.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">One day during an (innocent!) experiment, Kade unwittingly breaks a major security wall and </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">releases an infamous hacker. The madwoman targets all the royal avatars, including Kade’s best </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">friend, Princess Tamika of Venus.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">If Kade and Tamika don’t want to become the hacker’s puppets, they’ve got to stop her fast--even </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">if it means waking up on Earth to fight with bodies they never realized could be hurt.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You can find My Best Friend Runs Venus on <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44549693-my-best-friend-runs-venus" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You can buy My Best Friend Runs Venus <a href="https://smarturl.it/MBFRVBuyLink" rel="noopener" target="_blank">here</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">This book includes some artwork, check out a few of the illustrations that are included in the book </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://smarturl.it/MBFRVBuyLink%20%C2%A0" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img alt="Illustration 7" lass="aligncenter" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YFGnqWf-Jxo/XOhGT3JUroI/AAAAAAAAIi0/43B7VdIDsCMVSauYeaeBab3prjA_EjPqQCLcBGAs/s400/My%2BBest%2BFriend%2BRuns%2BVenus%2B%2BIlluatration7.png" widht="500" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://smarturl.it/MBFRVBuyLink" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><img alt="Illustration 9" class="aligncenter" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--JAGeOHdwL4/XOhGT9OEdTI/AAAAAAAAIi8/l5H6hamMCxAB6zHF2PEGTlwuy_wMEBUmQCLcBGAs/s400/My%2BBest%2BFriend%2BRuns%2BVenus%2B%2BIlluatration9.png" widht="500" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Katrina S. Forest is a teacher by day, author by any-other-time-she-can-get. Her work has sold </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">to a variety of magazines, ranging from Flash Fiction Online to Highlights to Children. She loves </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">nerdy conventions and believes video games can be a force of creative good instead of evil.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">You can find and contact Katrina S. Forest here:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">- <a href="http://www.katrinasforest.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Website</a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorkatrinasforest/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">- <a href="https://twitter.com/forest_paterson" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">- <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14369266.Katrina_S_Forest" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">- <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Katrina-S.-Forest/e/B01M0DPFIA/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Amazon</a> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><b>Giveaway</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour for My Best Friend Runs Venus. One winner will </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">win a signed copy of My Best Friend Runs Venus along with a $25 Amazon gift card. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter here:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="3ede45711" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3ede45711/" id="rcwidget_hyo40ggt" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-5af4e4a3-7fff-69a2-3abe-3b283db1864b"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-59252411886045823522019-06-07T06:00:00.000-04:002019-06-07T06:00:00.594-04:00*Book Blitz* Gone by Karyn Good<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://bookunleashed.com/books/gone"><img alt="Gone Tour Graphic" src="https://bookunleashed.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/gone-tour-graphic.jpg" style="-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #aaa; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #aaa; border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid #abbfd3; box-shadow: 0px 0px 10px #aaa; display: block; margin: 0 auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%;" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img alt="Gone" src="https://bookunleashed.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/gone-2.jpg" style="-moz-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #aaa; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0 10px #aaa; border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid #abbfd3; box-shadow: 0px 0px 10px #aaa; display: block; margin: 0 auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%; width: 500px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><strong>Series:</strong> Aspen Lake Series Book 3</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><strong>Genre:</strong> Romantic Suspense</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><strong>Publisher:</strong> The Wild Rose Press</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><strong>Publication Date:</strong> May 6, 2019</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Gone...but never forgotten.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1.1em; margin: 15px 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ever since a devastating family tragedy seventeen years ago, Grace Bighill has struggled to keep </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">her remaining family from falling apart. Then the discovery of her mother's body in the woods </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">unearths a connection to a decades old murder case, and Grace is dragged into a politician's bitter </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">bid for revenge.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1.1em; margin: 15px 0; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Constable Mike Davenport's days in Aspen Lake are numbered. He's ready to take his next step</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">up the career ladder somewhere a lot more cosmopolitan. He's avoided any emotional attachments, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">despite having fallen hard for a certain stubborn local. But when a body turns up, Mike's careful</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">intentions collapse in the face of Grace's grief and her exhaustive efforts to care for her family.</span></div>
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</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A search for answers leads Grace and Mike down a twisted path proving no one can escape their </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">roots. But someone might die trying.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45022025-gone" rel="nofollow">Add to Goodreads</a></span></div>
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Purchase Links</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://bit.ly/GonebyKarynGood" rel="nofollow">Amazon (US)</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07Q3NHL5R" rel="nofollow">Amazon (CA)</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Karyn_Good_Gone?id=9dOVDwAAQBAJ" rel="nofollow">Google</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gone-karyn-good/1131190158?ean=2940161454060" rel="nofollow">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/au/en/ebook/gone-117" rel="nofollow">Kobo</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/ca/book/gone/id1458296018" rel="nofollow">Apple Books</a></span></div>
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Excerpt</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The music still played but no one listened. They were too busy trying to talk at once. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Mike settled in beside her and his disapproving green eyes scanned her face. He lifted the cloth </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">covering her knee and winced. "You okay?" </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Grace flinched as his fingers did a gentle probe. "Welcome to the party." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 15px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">"Seems we were a little late getting our invitation." His expression turned serious. "This may </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">need medical attention." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 15px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">"It's just a scratch." She tamped down the gooey need threatening to overtake her. Tried to </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">remember it didn't pay to get sentimental over this particular man. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 15px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Her reassurance didn't stop him from carefully dabbing at her cut. Or from leaning in to get a </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">closer look. "I don't see any glass, but that doesn't mean there isn't any in there." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 15px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">"I'm fine." She braced her hands on the floor ready to lift herself up, having had enough attention </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">and being at the center of it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Mike put his hand on her shoulder and coaxed her back down. "There's no rush. Take a moment." </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="margin: 15px; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">She warmed under his touch and the tender concern she'd secretly, and not so secretly, yearned </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">for since he'd arrived in Aspen Lake two years ago.</span></div>
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<h3 style="font-size: 2.0em; margin: 30px 0 20px; text-align: center;">
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About Karyn Good</span></h3>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><img alt="Karyn Good" src="https://bookunleashed.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/karyn-good.jpg" style="display: block; height: 100%; margin: 15px auto; width: 240px;" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Karyn Good grew up on the Canadian prairies and she's still there loving every minute. She writes </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">romantic suspense featuring strong heroines and the men who love them. In the pages of her </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">books you'll find danger, passion, and a winding path of twists and turns that lead to forever.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1.1em; margin: 10px 0 10px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><strong>Website:</strong> <a href="http://www.karyngood.com/" style="text-align: center;">http://www.karyngood.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1.1em; margin: 10px 0; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><strong>Blog:</strong> <a href="http://karyngood.com/blog">http://karyngood.com/blog</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><strong>Social media links:</strong> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KarynGoodAuthor">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/karyngoodauthor">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/karyngood">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.ca/karyngoodauthor">Pinterest</a></span></div>
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Giveaway</span></h3>
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<div style="font-size: 2.0em; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 30px 0 15px; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">WIN $10 AMAZON GIFT CARD</span></div>
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<div style="margin: 15px 0; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/5ddfc19f234/?" rel="nofollow"><img alt="Gone Giveaway Graphic" src="https://bookunleashed.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/gone-giveaway-graphic.jpg" style="border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid #388d9b; display: block; margin: 0 auto; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%; width: 500px;" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 30px 0 5px; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><strong>Prizes up for grabs:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1.2em; margin: 5px 0; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Three $10 Amazon Gift Cards</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1.2em; font-weight: bold; margin: 30px 0; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Contest runs from June 5 - 11, 2019.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-6c36a803-7fff-c0e0-cf45-1ce7a3c3db8a"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5702520657568944262.post-24256470171965612192019-05-31T23:03:00.001-04:002019-05-31T23:04:20.613-04:00Review: Stoneheart<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12988619" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Stoneheart" border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1394038414m/12988619.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12988619">Stoneheart</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/415731">Charlie Fletcher</a><br />
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2840434608">2 of 5 stars</a>
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<h4>
Synopsis:</h4>
<div>
<span id="freeText12903198999527672736" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">A city has many lives and layers. London has more than most. Not all the layers are underground, and not all the lives belong to the living. Twelve-year-old George Chapman is about to find this out the hard way. When, in a tiny act of rebellion, George breaks the head from a stone dragon outside the Natural History Museum, he awakes an ancient power. This power has been dormant for centuries but the results are instant and terrifying: A stone Pterodactyl unpeels from the wall and starts chasing George. He runs for his life but it seems that no one can see what he's running from. No one, except Edie, who is also trapped in this strange world. And this is just the beginning as the statues of London awake… This is a story of statues coming to life; of a struggle between those with souls and those without; of how one boy who has been emotionally abandoned manages to find hope.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div>
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<h4>
My Thoughts:</h4>
I don't even know where to start. There was not enough background info on the characters and way too much description of things that didn't add anything to the story. There are so many types of things like taints, glints, spits and weirded. Although, I got the basic idea of each of those groups, I would have loved if there was more history or details about them. The whole concept of statues coming to life was an interesting concept as well as the layers of non-Londons. However, the actual execution was lacking. There was so much happening that it is hard to keep up with it all AND make sense of what is happening. I was just really disappointed in this book as I didn't care about the characters and had to push my way thru to the end. The book had potential and some character building could make a huge difference. I may give the author a second chance at some point but not for a while.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2840434608">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0