Category Archives: Author Tours

Mother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh Ha: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on November 24th, 2021

Mother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh HaA Mother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh Ha

Publisher: C&R Press (October 15, 2021)
Category: Linked Short Stories, Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction
Tour dates: October 11-November 24, 2021
ISBN: 978-1949540239
Available in Print and ebook, 150 pages
A Mother’s Tale and Other Stories

Description Mother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh Ha

A Mother’s Tale is a tale of salvaging one’s soul from received and inherited war-related trauma. Within the titular beautiful story of a mother’s love for her son is the cruelty and senselessness of the Vietnam War, the poignant human connection, and a haunting narrative whose set ting and atmosphere appear at times otherworldly through their land scape and inhabitants.

Captured in the vivid descriptions of Vietnam’s country and culture are a host of characters, tortured and maimed and generous and still empathetic despite many obstacles, including a culture wrecked by losses. Somewhere in this chaos readers will find a tender link between the present-day survivors and those already gone. Rich and yet buoyant with a vision-like quality, this collection shares a common theme of love and loneliness, longing and compassion, where beauty is discovered in the moments of brutality, and agony is felt in ecstasy.

Praise Mother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh Ha

WINNER C&R PRESS 2021 FICTION AWARD

“. . . a highly recommended literary work for those who seek fictional pieces embedded with the spirit and history of the Vietnam War and the nation. . . . This juxtaposition of pain and beauty runs through every story and makes them impossible to put down and hard to forget. . . . Literary collections strong in Asian cultural representation should consider A Mother’s Tale & Other Stories a key acquisition.—Midwest Book Review

“The eleven linked short stories of this collection revisit the complexities of the controversial Vietnam War. . . . The author navigates this amalgam of the living, the dead, and those caught in a hard limbo between the two extremes with grace and a superb sense of dramatic rhythm. . . . This compelling collection could only be imagined and written from the perspective of a native intimately familiar with his national culture and history, making this a must-read for anyone interested in the French Indochina and Vietnam conflicts.”—The US Review of Books

“It is often the second generation, the children of immigrants and refugees, who add their stories to enrich and expand the American literary canon. The best of them also add to and expand the human canon—a feat Khanh Ha accomplishes with grace and power in this collection.”—Wayne Karlin, winner of the Juniper Prize in Fiction

“In these eleven poetic tales, Khanh Ha individualizes the Vietnam War and makes it hauntingly real. . . . Told with Heming- way-esque simplicity, these stories assail us like ghosts and linger way beyond their initial reading.”—James Hanna, author of The Siege and Call Me Pomeroy.

About Khanh HaMother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh Ha

Khanh Ha is the author of Flesh, The Demon Who Peddled Longing, and Mrs. Rossi’s Dream. He is a seven-time Pushcart nominee, finalist for the Mary McCarthy Prize, Many Voices Project, Prairie Schooner Book Prize, and The University of New Orleans Press Lab Prize. He is the recipient of the Sand Hills Prize for Best Fiction, the Robert Watson Literary Prize in Fiction, and the Orison Anthology Award for Fiction. Mrs. Rossi’s Dream, was named Best New Book by Booklist and a 2019 Foreword Reviews INDIES Silver Winner and Bronze Winner.  A Mother’s Tale & Other Stories has already won the C&R Press Fiction Prize.

Website: http://www.authorkhanhha.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KhanhHa69784776
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorkhanhha

Buy Mother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh Ha

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Giveaway Mother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh Ha

This giveaway is for 3 print copies, 1 per winner, U.S. only  and ends on November 24, 2021, 12 midnight, pacific time.  Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Mother’s Tale and Other Stories by Khanh Ha

City of Deadly Dreams: Mystery by Elyse Douglas-On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on June 30th, 2021

City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse DouglasCity of Deadly Dreams: Mystery by Elyse Douglas

Publisher:  Broadback (May 1, 2021)
Category: Hard-Boiled Mystery, Private Investigator Mystery
Tour dates: May 31-June 30, 2021
ISBN: B08Y86X4B3
Available in ebook,  250 pages
City of Deadly Dreams

Description City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse Douglas

Dane Cooper, an NYC Hell’s Kitchen private detective, is hired by a Tennessee man to find his handsome, 20-year-old son named Elvis, who has been missing for several months. Though hesitant at first, Dane takes the case because he needs the money.  Dane soon learns that the case centers around a beautiful, mysterious blonde, named Darcy. Against his better judgment, he falls for her, believing she might lead him to Elvis.  Her dangerous secrets trouble him, and he realizes he can’t trust her.

Dane’s investigation turns deadly when he learns that Elvis has left a trail of pregnant young girls, unhappy husbands, and vengeful women.  Dane becomes a target as he struggles to find Elvis and save him from the killers who are closing in. Can Dane save Elvis and himself, or will Darcy’s secrets get them all killed?

View Trailer City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse Douglas

Praise Daring Summer by Elyse Douglas

“Daring Summer by Elyse Douglas is a well-crafted tale that will keep you reading as you need to know the outcome. This story aptly epitomizes the saying by Confucius, ‘’before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves’’.

An interesting cast of characters that helped to drive the plot. It was fun getting to know each of them. Their thoughts and the events that drove their actions stood out making it easy to connect to them.
Daring Summer was an interesting and riveting read. I enjoyed the courtroom drama and loved how the events in that regard that unfolded. The story delivered a perfect blend of romance and suspense. The story had depth and was well developed.”-Nadene, Totally Addicted To Reading

“Oooo romantic AND suspenseful! A very exciting, emotional, twisty, and a little scary story line. The thing is. You really do know “who done it” kind of right from the beginning. But, even with that knowing – Did I have doubts? yep. Did I want to believe it might be someone else? well… kind of. And I just kept wondering – Are they going to catch him? Wait… wasn’t it him? Maybe.
All those twists and turns is what makes this a great book and loads of fun to read. Seriously, right up until the end I was unsure if they were going to be able to prove it! It ended up being one of my favorite books of the year!”-Wall-To-Wall Books

“Daring Summer is a very well written book.  Although you pretty much know how it’s going to end the author still manages to keep you thoroughly captivated. The characters are well developed and interesting. Overall I really enjoyed this book. 5 Stars”- J. George, Amazon: Vine Voice

“Emotional, exciting, sexual, and suspenseful! Exceptional characters that will have you on the edge of your seat and best of all the ending is one that you will never see coming.  A great read any time of the year, just be sure to make time because you will not be able to put this down.”-Dee, Donadee’s Corner

About Elyse DouglasCity of Deadly Dreams by 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: www.elysedouglas.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/douglaselyse
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elyse.authorsdouglas

Buy City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse Douglas

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Giveaway City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse Douglas

This giveaway is for 1 ebook copy to 2 winners. It is open to the U.S. only and ends on July 1, 2021,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Follow City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse Douglas Tour

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus May 31 Kickoff & Interview

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Avonna Loves Genres June 9 Review & Excerpt

Katy Bound 4 Escape June 10 Guest Review

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Becky Life as Rog June 15 Review

Amanda My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews June 17 Guest Review & Excerpt

Denise D. Amazon June 21 Review

Wendy Wall-to-wall books June 23 Review

Nadene Totally Addicted to Reading June 23 Excerpt

Betty Toots Book Reviews June 24 Review & Guest Post

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Nadene Totally Addicted to Reading June 25 Review

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Bee Book Pleasures June 28 Interview

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City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse Douglas

Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat by Kaia Alexander: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on June 30th, 2021

Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s HatMockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat by Kaia Alexander

Publisher: Waterside Press, Oct, 2020
Category: Children’s illustrated chapter book
Tour dates: May 27-June 30, 2021
ISBN: 978-1949001914
Available in Print and ebook, 138 pages
Mockingbird in Mark Twains Hat

Description Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat

Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat, is an adventure story full of animals that talk. Wynne is a precocious mockingbird born in the rural south in the late 1800s. His whole family are singers, but at four days old, he wants to be a novelist just like his hero, Mark Twain.

When crows attack his nest, he’s swept away on an epic adventure along the Mississippi River. Wynne learns to read and write, makes new friends in surprising places, and is mentored by Mark Twain himself. Full of delightful quotes from Mark Twain, this novel for children ages 8-12 shines with important lessons of character, perseverance, love, and the importance of friendship.

Praise Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat

“We LOVE this book! As we finish each chapter, we can’t wait to find out what happens next! I am ordering another few copies as gifts for my daughter’s friends.”- Yaron, Amazon

“With ‘The Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat’, Kaia Alexander is at the top of her formidable writing talents. She has mastered historical fiction, screenwriting and with this, a timeless children’s story. This is a delightful adventure featuring unforgettable animal characters that will become embedded in the heart of every reader. Whether you read this to a little one or gift it to a child to read, this is an ideal book that entertains and enthralls with every page while evoking a period and piece of literary history. I believe that Mark Twain himself would approve! Kaia not only brings her beloved animals to life, but she evokes the universal yearning to uniquely express oneself, like the protagonist of the story, Wynne. Above and beyond a simple children’s story, Kaia weaves in thematic layers that remind me of myth and legend. I guarantee that the characters and story will stick with you forever and inspire children to be themselves, challenge themselves, and learn to write! They may even become interested in Mr. Twain himself, just like Wynne. Or maybe, the kinds of songs that Wynne learns to sing, and that they can learn to sing their own.”-Stuart Volkow, Amazon

“Like all Kaia Alexander’s books, it’s a page turner and you can’t put it down! A delightful adventure with twists and surprises. Love the characters and the illustrations. This is a great gift book for children as well as adults and sure to become a classic!  ”- S. Peck, Amazon

About Kaia Alexander Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat

Kaia Alexander is an award-winning novelist, filmmaker, and writing coach, as well as founder of the Entertainment Business League, who can be found surfing her native California coastline.

Website: https://kaiaalexander.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThisisKaia

Buy Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat

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Giveaway Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat by Kaia Alexander

This giveaway is for 1 print copy to 3 winners. It is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ends on July 1, 2021,midnight pacific time.

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Follow Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat by Kaia Alexander

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Michelle Reading Authors Network June 4 Review

Lu Ann Rockin’ Book Reviews June 7 Review

Cheryl’s Book Nook June 10 Review & Excerpt

Shanna Amazon June 12 Review

Sal Bound 4 Escape June 14 Guest Review

Amanda My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews June 15 Review & Interview

Anastasia Living in a Bookworld June 16 Guest Review & Excerpt

Chrissy Reads a LOT June 18 Review & Excerpt

Betsy H. Goodreads June 23 Review

All Things Jill-Elizabeth June 25 Review & Excerpt

Katy Celtic Lady’s Reviews June 28 Guest Review

DTChantel Amazon June 29 Review

Michelle I Read Kid’s Books June 30 Review & Interview

Danielle Urban Book reviews June 30 Review

Mockingbird in Mark Twain’s Hat by Kaia Alexander

Lighting the Stars by Gabriele Wills- On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on June 30th, 2021

Lighting the Stars by Gabriele WillsLighting the Stars by Gabriele Wills

Publisher:  Mindshadows, November 2020
Category: Historical Fiction, World War II, Historical Romance
Tour dates: May-June, 2021
ISBN: 978-1775035411
Available in Print and ebook, 477 pages
Lighting the Stars

Description Lighting the Stars by Gabriele Wills

A riveting tale of a generation torn apart by war.

Tucked into the rugged Canadian wilderness of Muskoka’s majestic lake country, Merilee Sutcliffe’s peaceful town seems worlds away from the escalating conflict in Europe. But life is about to change dramatically in the Summer of 1940. As her patriotic friends and relatives leave for battle, her small town is thrust into the war machine. Merilee’s formerly tranquil skies soon roar with aircraft from the Royal Norwegian Air Force, stationed nearby to train young men determined to liberate their country from Nazi occupation.  When German Prisoners of War march into her shocked community, they become Merilee’s closest neighbours – and biggest threat.

What unfolds in her remote town and on foreign shores sets Merilee and her growing circle on a collision course with an unimagined destiny. Caught up in the chaos is Luftwaffe pilot Erich Leitner. Shot down during the Battle of Britain and transplanted to a lakeside prison in Muskoka, he discovers he has more to fear from his comrades than his captors.

While her cousin-in-spirit, Elyse Thornton, navigates the treacherous skies of Britain as a Spitfire Girl, audaciously ferrying warplanes from factories to airfields, Merilee becomes quietly entangled in her own dangerous liaisons on the home front. Caught between worlds, with conflicted loyalties and a sense of duty, she joins the Royal Canadian Air Force, Women’s Division, and soon finds herself in ground-zero London, focussing her photographer’s lens on a city under bombardment.

Far from carefree summers on the lake, struggling to survive the relentless demands and sacrifices of war, Merilee, Elyse, and their friends wonder if they dare to risk their hearts as well.

As unlikely lives intersect, ideologies and social hierarchies are challenged, loves and friendships are forged or broken, and countless heroes are made and lost.  But even those who return to the serenity of Muskoka are changed forever.

Praise Lighting the Stars by Gabriele Wills

​“I MISS THEM ALREADY! I love your characters SO much and of course, love the setting. I’m just in awe of how you weave the story, characters and actual history. I find that I become a character who is quite invested in the story lines of one and all like they are my family and friends. I just can’t even put words (though I try) to how much I love your writing.
I’m a super slow reader ON PURPOSE so I can savor, but I just couldn’t…and I tried. I tried to give it a day or two in between, which wasn’t hard with the busy life pre-Christmas, but I just couldn’t put it down when I had time. THANK YOU! It was just wonderful.” – Laura Langevin, Echoes in the Attic

“If you enjoy learning history through fiction, then you will enjoy this novel. It is impeccably researched and accurate historical. Lots of action, personal entanglements, romantic relationships, realistic air battles set against the World War II conflict and its most significant theaters. The author is obviously a gifted writer and a thorough researcher. You will enjoy reading about the many characters as they grapple with their conflicts. I highly recommend this novel.”-Amazon Review

“Bravo, you have written a masterpiece. You write so passionately about your characters and infuse them with incredible empathy. A Bronte reborn, you recount stories with a distinct Victorian flavour. The relationships between the characters are artfully established and realistic. The air battles are real and the air manoeuvres are exciting. Your knowledge of history and the inclusion of many historical characters, Bishop, Massey, etc., make this both realistic and informative.
I love the character of your women. They are courageous, intelligent, super capable, and strong. And I did not know that they were flying planes and helping the way they did.
The air raid sirens, the sudden bombings are so dramatic and real. You describe them so well and with such urgency.” – Ken Hills, author

​“Best book yet! Lighting The Stars shares Canadian WWII stories with world events and the glorious lifestyle of that era in Muskoka. Gabriele Wills has seamlessly woven very accurate historical information into an enticing love story. Her many interesting plots make for an exciting book with a superb ending. As a reader of historical fiction, a person who studies Muskoka history, and one who just loves a good story, I was entertained, and highly recommend this fantastic novel.” – Mary Storey, volunteer archivist, Muskoka Discovery Centre, Gravenhurst, ON

About Gabriele Wills

Lighting the Stars by Gabriele Wills

Gabriele at the location where ‘Lighting the Stars’ begins

Gabriele Wills is the author of 6 highly acclaimed historical novels, including 4 in The Muskoka Novels saga set in North America, Britain, and Europe through the two cataclysmic World Wars and the seductive Jazz Age.

Her passion is to weave compelling stories around meticulously researched and often quirky or arcane facts in order to bring the past to life, especially with regard to women’s often forgotten contributions.

The first novel in her ‘Muskoka Novels’, ‘The Summer Before the Storm’ was the “Muskoka Chautauqua Reading List Winner”

Website: https://www.themuskokanovels.co
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GabrieleWills
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GabrieleWills

Buy Lighting the Stars by Gabriele Wills

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Amazon.ca
Mindshadows Paperbacks
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Giveaway Lighting the Stars by Gabriele Wills

Print copies are open to the U.S. and Canada only. Gifted Kindle is open to the U.S only and Kobo is open to anyone who has a usable account on Kobo. It ends on June 30, 2021,midnight pacific time.

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Lighting the Stars by Gabriele Wills