Bertie's Book of Spooky Wonders by Ocelot Emerson
Publication Date: October 15, 2019 | Publisher: Tantrum Books
SYNOPSIS:
Twelve-year-old Bertie Blount is great at causing trouble. When she's forced to leave behind her dad and friends in North Carolina so her mom can marry the most boring optometrist in the world, Bertie has a chance at a fresh start.

But when Bertie arrives in Pennsylvania, she doesn’t just bring trouble; she brings disaster. In a moment of anger, Bertie unwittingly triggers an accident that puts her future stepbrother in a coma.

Broken and desperate to make things right, Bertie prays for a miracle. Instead, the universe gives her a pair of supernatural sunglasses, a wise-cracking doppleganger, and a terrifying ghost that sends Bertie on a dangerous mission to find the one thing that just might save her stepbrother’s life.
Add to Goodreads  |  Pre-Order Link: Amazon 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
      Ocelot Emerson is the freakish result of a mad scientist's experiment gone horribly wrong. Born half magnificent cat, half malicious human, Ocie escaped from the secret International Prison For Wayward Creatures, and into a deep dark woods, only to be captured by a pack of ravenous ghost wolves. In a stroke of good fortune, the Great Spirit Wolves set aside their natural disdain for all things feline and accepted the cat person into their pack, where they taught Ocie how to hunt and tell bizarre yet heartwarming tales. Bertie’s Book of Spooky Wonders is Ocelot’s first novel aimed at feral and phenomenally gifted children. That means you, kid!

Book Details:
 Silver Batal and the Water Dragon Races (Water Dragon Races, #1) by K.D. Halbrook 
Published by: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) | Publication date: June 4th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Middle-Grade
Synopsis:    Set in a vivid, Arab-inspired world filled with friendly and fearsome water dragons, K.D. Halbrook’s Silver Batal and the Water Dragon Races is a middle-grade fantasy adventure, with illustrations by Ilse Gort, that’s perfect for fans of Tui T. Sutherland, Sayantani DasGupta, and Roshani Chokshi.
    Silver’s dreams of becoming a legendary water dragon racer come true when she befriends a rare dragon that can swim and fly.
    Thirteen-year-old Silver Batal calls the desert home, but her heart belongs to the waters. Although she’s expected to become a jeweler like her father, Silver harbors a secret and forbidden wish to race water dragons. Destiny comes calling when her friendship with a mysterious old woman leads her to Hiyyan, a baby dragon that can swim and fly. 
    Risking everything, Silver, Hiyyan, and her resourceful cousin Brajon set off across the desert to join the legendary races in the royal city. But the road to Calidia is filled with danger, and the trio must band together as they encounter ferocious cave beasts, clever desert foxes, and cutthroat competition.
Goodreads | Purchase: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo |

GIVEAWAY!

Blitz-wide giveaway (US/CAN)

• Print copy of Silver Batal and the Water Dragon Races

This grand prize giveaway - ends June 6th:

​Jagger Jones and the Mummy’s Ankh
by Malayna Evans
Publication Date: May 28, 2019
Publisher: Month9Books
Jagger Jones is a whiz kid from Chicago’s South Side. Ask him anything about Ancient Egypt, and Jagger can fill hours
describing all that he knows. But when he and his precocious little sister Aria fall more than three thousand years back in
time to the court of Amarna, Egypt, Jagger discovers a truth that rocks his world: books don’t teach you everything there
is to know.
Mummies, pyramids, and cool hieroglyphics make awesome movie props, but the ancient court of Amarna is full of over-
sized scorpions, magical amulets, and evil deities determined to scare unwanted visitors away. If Jagger and Aria are to
return safely home, they must find nine soul-infested gemstones, defeat an evil general, save the royal family, and figure
out how to rescue themselves!
Armed only with Jagger’s knowledge of history and a few modern objects mined from his pockets and Aria’s sparkly
purse, the siblings have exactly one week to solve supernatural riddles and rescue the royal family. If they can pull it off,
Jagger Jones just might return to Chicago a hero.
Link to Goodreads | ~ Purchase Links: Goggle Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD

EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER SIX: Dressed to … kidnap?
        “Are we getting makeovers?” Aria squealed happily, hugging her purse to her chest.
        Jagger moaned as Tatia draped a dress over his sister. The answer was obvious.
     Aria was thrilled with the white gown and elaborate jewels the princess gave her, even happier when she got made up to look like an ancient Egyptian princess. Things got iffy when Tatia wanted to shave Aria’s head. Aria didn’t care if kids in Egypt were bald. She was dedicated to her thick curls. After a short but frightening stare-down, Tatia caved to Aria’s will, just as Mom had every time she and Aria disagreed on her clothing. The princess braided Aria’s hair into cornrows and placed a blue and gold headband on her head. His sister looked like a pint-sized Cleopatra.
       “No.” Jagger shook his head when Tatia turned to him and lifted a blade to his hair. “I’ve been growing my ‘fro. You’re not touching it.”
        “You’ll draw unwanted attention with that hair,” the princess insisted.
        “I’m used to that.” He backed away from the princess and her blade. “We know how to blend in. We’re from Chicago.” He paused. “It’s, you know, diverse.”
         Tatia cocked her head to the side.
        “We’re biracial,” he explained. “Our mom is black, and our dad is white.”
        The princess shrugged. “Your hair is fine, Jagger Jones. But it’s not long enough to braid. We must cut it.”
        “I don’t want to cut it.” He put his hands on his head. The last time someone had suggested Jagger cut his hair, he was sitting on a stage with five other kids, staring out at an audience. A guy from the opposing debate team used Jagger’s hair in his argument, comparing the government’s need to trim its “out of control” budget with Jagger’s supposed need for a haircut. Jagger never forgot how it felt to be singled out for something that was a part of him in front of all those people. Kids snickered, judges wiggled in discomfort, and Grams sagged with sadness. Mom looked like she wanted to go all mama bear on the kid. But it was Gramps’ reaction that steeled Jagger’s spine. Gramps smiled. And that smile gave Jagger exactly what he needed in that moment. His hair might not have looked like that of the other.

ABOUT the AUTHOR:
​    Malayna Evans is the author of the middle grade time travel series, Jagger Jones. Malayna earned her Ph.D. in
Egyptology from the University of Chicago and has used her background to craft a tale loaded with historical
details, attested ancient actors, and a magical adventure full of gods, mummies and wriggling creatures.
    Malayna enjoys a busy life of reading, writing, and playing in Oak Park, Illinois with her two kids, a spoiled
rescue dog named Caesar, and a dwarf hamster named Pedicure.
Instagram | Twitter | FB | Website

Book Details:
Book Title:  Free Pizza by G.C. McRae
Category:  Middle-Grade Fiction, 360 pages | Genre:  Humorous Fiction
Publisher:  MacDonald Warne Media | Release date:  May 1, 2019
Format available for review:  print & ebook 
Tour dates: May 1 to 17, 2019
Content Rating: PG (No sex or drugs, occasional profanity.)
Book Description:
​      Brian McSpadden is always hungry. Does he have a disease? Worms? Does it have something to do with his being adopted? He spends his days at his crazy friend Danny’s house, hoping for snacks, but nothing seems to fill the void.
      Then Brian receives a mysterious birthday card that says, Free Pizza. He soon discovers the card has nothing to do with food and everything to do with the big questions in his life: where did I come from, why did my mother give me up and is there anyone out there who will like me the way I am?
Buy the Book: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble
Add to Goodreads

GUEST POST:  Wiggle Room by G.C. McRae      When I do author visits to schools, kids and teachers often ask about my process. And I wish I had a straight forward answer for them. In planning for writing fiction, I never seem to get it just right. I either plan too much or too little. If anybody saw the dumb corners I paint myself into, they’d wonder how I ever got a single chapter out into the world.
        Obviously, you can’t plan everything. You still have to leave a little creative wiggle room for the actual writing process. But the wiggle room is my downfall. My brain takes any hint of freedom as license to deviate from all my careful preparations. I think I know where I’m going. But the truth is, I have flung myself into a foreign country. Things are fine when I’m on the plane and in the taxi. But the moment I step out onto the street, I notice there are wild dogs peeing on lampposts. Street vendors are trying to sell me monkey brains on a stick. And oh, look, I’ve left my wallet in the departing taxi.
       To get myself back on track, I think, I just need to write a tighter outline. Check it more often, put myself on a shorter chain. Well, with my latest book, Free Pizza, the chain was far too short. The outline I wrote was so detailed it was impossible to deviate from it without ruining the whole thing. The book gave me a cramp every time I tried to work on it.
       While I was shaking my cortices out, waiting for the cramp to ease, I started on another book, Kana and the Red Pilot. I know, I thought, I won’t write an outline at all! I’ll just have fun wiggling all over the computer screen! Things went well for a hundred pages. I had a great time breaking rules, introducing characters on the fly, abusing the rules of grammar and storytelling for dramatic effect. But when I wrote a crazy scene without any lead-up or precedent, I had to call time out. Why had I written this? What might happen next to justify it? That’s when an outline became my best friend - in order to save my characters the embarrassment of having their impassioned conversations and tender moments obliterated with the click of the Delete button.
        After Kana, I returned to Free Pizza, determined to fix it. And the only way to fix it was going to involve some bolt-cutters. The first thing I did was chop out half of the story. It was my favorite half, but I consoled myself by thinking I could use it for a sequel later, so, no loss. With a simpler arc, I now had the wiggle room I needed to flesh out the characters and situations in a light-hearted way. Whew! Catastrophe averted. Story completed. And, I must say, done far better than my outlining brain ever imagined.
    So how much outline do you need? How much wiggle room? The answers seem to be different for each book. And though I resent what seems like wasted time running after taxis and working things out to the last detail, somehow things always seem to work out.

    Mummies, pyramids, and cool hieroglyphics make awesome movie props, but the ancient court of Amarna is full of over-sized scorpions, magical amulets, and evil deities determined to scare unwanted visitors away. If Jagger and Aria are toreturn safely home, they must find nine soul-infested gemstones, defeat an evil general, save the royal family, and figure out how to rescue themselves!
    Armed only with Jagger’s knowledge of history and a few modern objects mined from his pockets and Aria’s sparkly
purse, the siblings have exactly one week to solve supernatural riddles and rescue the royal family. If they can pull it off, Jagger Jones just might return to Chicago a hero.
Link toGoodreads | ~ Pre-order Link: Amazon

ABOUT the AUTHOR:
Malayna Evans is the author of the middle grade time travel series, Jagger Jones. Malayna earned her Ph.D. in
Egyptology from the University of Chicago and has used her background to craft a tale loaded with historical
details, attested ancient actors, and a magical adventure full of gods, mummies and wriggling creatures.
Malayna enjoys a busy life of reading, writing, and playing in Oak Park, Illinois with her two kids, a spoiled
rescue dog named Caesar, and a dwarf hamster named Pedicure.
Instagram | Twitter | FB | Website

Giveaway!
 One (1) winner will win a digital copy of any previously published Month9Books title of their choosing
Enter by clicking on the RAFFLECOPTER Link below!

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY!

Book Details:
The Haunting of Elmwood Manor (a Pekin Dewlap Mystery) by Pamela McCord 
Published by: Acorn Publishing | Publication date: March 1st 2019
Genres: Middle-Grade, Mystery
Synopsis:
    Pekin Dewlap hasn’t seen a ghost since she was twelve. But she’d do anything to get them back. Starting a ghostbusting business with her two best friends, Amber and Scout, seems like the perfect way to accomplish her goal. Of course, playing with ghosts isn’t high on their wish list, so Pekin has to do some arm-twisting to get them on board.
     Once committed, Pekin and her friends find themselves in deep, trying to solve the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Miranda Talbert. Miranda went missing in 1918, and her spirit has wandered the halls of Elmwood Manor for the last hundred years.
     In the midst of finding Miranda, discovering her budding feelings for Scout, and consoling a terrified Amber, Pekin is met by an angry ghost set on thwarting her plans. Will the Ghosties be able to help Miranda, or will Pekin’s business die before she solves the mystery?
Goodreads | ~ Purchase:  Amazon | B&N | iBooks: 

The Haunting of Elmwood Manor - Pamela McCord 
    I absolutely love this creative story. The storyline is fantastic and the characters convey so many emotions. There is anger, confusion, fear, love, sadness and happiness. I felt all the emotions strong because the characters are so well-developed. My heart was racing and I couldn't put it down.
    The book cover and title are great. They are a perfect fit for the story.
     I highly recommend this story. Teen age and older readers will love it.
I give this book a literary rating of Five Stars.
​reviewed by Vickie

                  Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $25 Amazon gift card

This grand prize giveaway - ends April 18th
Enter by clicking on the Rafflecopter Link Below!

Paperback, 267 pages | ISBN: 1946700304 (ISBN13: 9781946700308)
Published April 2nd 2019 by Tantrum Books

Baseball is Roger McGillicutty’s whole life. That is until he wakes one Saturday to find he is no longer a normal eleven-year-old boy. He’s a five-foot-tall praying mantis.

Roger has school on Monday, the carnival comes to town next week, and his baseball team is poised to play their biggest rival in one week. Being a giant bug will seriously cramp Roger’s style!

To Roger’s surprise, his parents and friends are supportive. Even his dog isn’t spooked. But not everyone’s thrilled about Roger’s change. Some people are frightened and others would like nothing more than to squash him into the ground like the bug he is.

And when Little League officials oust Roger from baseball, his world collapses.
​
When a reporter from the city comes snooping around rumors of a man-sized baseball-playing praying mantis, Roger must choose between hiding his true self or being the hero he’s always wanted to be.
ADD to GOODREADS | ~ Purchase Links:
Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD  |

AUTHOR BIO:
​Tom Alan Brosz actually is a rocket scientist (sort of), having done design and engineering work in the private
space industry back before the private space industry was cool. His qualifications for writing this book are that
he has experience in raising children who like bugs, and raising pet mantises for those children. Normal-sized
mantises, of course.
Website | Twitter | Goodreads

TOUR SCHEDULE.

​

​One (1) winner will win a Starbucks Gift-card!

Enter the Rafflecopter Giveaway by clicking the link below.
RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY!

Metl: The Angel Weapon by Scott Wilson
Publication Date: March 5, 2019 | Publisher: Month9Books

Thirteen-year-old Caden Aire spends his days working in the fields and his nights sleeping in a horse stable, all under the
watch of Metl—Earth's mysterious and artificial second moon, a looming relic of humanity's lost era.
But Caden's simple life changes when one night, a fiery red X suddenly appears on Metl's surface, and the same red Xs start glowing on his palms.
Now Caden must find the only person who knows what's happening to him, but he doesn't have much time. Metl has started on an impact course with Earth, and to stop it, Caden will have to face both the unsettling truth about his world… and about himself.
Link to Goodreads | ~  Purchase Links:
Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

METL: The Angel Weapon - Scott Wilson

This story has so much happening in it you just have to keep reading to see what will happen next. I really like the friendship between Caden and Annika and how important Deber is to Caden.
The characters are well-developed. It is easy to feel their emotions. I was never sure who to trust with all the twists and turns the story takes.
The title and book cover are perfect for the story and I love the illustrations in the book.
I recommend this book to other readers.
I give it a literary rating of 5/5
written by vickie

Giveaway Details:

- One (1) winner will receive a Starbucks Gift Card

Scott Wilson works as a translator and editor for the Japanese news-entertainment website SoraNews24. He
runs ScottWritesStuff, a creative writing livestream on Twitch, and in his free time can be found playing video
games and Magic: The Gathering with friends. Metl: The ANGEL Weapon is his first novel. He lives in the
Japanese countryside with his wife.
​ 
Website | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

Book & Author Details:
The Haunting of Elmwood Manor (a Pekin Dewlap Mystery) by Pamela McCord 
Published by: Acorn Publishing | Publication date: March 1st 2019
Genres: Middle-Grade, Mystery
Synopsis:
Pekin Dewlap hasn’t seen a ghost since she was twelve. But she’d do anything to get them back. Starting a ghostbusting business with her two best friends, Amber and Scout, seems like the perfect way to accomplish her goal. Of course, playing with ghosts isn’t high on their wish list, so Pekin has to do some arm-twisting to get them on board.

Once committed, Pekin and her friends find themselves in deep, trying to solve the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Miranda Talbert. Miranda went missing in 1918, and her spirit has wandered the halls of Elmwood Manor for the last hundred years.

In the midst of finding Miranda, discovering her budding feelings for Scout, and consoling a terrified Amber, Pekin is met by an angry ghost set on thwarting her plans. Will the Ghosties be able to help Miranda, or will Pekin’s business die before she solves the mystery?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42770560-the-haunting-of-elmwood-manor-a-pekin-dewlap-mystery?ac=1&from_search=true

Purchase:
Amazon: https://books2read.com/u/mZLaZR?store=amazon
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130546375
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/the-haunting-of-elmwood-manor/id1452018257?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

​AUTHOR BIO:
Pam was born in Arkansas several decades ago. She’s not sure if that makes her a Southern Girl or if moving to Southern California when she was five revokes her Southern Girl card.  She started writing later in life when she was challenged by a friend to create a book out of his story idea.  Reaching the first 5,000 words was a milestone, but with time and hard work she managed to finish an entire book, much to her surprise.  Since then, she’s written several novels, in several genres. Romance, middle grade and paranormal comprise most of her work. Pam has spent over 40 years working as a legal secretary at a law firm in Orange County, California. Aside from writing, she follows the stock market, buying, selling and trading stocks and options. In contrast to that, she loves trips to Las Vegas where she can spend many happy hours at the Pai Gow tables. She shares a condo with her very own My Cat From Hell TV star, Allie, who manages to exude just enough affection to make her scary feral ways tolerable.
Author links: 
https://www.pamelamccordbooks.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pamela.mccord.9

​GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $25 Amazon gift card

This grand prize giveaway - ends March 7th:

Book Details:
Darcy The Dog Who Talked by Liane Carter
Category:  Adult Non-fiction, 152 pages
Genre:  Pets / Memoir (told from dog's perspective)
Publisher:  Independently published
Release date:  June 18, 2018 | Tour dates:  Nov 26 to Dec 21, 2018
Content Rating: PG (mild language - such as hell, bloody, damn)
Book Description:

I'd never adopted a dog before. I had no idea what to do and this dog needed someone who did. An abused dog and a clueless human, we embarked on a journey of love, struggles and joy. 

"Every abandoned Darcy dog needs a Liane." 
- Teresa Roberts, Veterinary Nurse, Hertfordshire, England

MY REVIEW: (LAWonder10)
This book a delightful tale of the true experiences and memoirs of Darcy, the Dog Who Talked and her owners, with her owner's interpretations of she perceived as Darcy's thoughts. 
Darcy was a "special case" at the animal shelter which Liane volunteered at. When Liane and her husband, Lee, decided to adopt a dog, Darcy was an unlikely candidate, yet, stole Liane's heart with the total support of Lee.
This is not only a story of a strong love relationship of various individuals, but of the blessings which can be experienced by adopting , loving and caring for any who may seem undesirable because of imperfections.
This is a tale one can laugh with,  share compassion with and cry with.
Liane does an excellent job in creating emotions and in relating this story in a captivating way.
The reader can feel a part of her experiences.
Her first book of Tammy, the Little Cat with a Big Attitude was great and very well-written, but I feel this one is even written better!, which says a lot!
I offer a Five Stars rating.
*This book was gifted me, with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review.

About the Author:
Devoted to giving her readers smiles, tears and tension in both her poignant non-fiction and fast-paced fantasy adventures, Liane Carter bares her soul. Author of The Chronicles of Joya, The Dream Devils, Darcy: The Dog Who Talked and Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude, she has written features and a weekly column for Costa Blanca News, articles for Writing Magazine, and has taught over 150 writing workshops. She pours her innate joy into her books and also expresses it in nature, playing instruments, creating art and dancing.
Connect with Liane: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest

Here is the tour schedule.

Giveaway:
Prizes:
1st prize: An 11 x 14 inch print of Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude book cover signed by the author and the illustrator, an 11 x 14 inch print of Darcy: The Dog Who Talked book cover signed by the author and the illustrator, a signed paperback of Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude, a signed paperback of Darcy: The Dog Who Talked, and a $10 Amazon GC

2nd prize: A signed paperback of Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude, a signed paperback of Darcy: The Dog Who Talked, and a $10 Amazon GC

3rd prize: Paperbacks of Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude and Darcy: The Dog Who Talked
(Giveaway ends Dec 29, 2018)

Book Details:
Book Title: Tammy The Little Cat With a Big Attitude by Liane Carter
Category: ** Adult Non-fiction, 140 pages
Genre:  **Pets / Memoir (told from cat's perspective)
Publisher:  Independently published |Release date:  September 28, 2018
Format available for review:  print and ebook (mobi)
Tour dates:  Nov 26 to Dec 21, 2018
Content Rating: PG (mild language - hell used three times like 'What the hell'. 'Bloody' used 6 times)
Book Description:
I was snatched from my mum when I was only two weeks old, and what happened next was bigger than any kitten could imagine.

"A gently witty and charming story which draws the reader in from the word 'go' to a truly entrancing feline perspective on human well-intentioned but frequently misguided behaviour when taking on a new pet."
- Mary Ashton, retired veterinary surgeon

"A heart-warming story that really has unique perspective on the ever-important animal-human bond (and how our pets really feel about us)."
- Sommer Pari, licensed veterinary technician

MY REVIEW: (LAWonder10)
Although this is listed as Adult non-fiction, I have chosen to include it in Middle Grade and YA.
This tale begins with a sixteen year old girl who has finally persuaded her mother to allow her to have a kitten for he Birthday present. What appears to be hopeless is obtained with slim hope the kitten will survive.
This is a very entertaining true to life experience of the relationship between a girl and a cantankerous cat, over the space of many years.
It will be difficult for any reader, whether a cat lover or not,  to resist this love story!
**The story is presented from the girl's dramatic portrayal of this actual event, and from what she perceived the kitten would say if she could verbalize it... After all, actions speaks louder than words, especially in this case!
There was a continual, steady "flow' to the story and it was easy to follow.
The only negative I found was toward the end it got slightly "wordy" and the ending could have had more strength to it.
**This is highly recommended for all readers twelve-years-of-age and older.
I offer a Four and a Half Stars rating
*This book was gifted me with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review.

About the Author:
Devoted to giving her readers smiles, tears and tension in both her poignant non-fiction and fast-paced fantasy adventures, Liane Carter bares her soul. Author of The Chronicles of Joya, The Dream Devils, Darcy: The Dog Who Talked and Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude, she has written features and a weekly column for Costa Blanca News, articles for Writing Magazine, and has taught over 150 writing workshops. She pours her innate joy into her books and also expresses it in nature, playing instruments, creating art and dancing.
Connect with Liane: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest

GUEST POST:  Limitless Reading and Writing
        It’s been a journey. I was blessed to be raised in a house where my parents were avid readers and so was my eldest sister. It felt the most glorious treat, like living in ‘grown-up land’, to read all of their books as well as my own. My sister loved Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Shakespeare. My mother loved historical fiction, romance and biographies. And my father loved westerns, war books, thrillers and Wilbur Smith. We were also blessed with a library at the end of our road and, at least once a week, I would walk with four books in my arms and the memories and feelings they’d given me floating around in my heart, along with the anticipation and excitement in my stomach about the next four books waiting for me.
        I dreamed of writing children’s fiction, to create worlds I could wander in, yet had a belief that ‘other people’ did that. So instead I wrote reams of poetry. As an adult, when I finally heard my soul’s howls that she longed to write books, I started writing children’s fiction. Two of my best friends urged me to write books for adults yet writing for adults seemed too scary. I didn’t believe in myself enough, and my friends seemed to believe in me way too much. So the first book I published was a fantasy adventure for a middle grade audience. The second book, more suitable for aged 12 upwards, was leading me to an adult audience. I was surprised by how much the teachers loved reading the book for themselves when I visited a school to do some writing workshops and book signing. I had started working on the sequel to this second book, when our dog, Darcy, died. My husband asked me to write a book about her to remember her, and a close friend asked me to, as well. Grief from her passing grabbed me and kept hurling me into voids, floods of tears and physical pain. I couldn’t focus on the sequel. So …. I wrote about Darcy. I wanted it to honor her and be as honest as possible. I set it out in alternate scenes writing in my voice and allowing Darcy’s personality and perspective to shine through in the scenes written by her. I laughed, smiled and sobbed as I wrote.
        Halfway through the four year journey from start to publication of Darcy: The Dog Who Talked, I told a friend I was thinking of writing a book about our cat, Tammy. I told her a couple of things about her and my friend laughed out loud and said, ‘You have to. I want to read it.’ And so I did. Once again, I wrote it in both my voice and Tammy’s, and this time there was more laughter and less tears. And without realizing, I find myself having published my first two books for adults.
​

Here is the tour schedule.

​Giveaway:
Prizes:
        1st prize: An 11 x 14 inch print of Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude book cover signed by the author and the illustrator, an 11 x 14 inch print of Darcy: The Dog Who Talked book cover signed by the author and the illustrator, a signed paperback of Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude, a signed paperback of Darcy: The Dog Who Talked, and a $10 Amazon GC
        2nd prize: A signed paperback of Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude, a signed paperback of Darcy: The Dog Who Talked, and a $10 Amazon GC
         3rd prize: Paperbacks of Tammy: The Little Cat With A Big Attitude and Darcy: The Dog Who Talked
(Giveaway ends Dec 29, 2018)

Book Details:
The Journal of Angela Ashby  by Liana Gardner 
Published by: Vesuvian Books }  Publication date: September 25th 2018
Genres: Middle-Grade, Paranormal
Synopsis:
A Middle Grade “Death Note”
“With great power comes great responsibility.” ~Voltaire
I have great power.
That’s what she told me. The old fortune-teller at the school carnival.
I thought I was doing the right thing … with the magic journal she gave me. But nothing could prepare me for what happened next.
Or, for what I unleashed.
At a school carnival, a mysterious fortune-teller gives twelve-year-old Angela Ashby a journal and warns her to use it wisely. Nothing prepares Angela for the journal’s power—when she pours her heart onto its pages her desires come true.
She tests the journal by conjuring a gnome, a unicorn, and a farting fairy and then uses it to stop the school bullies in their tracks. But the unintended consequences alienate her best friend and puts her favorite teacher in danger of losing her job.
After she shares her deepest desire of all—that her parents get back together—her adversary steals the journal, and Angela fears she will use it to bring mayhem to the entire school if she doesn’t get it back.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Liana Gardner is a two-time teen choice award-winning author of the Misfit McCabe series and finalist in 2018 International Book Awards for Children's Fiction. Daughter of a rocket scientist and an artist, Liana Gardner combines the traits of both into a quirky yet pragmatic writer and in everything sees the story lurking beneath the surface. Engaged in a battle against leukemia and lymphoma, Liana spends much of her time at home, but allows her imagination to take her wherever she wants to go.

She fostered her love of writing after reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and discovering she had a great deal in common with the character Jo. The making up of stories, dramatic feelings, and a quick temper were enough for her to know she and Jo would have been kindred spirits.

Liana volunteers with high school students through the International Trade Education Programs (ITEP). ITEP unites business people and educators to prepare students for a meaningful place in the world of tomorrow. Working in partnership with industry and educators, ITEP helps young people "think globally and earn locally."

Her debut Middle Grade novel, 7th Grade Revolution, launched 10/24/2017 and will be followed by The Journal of Angela Ashby out 9.25.2018. Currently she is working on a chapter book series as LK Griffie, with creator Luke Matthews and co-authors Olivia Claire and Jared Cross, entitled Timmy and the Golden Lion Tamarin. In addition to the children's book series, she is working on a Middle Grade series which will be released under the name Liana Gardner, with the first book titled, The Star Warriors and the Secret of the Red Key. Her most recent YA novel, Speak No Evil, will also be released under the name Liana Gardner.
Author links: Twitter | Website | Facebook |  Goodreads |  

GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $20 Amazon gift card

This grand prize giveaway - ends Oct 4th:

Book Blurb:
Nine-year-old Samuel lives alone in a once-great estate in Surrey with the family’s housekeeper, Ruth. His father is dead and his mother has been abroad for months, purportedly tending to her late husband’s faltering business. She left in a hurry one night while Samuel was sleeping and did not say goodbye.
Beyond her sporadic postcards, Samuel hears nothing from his mother. He misses her dearly and maps her journey in an atlas he finds in her study. Samuel’s life is otherwise regulated by Ruth, who runs the house with an iron fist. Only she and Samuel know how brutally she enforces order.
As rumors in town begin to swirl, Samuel wonders whether something more sinister is afoot. Perhaps his mother did not leave but was murdered—by Ruth.
Artful, haunting and hurtling toward a psychological showdown, The Boy at the Keyhole is an incandescent debut about the precarious dance between truth and perception, and the shocking acts that occur behind closed doors.
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MY REVIEW: (LAWonder10)
Samuel missed his mother so much! Hus father had recently died and their finances were critical, so his mother went across the ocean to get investors to help... at least that is what the housekeeper, Ruth, says. It has been months and only four postcards, but no other word from her. What is taking so long? Why couldn't he have gone with her?

His best friend puts some strange ideas in his head which "feed on" his suspicions. He is getting frantic and "out of control"!

This is a mystery/suspense story which addresses to subject of tragedy, grief, psychological situations, dysfunction, desperation, and assumptions, which are not always correct.

The Book Cover and title are "fitting". The cover is done uniquely.
The characters are very real, allowing the reader to feel a part of the take. The scenes are well-portrayed.

At first I had a hard time"getting into it", but as the story progressed, interest increased, and the ending is very profound.

I offer a Four Stars rating.
The publisher sent this to me, with no request for a positive review. This is my honest review.

PRAISE For The Book:
“A fiendishly efficient, gorgeously written, nasty little thrill ride of a psychological thriller. I couldn’t put it down, and it’s entirely possible that I’ll never sleep again. A true tour-de-force of a debut novel.”–Lyndsay Faye, author of The Gods of Gotham and Jane Steele
“The Boy at the Keyhole is sinister and tight, amusing and intense, an emotional story of a sweet boy in a precarious psychological place. A fun and wicked read that is impossible to put down!”–Matthew Sullivan, author of Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

About the Author:

Stephen Giles is the Australian author behind the lauded children's series "Anyone But Ivy Pocket", penned under the pseudonym Caleb Krisp. The series, published in the US by HarperCollins/Greenwillow and the UK by Bloomsbury, appeared on the New York Times Best Seller List, has been translated into 25 different languages and was optioned by Paramount Pictures.Prior to selling his first book, Stephen worked in a variety of jobs to supplement his writing including market research, film classification and media monitoring. "The Boy at the Keyhole" is Giles' first work for adults and the film rights for this book have been acquired by New Regency.
Amazon Page | Goodreads | ​

GIVEAWAY! (my own)
1 Print copy of The Boy at the Key Hole for ONE LUCKY WINNER!(U.S./Can. ONLY)

Naomi doesn't expect anything unusual from her annual family trip to visit her grandparents in Ireland. What she expects is to celebrate her thirteenth birthday, hang out with her friends Ciara and Shehan, and deal with her gran's Alzheimer's. What she finds is a country hit by an unexpected virus that rapidly infects the majority of the Irish population over the age of twenty-one.

Amnestic-Delirium Syndrome (ADS) starts off with memory loss, but the virus soon turns its victims aggravated, blank, or violent. Naomi and her friends must survive on their own, without lucid adults, cut off from the rest of the world, until a cure is found.

But there are whispers that ADS is not terrestrial, and soon Naomi and her friends learn the frightening truth: we are not alone
Link to Goodreads  |  Purchase Links: BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

Guest Post: Which of the characters in this book do you relate to the most? In what ways?
Because I usually write in first person I’m continually placing myself directly in the point of view of the main character(s). In first person you see and experience everything through that one character (more than one character when writing in alternating first person which I’ve done in some of my other books) so you can’t help but feel close to them. It’s almost like being an actor – you need to develop a deep understanding of someone to write from their point of view and know what they’ll say and do in various situations.
In Stricken the main character is twelve turning thirteen-year-old Naomi Seiler so she’s the character I related to the most. But there are other reasons I feel close to Naomi too. Like me, she’s a middle class Ontario girl with Irish background. I didn’t visit Ireland until I was an adult but because I spent so much time there in my twenties—and still visit yearly—I really related to Naomi’s feelings in Chapter One: “Because we spent every July in Dublin, my time in Ireland felt sort of like another life. One with a different house and different friends. But even those differences felt almost normal to me.”
Unlike me, Naomi’s a hockey player and avid fan of the sport. I can probably count on one hand the number of professional hockey games I’ve sat through in my life. I’m not a big sports fan in general but my Dad passionately LOVES the Montreal Canadiens and my brother was a goalie as a kid so I definitely grew up in a hockey-loving family. It’s hard not to have some awareness of hockey in Canada; it’s knitted so deeply into the fabric of this country.

I think Naomi is stronger and surer of herself than I was at her age. I don’t mean that she’s not scared when the memory virus in Stricken picks up steam and society starts to fall apart, because of course she is, but for the most part she holds herself together. In many ways writing from Naomi’s point of view came very naturally—her fears, her loyalty to her friends, how close she is to her parents. I hope readers will feel they can relate to her too.

Link to Tour Schedule:​

Giveaway Details:

• Signed copy of Stricken by C.K. Kelly Martin (INT)