Book Details:
Book Title: The Art of Taking It Easy by Dr. Brian King
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction (18+) | Genre:  Literary/Self-Help/Humor
Publisher:  Apollo Publishers | Release date:  October 2019
Tour dates: October 15 to Nov 12, 2019 | Content Rating: PG-13+
Book Description:
      Psychologist and Comedian King explores the science behind stress in this witty, informed guide. The author uses a bevy of running jokes and punch lines to enliven technical explanations for how and why people experience stress. His metaphors of coming across a bear in the wild as well as being stuck in traffic are also used to great effect to explain a variety of stress responses, such as perceiving a threat and feelings of powerlessness. Reframing thoughts plays a large role in King's advice: Stress is simply a reaction to a perception of threat being able to consciously redirect choices made by other areas of the brain is the key to living a less stressful existence. He also provides breathing exercises, plants for painting physical health and useful advice for setting attainable goals. King's enjoyable guide to living with less will be of help to any anxious reader.
BUY THE BOOK: Amazon ~ Add to Goodreads

About the Author:
      DR. BRIAN KING trained as a neuroscientist and psychologist and for the past decade has traveled the world as a comedian and public speaker. By day he conducts seminars, attended by thousands of people each year around the US and internationally, on positive psychology, the health benefits of humor, and stress management. By night he practices what he teaches in comedy clubs, and is the founder and producer of the highly reviewed Wharf Room comedy show in San Francisco. Dr. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, a master’s degree from the University of New Orleans, and a PhD in neuroscience from Bowling Green State University. Hailing from New York and living in dozens of cities throughout the US as the child of a military family, today spends his life on the road with his partner, Sarah, and their young daughter.
Connect with the author:  Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ​​

G​rowing up in Disneyland by Ron DeFore
Publisher:  Waldorf Publishing (July 15, 2019) | 348 pages |  ISBN: 1643166263

Category: Memoir, Disneyland, Entertainer Biographies, Coming of Age
Tour dates: Oct-Nov, 2019
Description:
  Growing up in Disneyland by Ron DeForePart biography about TV and movie star, Don DeFore, and his son’s accounts of life in a celebrity family and beyond. Don DeFore made more than 35 movies in the ‘40s through the ‘60s and co-starred in more than a dozen.  He is best known for his role as “Thorny” the first next-door-neighbor on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” and “Mr.B” in the 1960s TV sitcom, “Hazel.” The book includes much of Don’s unpublished autobiography, ‘Hollywood-DeFore ‘n After.’
    ‘Growing up in Disneyland’ is a metaphor for Ron’s life growing up in a celebrity family filled with Fantasyland adventures he equates to a Forest Gump type life, from meeting the Beatles, Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, and other celebrities as Associate Director of the Steve Allen Show. His nearly 20 careers include a mid-life crisis as the Flying DJ at an L.A. discotheque to political positions within the Reagan Presidential Administration to establishing his own company. ‘Growing up in Disneyland’ is also to be taken literally, as Ron spent much of his youth in Disneyland where his father owned “Don DeFore’s Silver Banjo Barbecue” restaurant in Frontierland. Ron and his brother, Dave, have given presentations to various Disneyland interest groups after which many attendees suggested, you should write a book.
    ‘Growing up in Disneyland’ will be enjoyed by any age group from baby-boomers that remember Don DeFore’s many beloved acting roles to those that don’t but are curious how life was in the good-old-days, especially growing up in a Hollywood celebrity family. Ron has had so many careers and adventures along the way that readers will have much to keep them from putting the book down.
Buy Growing up in Disneyland by Ron DeFore | Amazon | Barnes&Noble | IndieBound

                                      PRAISE!
​Praise Growing up in Disneyland by Ron DeFore“I enjoyed the flow of the book and how the author kept the momentum going, allowed the reader to adjust and then took them on a journey where they experienced the larger than life personality of Don DeFore. The language was simple yet encouraging. Ron DeFore draws the reader in and once they have entered the colorful world of the DeFore family, they won’t want to leave. Incredibly vivid and entertaining!” – Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
“I found the life and works of both author Ron DeFore and his father Don to be a truly fascinating tale of legacy, the surreal nature of fame and the bubble-like existence which that kind of family life brings with it. Ron writes with a candid nature and kind words, recalling many adventures with a nostalgic tone that is sure to hit the hearts of those who were living during the time of the Beatles and the Beach Boys, to name but a few. For me, it was a glimpse into a past I’d no experience of, and the recollections by both Don and Ron brought everything to life with fascinating detail and authentic voices. I learned an awful lot during this heartfelt tale, and I would certainly recommend ‘Growing Up in Disneyland’ to readers who remember the fifties, but also those who would like a true portrait of Hollywood lives at the time.”-K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite
“A must Read Biography of a Film Star and Television Icon.  A fascinating read to hear his story from the viewpoint of his son, Ron who experienced every kid’s dream/ a wonderful childhood who had a golden pass to Disneyland”-Rick Lertzman, Amazon Review

EXCERPT:
      This is not a book all about Disneyland. It is more of a metaphor for my entire life beginning with growing up in a “Hollywood” celebrity family and into adult life filled with countless jaw-dropping experiences and career changes I equate to the life of Forest Gump. However, the title is a double entendre–it is to be taken literally as Dad was the only person to ever own a concession inside Disneyland bearing the name of a real person, “Don DeFore’s Silver Banjo” barbecue restaurant in Frontierland from 1957 to 1961 (see Chapter 32, “Gee Do We Have to Go to Disneyland, Again?”)
     Don DeFore, was a well-known celebrity in the 1940s through the 1980s, a beloved actor of his time, along with Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky Nelson, Hugh Beaumont and Barbara Billingsley (“Leave it to Beaver”), Robert Young and Jane Wyatt (“Father Knows Best”), Shirley Booth and many others, because they were America’s first TV families when television was in its infancy. TV was a small box with black and white images that offered up good, wholesome entertainment that post-World War II families savored.
       So, my book is a combination autobiography and biography of my celebrity father and yet it’s also his autobiography because for the first time his unpublished memoirs are here for his many fans to enjoy. We start with one of Dad’s better-known roles as “Mr. B” in the 1960s TV series, “Hazel.”
      The chemistry between Dad and Shirley Booth (as Hazel) was magical. It wasn’t just good acting—you could feel the chemistry—something very rare in any production. I got to be in the first episode of “Hazel” playing the part of one of “Harold’s” friends all decked out in football gear—no speaking, just a lot of cheering. Some of my friends got to join me, including one of Dick Van Dyke’s sons, Barry. So that’s what they call being an “extra” and for that day’s work we got what all extras got: $36. A few years prior, my brother, sisters and I also were extras on the “Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.” As brother Dave reminds me, we each got $20.
       Being in the first episode of my father’s own TV series was an important event in my life for a number of reasons. I learned a number of things that would be helpful later in my own TV production career. First, it can take several hours to film 20 seconds of what you see on the screen; some actors learn their lines before shooting the scene and some do not. Dad did; Shirley, not always. I learned how they can fake a shot. One of the scenes I watched them film was a character kicking a football clear across the field into somebody’s chimney. Well, the actor really didn’t have to do that—it was done later with special effects.
      I also got to be at work with my father for a day, something not all kids have the opportunity to do. I got to know the assistant director and second assistant director, both of whom would later be my supervisors at Paramount Television—Herb Wallerstein and Bob Rosenbaum. They were some of the best bosses I ever had. Besides being vice president of Paramount TV production, Herb directed several episodes of “Star Trek” and “Happy Days.”
     The role of “Mr. B” lasted four seasons, from 1961 to 1965. In Dad’s contract for the last season, his agent was able to negotiate a ten percent participation of the ’65 season for which the estate still receives royalties. However, beginning with the fifth season, NBC sold the show to CBS and presumably, as part of a cost-cutting move, the network switched the format eliminating the roles played by Dad and Whitney Blake as Mrs. Baxter. History has shown, and many comments on my Don DeFore Fan Club Facebook group have proven, removing them
from the show was not such a wise move. As proof, “Hazel” lasted for only one more season with the new cast as ratings plummeted.
     Speaking of “Hazel” royalties, I was contacted in January of 2018 by a film production company preparing to produce a documentary about the late singer and actress, Whitney Houston. There have been a number of Houston documentaries produced, this was the 2018 production directed by Oscar-winning director, Kevin Macdonald. They wanted to license the use of about twenty seconds of a “Hazel” scene with Dad and Whitney Blake. What the heck would that have to do with Whitney Houston? It turns out her parents named her after Whitney Blake! Talk about out of left field! Sure, just make the check out to the DeFore Family Trust. Thanks Dad!

Reason for Concern: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina
Publisher:  Brandt Street Press (August, 2019)
Category: Cozy Mystery, Women Sleuths
Tour dates: October & November, 2019
ISBN:978-1-950836-01-7
Available in Print and ebook, 240 pages
Description Reason for Concern: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita KulinaMrs. B is back on the case with a new mystery to solve!
People don’t vanish into thin air.  Yet no one has seen Alice since St. Mary’s Senior Center had their Supper Club outing on Sunday.  As Mrs. B learns more about her friend, the disappearance seems to involve a burglary, an emerald necklace and maybe even a motorcycle gang.
Where in heaven’s name is Alice?
Buy Reason for Concern: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina
Amazo | BarnesandNoble | IndieBound

       " I don’t know Alice very well,” Mrs. B said. “Is she the kind of person who would do this, disappear and you’d have to go look for her?” She pulled an old, faded blue handkerchief out of the pocket of her yellow blazer and wiped her hands.
       “ Beats me, I never talked to her before today,” Anne said, then added, “Well, that’s not entirely true. I used to see her down the Legion Hall but that was years and years ago, when I was married to my first husband. You know, on Saturday nights when they used to have the dances. We would say hello to each other there. But then her husband died, I remember he was only thirty-nine, can you believe it? Heart attack.”
        “That’s so sad,” Mrs. B said.
        “Two little kids, too. Alice never came down the Legion after that. I wasn’t even sure she was still in Burchfield until she showed up at the Senior Center last week. Never see her at the supermarket. She must go to the one in Rockwood. And we never see her at St. Mary’s. I think she might be Protestant.”
           Mrs. B was puzzled. “Didn’t you talk to her at crafts last week?"
           “No, no, remember, I was doing that silk embroidery with the mahjong ladies,” Anne said.        “Oh, that’s right,” Mrs. B said. “I forgot. Did you finish that little purse you were working on?”
        “Friday afternoon I stitched the last feather on the fan. It really turned out cute, I’ll have to show you,” Anne said as she reached for the berry-stained handkerchief. “You know, when you told me you asked Lily if the mahjong ladies could show me how to sew like that, I was a little mad at you. I didn’t want to sit at their table. All those Chinese ladies. I never knew any Chinese ladies before. But as soon as I got used to it, I really had a lot of fun.”
         ​“I’m sorry for putting you in a spot,” Mrs. B said. “I didn’t realize.”
        Anne wiped her hands and handed the handkerchief back. “Oh, you were just being nice. I know I kept telling you and telling you I wanted to learn that silk embroidery. Ever since my first husband brought me back a robe from overseas. Oh, it was lovely, Edwina. I wish you could have seen it. Royal blue silk, you know, that heavy silk, with a big parrot all up and down the back.” She swept her arm to illustrate. “That one lady, the chunky one who always wears purple, I don’t know how to say her name, she was so patient, showing me how to do the stitches. Thank goodness for Lily, though, translating. We’d have done the whole week in pantomime.”
        Mrs. B folded the handkerchief so the berry stains were inside and put it back in her pocket.
         “Even with Lily’s accent, I always understand everything she says.”
       The sun glinted off the lion tamer’s big red coat as they rounded the last corner. “Poor Alice,” Mrs. B said. “Didn’t you feel bad this morning when we were all in our cars getting ready to leave and her name wasn’t on the list for carpool? I guess it happened because she was so new, but still. She had to feel awful, standing there all by herself. I’m glad we had room for her in your car.”
      Anne said, “Always room for one more, that’s my motto. But where the heck is she now?” They were at the front of the restaurant again, next to the tiger. A path at the end of the parking lot led to a sidewalk. A few little buildings were clustered along it, a block or two away.      “She must have gone home with somebody else,” Mrs. B said. “You don’t think she would have walked down to those shops, do you?”
        “Let’s check before we head home.” They got back into the car, and Anne put her key in the ignition. “I’d hate to leave her stranded here.”

​Question of Devotion: Mrs. B Mystery by Anita Kulina
      “I found it captivating and funny how one elderly lady’s typical life changes from doing games at a senior center to investigating a crime.
        The characters including Mrs. B are believable. For fans of The Murder She Wrote, Piriot, and Columbo, readers will love this book. I was engaged, entertained, and can’t wait for the next installment. Mrs. B is my new favorite lady detective. Smart, brave, and funny. Overall, I recommend A Question of Devotion to all.”-Danielle Urban of Urban Book Reviews
         “ This is a wonderful cozy mystery. Mrs. B is a sweet little old lady that knows everyone and everyone knows her. Most people might not think of her as a detective but that is not going to stop her search for the truth. I loved reading about her bumbling around on the internet. But I loved the interaction between her and Kelly.
        If you like cozy mysteries look no further. This one has a great story and some hair raising events. I will be looking forward to other books in this series.”-Jessica Bronder of J Bronder Book Reviews
       “I adored A Question of Devotion and Mrs. B. It’s my goal to be Mrs. B when I “grow up. The mystery in A Question of Devotion is shockingly not a murder! However, it was a nice change to have a mystery that involved a robbery rather than your typical cozy mystery book murder. Mrs. B gets involved because the man accused of the crime is her good friend’s son. With some quick deduction, Mrs. B is able to help her friend. Along the way, you’ll meet some interesting characters at the senior center, and you’ll feel like you’re part of the story through the way the author describes this neighborhood. I definitely recommend A Question of Devotion to all of you cozy mystery fans! This one’s a keeper. I can’t wait for more Mrs. B.”-Christy of Christy’s Cozy Corners
         “You know the warm glow you get from drinking a cup of hot tea or coffee? This book will warm your insides in the same way. For those of you who love frogs as much as I do, how about the pleasure you get from listening to the spring peepers at the beginning of each spring? Reading this book gives one the same feeling. Hmm. Is there such a thing as a warm, comforting mystery? If so, this one definitely falls into that category.”-Lisa of Lisa’s Writopia
Achievement in Literature award from the Community of Hazelwood (in Pittsburgh PA)

​About Anita Kulina
Anita Kulina has been writing since she was nine years old and kneeling, pencil in hand, at the coffee table in a house very much like Mrs. B’s.  Nowadays, she writes mystery books.  When she’s not writing, she helps people tell their family stories.  Anita’s other books are Millhunks and Renegades and A Question of Devotion: A Mrs. B Mystery.
Website: http://www.brandtstreetpress.com/booksmain.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anita.k.smith
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anita-kulina-smith-4094812?trk=hp-identity-name

Book details:
Immortal Defiance (Dulcea’s Rebellion, #1) 
by Laura Maybrooke 
Publication date: October 10th 2019
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal,Romance
Synopsis:
        Some things never die. Hope. Heroes. Defiance.
   Things take a strange turn for Dulcea, the elven enchantress turned war heroine and Dragonmistress, when a countryman’s betrayal lands her in enemy hands.
As she awaits her execution, a stranger with mysterious powers offers her another chance at life. Will she die here or risk what sinister fate he has in store for her?
Can Dulcea reclaim her rightful place and lead her army once more? Or does Krath, the man who travels the Realm of the Dead as one of its own, prove to be the obstacle that fells her rebellion?
        … Or will this immortal vampire warrior turn out to be the best chance she has of defying the ancient evil arising in the west?
Goodreads | ~ Purchase: Amazon 

 Guest post: Q. “In what ways has writing affected other aspects of your life?”
       (A.)  Seth Godin is known to have said: “Here’s the thing: The book that will most change your life is the book you write.” I believe this is true. Writing has touched many aspects of my life and made me, I dare say, better because of it. I have been writing for about 25 years now, and I believe this has made me more productive and more emotionally aware. During that time, I have learned a lot about myself and learned a whole slew of things I otherwise would not know. Writing has been an escape, a comfort, a thrill, and a friend. It has helped me score good grades in school and pull off a few university-level diplomas.
        Here are a few ways in which I believe writing has affected my life:
       More knowledgeable Medieval history. Availability of different products in the olden days. Ancient war tactics. First pianofortes. Different ways to color fabrics. Names for the different parts of a sword. Weight of metals. Poisonous plants. These and many more are all subjects I have researched for the fantasy romance adventure series Dulcea’s Rebellion, of which Immortal Defiance is the first book. Writing makes you curious, not only about things pertaining to your current writing project, but about the world in general. You never know when something you read can help move your story forward.
         A better career.  Until the beginning of this year, writing has been only a hobby for me. I completed several books over the years, but I never seriously thought they would ever be published. I work fulltime, and I love my job. Writing, however, has made me more eloquent, and gotten me interviews and opportunities early in my career I don’t think I otherwise would have gotten at that time. I have been asked by a future boss if I wrote for hobby – that they could see if from my application. Flexing my creative muscle has led me to new opportunities, and I firmly believe I would not have had the career path to the position I now enjoy at work without the creativity and thirst for knowledge that writing has helped to bolster in me.
            Never lack a thing to do I have a favorite fridge magnet, according to it: “I live in my own little world. But it’s ok, they know me here”. I am never bored or without a thing to do. Even if all other plans for entertainment fail me, I can always escape to a world of my own. These characters are so familiar to me they almost feel real, and I have laughed, loved, and grieved along with them. Pen a few stories, and I’ll guarantee you, too, will never again be without company.
          Learn dedication and persistence. To be the best you can at something, whether writing or something else, it requires persistence and dedication. Few people are innately so talented they do not need to work for their success. Whatever your craft, you will necessarily face some critique at some point in your career of it, but you must not let it dampen your spirits. Like Roy T. Bennett said: “The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried. Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” I have despaired over my work, agonizing over no word being good enough for print, but I have persisted through those times. It is natural to feel defeated by your craft sometimes, but by not giving up, you learn to hone it through dedication and persistence. That is what I feel has happened to me; I am much more tenacious and persistent than I would be without having been a writer for 25 years.

​About Rand Bishop:
​    Oregon native Rand Bishop is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, platinum music producer, musician/singer, author, and lifelong activist for peace, justice, and equality. In his 45 years as a music-business professional, Rand recorded for major labels, shared stages and harmonized with legends, contributed compositions to more than a dozen feature-film and TV soundtracks, several stage musicals, and amassed more than 300 tunesmithing credits.
        Rand has authored five published books, is an optioned, award-winning screenwriter, a produced playwright, and, for six years, penned a bi-monthly column for American Songwriter Magazine. He has served on the boards of directors of three non-profits and currently acts as music director for the Central Oregon Coast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. In June, 2019, Rand premiered his original, one-man, musical, stage performance, TREK on Stage.
Website: http://www.randbishoptrek.com/   | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randbishoppage/

     REVIEW by LAWonder10:
​             This new book of the Chris Matheson series did not disappoint.
​          Once again, talented author, Lauren Carr, has delighted her readers with a humorous, slightly outrageous, entertaining mystery/suspence novel. 
          When Chris Maheson discovers a first edition book of The Last Thing She Said, by the long deoarted Mercedes Livingston, in addition to an accompanying letter, he was determined to fulfill the request to find the "real killer". By doing so, a decades old "cold case" would have to be opened. Needing the help of past friends, Chris was able to discover shocking events.
           The mysteries keep evolving and the adventure never ceases. Once again, Lauren Carr keeps her readers guessing until the last page.
        Lauren added two characters toward the end of the book, meant to add intrigue, but to me it was distracting. My mind kept trying to remember what part they played in the series. At the end  it ties them in, but by thrn I was frustrated.
            The characters were all so well developec, the reader forgets they aren'nt truly real. The background scenes are portrayed so they are easily visualized.
              This is a fast paced tale. There are adult stuations, a word of "strong language", but there is no explicit sex scenes.
               I offer a Four Stars rating for this book.
*This book was gifted me with no pressure to write a positive review. This is my honest review. I totally enjoy reading all of this author's books.

Meet the author:    
Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Thorny Rose, Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries—over twenty titles across four fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.
Connect with the author:   
Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Instagram

BOOK SUMMARY:
     Hired to protect her
     …unable to resist her
    The job sounds simple: teach a businessman’s daughter how to stay safe. But former navy SEAL turned bodyguard Kyle Frasier has a personal motive, too. Harper Jansen is his late best friend’s fiancée. Loyalty demands he protect her, not that Harper looks in need of rescuing. In fact, it’s Kyle who needs help—balancing duty with his desire to build a life with the one woman he shouldn’t want…

Purchase links:
Goodreads│Amazon│B&N│BookBub

                   About the Author
      USA Today bestselling author Carol Ross grew up in small town America right between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains, in a place where you can go deep sea fishing in the morning and then hit the ski slopes the same afternoon. The daughter of what is now known as free range parents, she developed a love of the outdoors at a very early age. As a writer, Carol loves to breathe the life she has lived into the characters she creates, grateful for the “research material” that every questionable decision, adrenaline-charged misstep, and near-death experience has provided.
Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│BookBub

  Christmas Eve Secret: Time Travel Novel by Elyse Douglas
Publisher:  Broadback (September 16, 2019)
Category: Time Travel, Historical Fiction, Romance, Christmas
Available in Print and ebook, 440 pages | Tour Dates: October-November, 2019
Description:
      A mysterious man from the past steals the time travel lantern.
When Eve and Patrick find it, they destroy it.
     Eve’s life is shattered.
     She must return to the past, where secrets await.
    In the third novel of THE CHRISTMAS EVE series, Eve and Patrick Gantly are living a normal life in 2019 New York, preparing to celebrate the Christmas season.  Patrick is taking courses in forensic psychology and Eve continues to work as a nurse practitioner.  To their delight, she is three months pregnant.
    Despite their happiness, Eve is having premonitions that something dreadful is about to occur.  Concerned about the future and the safety of their child, she insists that they destroy the time travel lantern.  Patrick is more cautious.
     One afternoon when Patrick is out, a sinister man breaks into the apartment and forces Eve to give him the lantern.  In many ways, Eve is relieved the lantern is gone.  She hopes they can now live a more normal life.
    A day later, Patrick shadows a woman who has been staking out the Gantly’s brownstone apartment, and he confronts her.  To his and Eve’s utter shock, they learn that Lucy Rose is from 1924 and that she time-traveled with the man who took the lantern.  He returned to 1924, but she chose to stay behind.  She offers to sell the lantern back to Eve and Patrick, and they reluctantly agree, hoping to keep it out of unscrupulous hands.
     Convinced that the lantern is a threat to their future happiness, Eve and Patrick decide to destroy it.
    But the lantern has more power than they could have ever imagined.  Once the lantern is destroyed, Eve’s life is completely changed.  She must set off on an adventure, in a struggle that will return her to the past, where she will learn the secret of the lantern’s origin and delve into the farthest reaches of her heart.
Buy Christmas Eve Secret: Time Travel Novel by Elyse Douglas Amazon

REVIEW by LAWonder10:
Time travel at its best!
Patrick and Eve were in love, expecting a baby and living very comfortably in upper New York City. It felt too perfect and Eve had a foreboding feeling that something was going to upset this utopian existence. Little did she know the part she would play in shattering this existence.

Elyse Douglas effectively captures the reader's interest and maintains the steady flow of events and suspense throughout her novels. Each of this series can be read as a stand alone", but by doing so, the reader will definitely lose the full impact of this romantic escapes into the past, always risking landing in the wrong place in time.

The scenario in this third book, threatens to undo all the progress and happiness Eve has experienced. The reader will be emotionally "moved" and kept in suspense until the enD.

As always, the characters are very diverse, yet realistic in a way the reader will feel connected to them. The scenes are very visually portrayed, as well.

The Book Cover and Title are simple, but very applicable to the story. The cover will easily catch the "browser's" eye.

There are a few crude words but it is, mostly, clean and Young Adults will find this entertaining, too. The only other negative would be that during the midst of the book, it felt a little too "wordy" and slightly repetitive.

This earns a Four Stars rating.
*This book was gifted me with no pressure to offer a positive review. This is my honest review.
​

​~~~~~~~~    Praise Christmas Eve Letter..............     ~~~~~~~~~
Time Travel Novel by Elyse Douglas“If you are a fan of authors such as Nicholas Sparks and  Marybeth Whalen, or H.G. Wells or Jack Finney, you need to add this book to your shelves.
This is a romantic suspense novel with many dangerous and tense moments. As always, when one travels in time, the concern of consequences and potential changes to history and the future weigh heavily on both the traveler’s and readers’ minds.  Those worries added to the atmosphere but were also handled skillfully. I smiled at a certain twist of color. It is a perfect bookclub read.”-Laura’s Interests
“The Christmas Eve Letter is a beautiful, poignant story. It is well written and will have you turning the pages eagerly.
All of the characters are well thought out, and believably written, together with the well-constructed scenery, that has you feeling as if you yourself have just stepped into the past.
The story is unique and moving. It will hold you long after you turn the last page. A perfect Christmas tale of love and hope.”-Whispering Stories
“The Christmas Eve Letter is a wonderful time travel book and one of my favorite books of the year.”–The Book Return Blog
Praise Christmas Eve Daughter: Time Travel Novel by Elyse Douglas“This book is the perfect vehicle for a movie, and I can only hope that there will be more in the series. This novel is truly as close to perfection as the reader could imagine! 5 Stars!”–My Devotional Thoughts Blog and Reviews
“I enjoyed the new characters, an update on characters from the first book, and the possibility for more books.  If you enjoy time travel-themed novels you will love these books!”–StoreyBook Reviews
“I am most impressed that this book did so well as a stand-alone novel. Kudos to the author! If you are looking for a good Christmas book with time travel, give this a go!”–Carole’s Bookshelves

​About Elyse Douglas
Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the married writing team Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse grew up near the sea, roaming the beaches, reading and writing stories and poetry, receiving a master’s degree in English Literature.  She has enjoyed careers as an English teacher, an actress and a speech-language pathologist.
Douglas has worked as a graphic designer, a corporate manager and an equities trader.  He attended the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and played the piano professionally for many years.
Website | Twitter | Facebook |

Book & Author Details:
When Love Simply Is (Return to the Home Front Series, #3) by Tracey L. Dragon 
Published by: Soul Mate Publishing | Genres: Adult, Romance
Publication date: October 2nd 2019
Synopsis:
 Laurel Richards, freelance journalist and photographer, on assignment to write about old inns in Western New York couldn’t have been more surprised or stunned when Sergeant Clay Randall, the six-two, blue-eyed hunk she’d had the poor judgment to succumb to on one witless night during a layover in Israel answered the door to the Lily Pad Inn. The last image she had of him was his cute, khaki-clad behind scrambling to leave her hotel room at the break of dawn, never to be seen or heard from again–not that she tried very hard to find him. Now three years later she couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing there–wearing a cocky grin and a white-flowered, kitchen apron no less.
      When Ellie and Travis Johnson, the owners of the inn and Clay’s aunt and uncle, tell Laurel the history of the inn she becomes engrossed in the elderly couple’s love story that began during World War II at a U.S.-Based Military Hospital in Australia. As the story unfolds, Laurel learns that sometimes in the messy sea of humanity, love simply is.
Goodreads | ~ Purchase:  Will be found here come release day: https://amzn.to/2lJxCqU

Previous books in the series: https://amzn.to/2mlLVlL

Excerpt:  Fall 1949 

Every muscle in his body twitched then tightened, as memories of laughter and heartache bombarded him and froze his scuffed boots in their tracks. Five years or a lifetime ago, he’d recognize the voice that still haunted his nights and echoed in his dreams. He was on the verge of leaving the much-needed supplies on the counter and high-tailing it out of there when the burlap curtain drew back and out stepped Ellie Bennett, though he guessed her last name was different now. He’d heard she’d gotten married a few years back. 
“May I help you?” Ellie said, reaching up and combing strands of her hair down over her cheek. 
His eyes strafed her from head-to-toe noticing every fine detail both large and small that had changed over the last five years. He’d often wondered what he would say to her if he ever had the chance to see her again.  
- - -  
He picked up the sack of materials and with a slight nod in her direction turned and walked from the store. Dazed, he clamored into his battered vehicle, shifted into gear, and made it all the way to his worksite before realizing he’d left his wallet lying on the counter. Damn. With any luck, Mr. Bennett would be back at the cash register when he returned to pick it up. He didn’t think he could face seeing Ellie twice in one day. The next time he just might strangle her. She had a lot of gall pretending she didn’t recognize him. It may have been four years, eleven months, and a week since he’d seen her, not that he was counting, but he remembered every single, minute detail of the last night they spent together. The fact that she didn’t, cut to the bone. 
Aw shit. He sure hoped they didn’t look inside his wallet.  

​AUTHOR BIO:
      Tracey L. Dragon is a relocated New Yorker, former Navy Wife, and retired educator who lives in Yulee, Florida with her husband Bill and Mickey, their black and white Miniature Goldendoodle.
    Tracey's first publication came at the age of twelve when the short poem she wrote about the Apollo moon landing was published in her hometown newspaper. After seven military moves, raising two Navy brats, and twenty years teaching troubled youth and incarcerated adults, she is now able to put her full attention to publishing the children's stories and historic romance novels she's written over the years as a hobby. 
      Tracey's Adult Fiction Series, "Return to the Home Front" is a collection of dual-time military themed romance novels: The first three books "Cherished Wings", "When the Geese Fly North" are available in print and Kindle editions now. The third, "When Love Simply Is" will be released in October 2019 by Soul Mate Publishing.
     Her "Military Brat Series" for children is also available with 3 stories available now and additional titles coming soon.
       Tracey enjoys running, crocheting, and spending time with her grandchildren.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Florida Author & Publishers Association.

Author links: WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

​Book Details:
  Dying Made Easy(er): Creating Your Happy Ending by Myra Bennett 
Category:  Adult non-fiction (18 +),  270 pages
Genre:  Self help | Tour dates: Sept 16 to Sept 27, 2019
Publisher:  Balboa Press | Release date:  June 2019
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M (My book discusses death and dying)
Book Description:
    Stories of American prowess in technology and medicine abound. And while these achievements have extended the lives of patients, they have not always extended the quality of those lives. As the older population in America skyrockets, more and more people who have received a terminal diagnosis, as well as those who love them, must grapple with the devastating decision of how they will forestall--or face--death. In Dying Made Easy(er) by Myra Bennett, we are guided through the diverse phases and considerations of the end of life by an experienced traveler who's spent many hours "as a guest in the sacred place of the dying." Bennett, a hospice nurse and certified end of life doula, who has also grappled with death in her personal life, invites us to contemplate dying from many different angles: legal, social, physical, psychological, and spiritual. Her Dying Made Easy(er) is both a handbook of pertinent information and a medley of informed suggestions for us to consider when experiencing or sharing the phenomenon that is the end of life. Bennett believes it is imperative that we--as a community--are aware of how to find help when faced with death and dying. In Dying Made Easy(er), she provides the resources to address this pressing need.
    Bennett, who is the co-founder of Compassionate Crossings in Sacramento, has seen it all. She's witnessed the dying process unfold in beautiful ways, with gifts for all involved, and she's seen it devolve into a series of anguished mishaps that leave the family praying for an early transition. As there are no opportunities for rehearsals or do-overs, Bennett is committed to helping us better understand dying as the last--but not the least--chapter of life, and to helping us dream what this chapter might look like. In her warm and wise book, we learn how to turn this dream into a personal reality that will meet not only our deep-felt needs and desires but also those of our family and loved ones.
Buy the Book: Amazon.com ~ ​Barnes & Noble ~ Add to Goodreads

Book Details:
Sea of Darkness (The Vampire Pirate Saga #1) 
by Isadora Brown & Rebecca Hamilton 
Published by: Evershade Publishing
Publication date: May 10th 2018
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Synopsis:Working with a supernatural enemy is Kelia’s only hope of solving her father’s murder. But her investigation puts her own life in danger.
The Society’s sole purpose is to protect the general population from vicious Sea Shadows, and Kelia’s their top Slayer. But when her father is murdered and her handler insists it’s suicide, she starts to question whether The Society really has her best interests at heart.
Now, to solve her father’s death, Kelia must work with an unexpected ally: Drew Knight, an infamous Sea Shadow and the most beautiful creature Kelia has ever set eyes upon. A Sea Shadow who, without intending to, just may show her who the real enemy is…and it’ll only cost her one unnamed favor to be collected at a future date.
But after her affiliation with Drew Knight is discovered, Kelia is forced to choose between what she’s known since the beginning of her existence…or a dark, terrifying truth that puts her life at risk.
Find out who dies and who survives in SEA OF DARKNESS, the first installment of The Vampire Pirate Saga, an exciting new urban fantasy romance readers of Sarah J Maas and Karen Marie Moning are sure to devour!
Add to Goodreads | ~ Purchase: Amazon

Book Details:
Protecting Yourself from Emotional Predators: Neutralize the Users, Abusers and Manipulators Hidden Among Us
Category:  Adult Non-Fiction | Content Rating: G
Genre:  psychology, self-help, relationships, divorce
Publisher:  Amare Press | Release date:   January, 2019
Tour dates: Sept 9 to Sept 27, 2019
Book Description:
       Steven Wolhandler, JD, MA, LPC knows how abusive and manipulative people prey on the emotions of good people - and how good people can protect themselves. He offers a radically different view of these Emotional Predators and provides practical effective solutions. For Emotional Predators, life is a strategy game to dominate and control, and you are either a player to be defeated or a game piece to be used. Without empathy or remorse, they’ll ruin your life, and traditional approaches will make things worse. You’ll learn 5 essential steps for protecting yourself, valuable guidance for safe relationships and over 30 specific defensive tactics for:

• Distinguishing romance from intimacy
• Restoring your self-esteem
• Removing your emotional triggers
• Using gratitude and humor
• Playing their games better than they do - without becoming like them
• Screening professionals to be sure they can help
• Regaining control in family court
• Breaking an addiction to an Emotional Predator
• Re-balancing power in your favor
• Adjusting beliefs that keep you trapped
• Responding strategically, instead of reacting emotionally

BUY THE BOOK: Amazon * Tattered Cover Book Store ~ Add to Goodreads

GUEST POST:
Using humor and gratitude to deal with an Emotional Predator. 
        When you’ve been targeted by an Emotional Predator – a toxic, manipulative abuser – it is easy to fall into depression, anxiety and guilt.  The Emotional Predator’s abuse is bad enough, but most targets beat themselves up by comparing the way things are with an imaginary better world.  And getting down on yourself just makes you more vulnerable to emotional manipulation, so it creates a downward spiral. 
        The antidote to feeling down because of the gap between reality and an imaginary better world is to either focus your attention on what’s good and right with your life as it is, or imagine an alternative life that would be worse than your life as it is, or both.  Arlo Guthrie made a macabre joke of this by pointing out that it always makes you feel a little better to know there’s someone else who has it worse than you. 
        Rather than regret for what isn’t, chose appreciation and gratitude for what is.  And that choice to feel grateful is always available to you; it’s a matter of where you focus your attention.  Even when you’re enduring difficult even horrible things, you always have positive things to be grateful for.  You can control your imagination and attention.  Use it to help, not hinder, you. (Practicing gratitude is explained in more detail in Chapter 5.) 
        In all things, and particularly in dealing with Emotional Predators, it’s very helpful to find and maintain your sense of humor.  Humor is priceless, free and easily overlooked.  Easier said than done when you’re in dark times, but finding humor in all things widens your perspective and immunizes you in powerful ways.  In almost every case, you can choose whether to laugh or cry at the outlandish things an Emotional Predator does.  Choosing to see humor in yourself and your situation relieves the stress that Emotional Predators prey on. 
         Cultivating your sense of humor is as important as anything else you do.  Humor has been defined as benign transgressions - favorably going beyond limits - and favorably going beyond limits is one way to describe the change in your beliefs that can be so protective.  Humor connects you to your humanity and strengthens your humility, both important for staying grounded and connected to reality.  And when you’re more humble, it’s easier to loosen your grip on the stories you live by and try alternatives.  Finding ways to laugh about yourself and others, including the Emotional Predator (but not in front of him), is a great way to expand your options, relieve stress and calm yourself. 
    Even the most frightening Emotional Predator can be brought down to size and made less scary by the judicious application of a little humor.  If you can’t imagine that, watch Charlie Chaplin making fun of Adolph Hitler in the 1940 film, The Great Dictator.  Winston Churchill is reputed to have said that he calmed his nerves before meeting with Joseph Stalin by imagining him on the toilet.  But don’t ridicule or make fun of an Emotional Predator to his face. 
    Dealing with an Emotional Predator can feel like a deep tragedy.  But tragedy and comedy are the same thing viewed from opposite perspectives.  As Joni Mitchell put it, “Laughing and crying, you know it’s the same release.”  So make every effort to find the humor in what may feel tragic.  Laughter is one of the greatest, and most easily overlooked, antidotes to toxic adversities in life.  No matter how grim things seem, there are always opportunities to laugh.  Today YouTube offers an endless supply of funny clips, from classic comedians of the past to current talk show silliness.  Time spent watching clips that make you laugh is time well spent.  When you’re laughing, you can’t feel fearful, anxious, doubting, depressed or other uncomfortable emotions that Emotional Predators prey on. 
        Closely aligned to opportunities to laugh, there are always opportunities to feel grateful.  Practicing gratitude is useful in every aspect of living.  David Stendl-Rast described this well in a TED talk that’s worth listening to.  To summarize, in each moment there are many things to be grateful for.  That’s not to say that we should be grateful for everything.  There are certainly plenty of things that aren’t so great and for which we aren’t grateful.  But in every moment there also are plenty of things, often very simple things, that we can choose to be grateful for.  In each moment that we choose gratitude, there’s no room for negative emotions or thoughts.  Try it.  Pick something in your life that you can be grateful for and let yourself feel gratitude for it.  Notice how, as long as you are feeling gratitude, the gratitude pushes out all negative feelings and brings calm. 
        Each moment offers you many opportunities to laugh and feel grateful.  And if you miss the opportunity in one moment, the next moment offers it again.  So seek out laughter and gratitude even in the darkest hours.  Choose to laugh and be grateful.  Don’t let negative people impose their negativity on you. 
^^Copying notice for Wolhandler’s guest blog posts
Please freely copy and distribute this post, but be sure to include that it was written by Steven Wolhandler, author of Protecting Yourself from Emotional Predators. (It’s copyright, Steven Wolhandler, 2019) Thanks!

Meet the Author: 
Steven Wolhandler, JD, MA, LPC is a psychotherapist, mediator, arbitrator, custody evaluator, national consultant and retired attorney. He has decades of experience dealing with, and learning from, difficult and manipulative people, and helping their victims with penetrating insight, effective solutions, warmth and humor. He lives in Colorado, consults with people internationally through www.creativeresolutions.org.
Connect with the author: Website​    Facebook