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Place Called Jubilee by Timothy J. Garrett: Book Tour, Guest Post & Giveaway! {Ends 4/22/20}

3/5/2020

3 Comments

 
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Place Called Jubilee by Timothy J. Garrett
Publisher:  Rock Yard Books (February 26,  2019)
Category: Historical Fiction, Suspense
Tour dates: March, 2020 | ISBN: 978-0578471235
Available in Print and ebook, 247 pages


Description:
   Deception, witchcraft, and the secrets of a long-dead former slave churn the life of ambitious young clergyman Coleman Hightower – even as fear, bombings, and riots rock the nation.
   Historical novel A PLACE CALLED JUBILEE tells Coleman’s story as he leaves his mountain home and arrives in Washington D.C. in 1961 as the Civil Rights movement explodes across America. Coleman’s plans for a prestigious life are torn apart by his forbidden longing for beautiful and fiery activist Rosalee.
    His search for meaning turns into a desperate journey that takes him and the woman of his dreams all the way to Jubilee, Alabama – a place where intrigue, betrayal, and murder combine to make Coleman wonder if he will win Rosalee’s love or even leave the tiny town alive.

Buy Place Called Jubilee by Timothy J. Garrett: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | IndieBound

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REVIEW by LAWonder10:
This is a compelling tale of a sad time of history, which many persist in rekindling, even today!

Coleman was a young Clergyman who escaped living a "back-woods" life. He wanted more.  When the opportunity to be a protege for a respected Pastor in Washigron D.C. arose, Coleman grabbed it.  However, in time, he became unsettled and questioned if this is the path he wanted to take.

After attending the Inauguration of President Kennedy, he had a life threatening experience which changed his whole life. He began a fervent search and made new discoveries. Hus life had certainly experienced  a rite-of-passage. 

The author successfully brought characters and events to life in this poignant tale of seclusion,  racism, interracial relationships, cruelty, injustice, hypocrisy, compassion, change, and integrity.

The story was quite interesting, yet,  the beginning third of he book felt incomplete, lacking in a smooth flow from chapter-to-chapter, scene-to-scene. At times it was slightly confuting. The last half had a much improved writing style.

The discussion points are well-made. This would be a very good book for a Book Club to read and discuss concerning the much needed Civil Rights Movement. It was a time where the Movement was done in an effective, peaceful way. James approach was much like Martin Luther King Jr.'s.

The Cover image would not attract most "browsers" but the Title was well-chosen. It is "fitting" and has a curious "ring" to it.

I offer a Three and a Half Stars rating for this book.
*This book was gifted me with no stipulation for a positive review. This is my honest review

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  Book Praise ​​
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Place Called Jubilee by Timothy J. Garrett
​Notable Indie #1 in the Shelf Unbound Magazine 2019 Best Indie Book Awards.

“A very dark time in our history.  Not my usual type of read but could not put it down when I got started. Felt like I was right there in the story. Great read.”-Janice, Goodreads
“Highly Recommend.  Loved this book. I feel I really got to know the characters. Waiting for a sequel.”-LM, Amazon
“I couldn’t put this book down.  I love historical fiction and suspense. This book gave me both. The characters were well developed, the vocabulary was challenging and the descriptive language drew me in.”-CH, Amazon
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   Guest Post:
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Q.:  When Developing Characters, Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?
     
A:     I am honored to be a guest poster on Lu Ann Worley’s Rockin’ Book Reviews! If you haven’t already done so, please join me in following RBR on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, etc.
       
​          Lu Ann and I thought it would be interesting to talk about the inspiration for characters. The setting of my debut novel, ‘A Place Called Jubilee’, is the southern United States and thus the characters are very similar to the people I knew growing up in Georgia. The main character, Coleman Hightower, was born and raised in the mountains of northern Georgia, a place with which I am very familiar because my mother was also born in that region.
      However, it is not as easy as just “writing what you know”. You cannot simply reconstruct someone you know on the page, trying to get every nuance down on paper. You have to take bits and pieces of people you know or imagine and them fit them together in a way that will seem right to the reader.
       For example, there is a character in my book – Granny Mae – who is an amalgam of my great grandmother, my grandmother (her daughter), and a person that I knew growing up. Like my great grandmother, Granny Mae is a conjurer – a folk healer that helped people of the little mountain community with various minor ailments. Like my grandmother, Granny Mae dips snuff. Granny Mae is not just like any of them and is also not simply a sum of their individual attributes. Granny Mae is her own person, sufficiently revealed to the reader so that the reader might think, “Hey, I know someone a little like her,” and thus develop the reader’s own picture of the character.
       Some characters are created to fill a specific need in the plot. For instance, a murder occurs about midway through the story of ‘A Place Called Jubilee’. The obvious question was, “Who did it?’ My novel is not a mystery so it isn’t as if there would be intrigue and guessing about the real murderer. So, I needed to create a character that would be believable as the perpetrator of this crime. As I began to piece him together from people that I know and some I could imagine, his personality started to develop and then it became clear that he would need to have close connections to some of the other characters, thus adding to the complexity and flavor of the plot.
      At times, a character arises from just an idea. While I was writing the first draft of my novel, I read Anthony Doerr’s Pulitizer Prize winning novel ‘All The Light We Cannot See’. In reading this wonderful book, I became inspired to include elements of magical realism in my book. This led to the creation of my character Martelle Fletcher who is a root doctor – someone who is paid to cast spells.
     Another inspiration for characters can be the need to create a certain atmosphere. In my novel, when Coleman first arrives in Jubilee, Alabama, I wanted to set the tone of the place as slightly off, crazy in a way, with an old sepia-toned tint. Two characters, Roscoe and Shot, help create this sense as they sit in the shimmering heat of the deep South and play old blues songs on guitar and harmonica.
     Creating and fleshing out compelling and believable characters is one of the true joys of writing. I hope you will take note of the way that authors communicate enough about a character for us to understand her but not so much that we aren’t allowed to use our imaginations.
      Also, I hope that you will read my novel ‘A Place Called Jubilee’ and become acquainted with some of the characters that I have come to know very well.
Timothy J. Garrett


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About Timothy J. GarrettAward winning author, Timothy J. Garrett lives with his wife Cynthia in his native northeast Georgia where he spent 16 years working as an E.R. physician and is now a healthcare executive. History and historical fiction are his writing passions though his influences include Southern gothic luminaries like Cormac McCarthy, William Faulkner, and Flannery O’Connor.
While Tim has written extensively for the healthcare industry, the award-winning A PLACE CALLED JUBILEE is his first published novel.
Website: http://timothyjgarrett.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drtimjgarrett
Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtimjgarrett

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Giveaway Place Called Jubilee by Timothy J. GarrettThis giveaway is for the winner’s choice of print or ebook however, print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners.
​This giveaway ends April 22, 2020, midnight pacific time.
Enter the Giveaway HERE!


Follow Place Called Jubilee by Timothy J. Garrett TourTeddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Mar 3 Kickoff & Interview
Bookgirl Goodreads Mar 4 Review
Lorraine Amazon Mar 4 Review (postponed)
Emily The Many thoughts of a reader Mar 5 Review
Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews Mar 6 Review & Guest Post
O1Goodreads Mar 9 Review
Dawn Bound 4 Escape Mar 13 Guest Review
Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Mar 16 Review
Dee Donadee’s Corner Mar 18 Review
Susan Amazon Mar 20 Review
Jas International Book Reviews Mar 24 Review & Interview
Kathleen Celticlady’s Reviews Mar 27 Guest Review
Betty Toots Book Reviews Apr 3 Review & Excerpt
Gud Reader Goodreads Apr 8 Review
Mindy Room Without Books is Empty Apr 21 Review
Elizabeth Amazon Apr 22 Review
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3 Comments

The Circle of The Pack by Jane S. Morrissey Book Tour!

3/5/2020

0 Comments

 
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Circle of the Pack by Jane S. Morrissey
Publication Date: March 4, 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal Romance
​
SYNOPSIS:
    The mysterious and elusive Maliha Courtlandhas ensnared Ash Montgomery and he’s not happy
about it. When she disappears, he is the only one who
can track her. What he finds will change his life forever.
       Not long after her recovery from a brutal demon
attack, Maliha finds herself a prisoner. As she fights
for her sanity, she uncovers a part of herself she
never could have imagined. Ash may be the one
person who can keep her safe, but what will he have
to sacrifice in the process?
AMAZON | ADD to GOODREADS 

Links to the First Two Books in the Series:
Circle of Flames (#2)
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2A5MRyD

Circle of Dreams (#1)
Amazon: https://amzn.to/2A7bQSj
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     EXCERPT
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Mali’s arm twisted painfully and her skin brushed against cracked leather. The car. I’m in a car.
Awareness crept into a corner of her mind like a spindle of light in the darkness. The image of her father got closer, his fist raised to strike her. With her last ounce of sanity, Mali reached through space and time to the deepest connection in her soul.
Without warning Ash was there. His warmth and strength poured into her fractured mind, soothing and calming. His spicy, masculine scent replaced her father’s twisted stench. His playful smile, green eyes sparkling with humor, replaced the menace of her father’s fist.
She grabbed on to his energy with all she had. This was one of her few psychic abilities. She could follow an energy thread, however minimal, back to its source and locate it in space. She just had to use it differently.
Blocking out the invasion of her mind, she focused on Ash, allowing his essence to pour into her, his age and wisdom to light her from within. His unfailing sense of duty and justice became pure light, chasing away the shadows and sending nightmarish memories into hiding.
Her eyes snapped open, flashing fire as she stared back at the man in the front seat. His dark, twisted magic swelled and she fought it down. Cool soothing energy calmed her. Ash’s strength filled her.
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​About the Author
Jane Morrissey is a paranormal romance writer who loves romance, magic, and writing. Her paranormal romantic mysteries will keep you reading late into the night. Jane spends her time writing, enjoying the glorious California Coast near her home and spending as much time as she can with family and friends. 

Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest |  Goodreads | Website |  Book |

You may find the tour schedule here. 
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0 Comments

Second Chance for the Single Dad by Carol Ross Book Blitz & Giveaway! {Ends 3/6/20}

3/1/2020

1 Comment

 
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Second Chance for the Single Dad By Carol Ross
Contemporary Romance | Paperback & ebook, 368 Pages
March 1st 2020 by Harlequin Heartwarming
SYNOPSIS:
    She’ll save him a dance…
    …if he follows his heart.
    Dance teacher Camile Wynn has a new student. Reclusive Rhys McGrath is learning to waltz so he can take his orphaned niece to a father-daughter dance. Camile is surprised by her connection with him, but there’s a generous heart behind Rhys’s awkward exterior. When she learns Rhys could lose custody of his niece, Camile goes behind his back to help him…but will her lies end up hurting him instead?

(Affiliate links included.)
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Harlequin | iBooks | Kobo

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OTHER BOOKS in the SERIES:
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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

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Giveaway Details:​

One winner will receive a $25 Amazon e-Gift Card and a copy of Second Chance for the Single Dad (signed print copy if US/CAN, ebook if international)
Ends March 6, 2020

To Enter the Giveaway, click on HERE!

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