Category: Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Blog Book Tour | “Swan and Shadow” (a re-telling of Swan Lake) by Kaki Olsen

Posted Thursday, 24 March, 2016 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort Publishing & Media whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary copy of “Swan and Shadow” direct from the publisher Sweetwater Books (an imprint of Cedar Fort Inc.) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

An interest in re-tellings and after canons:

I must admit, when it comes to ‘after canons’ and ‘re-tellings’, I’ve started to carve out my own curious niche of literature over the past few years as being a book blogger has offered me the opportunity to find stories I might not have realised were being released. This particular story was one of a small handful of stories I caught sight of on Cedar Fort Publishing & Media’s Edelweiss Catalogue pages at the end of 2015. Shortly thereafter I found Ms Olsen and Ms Ferguson (of “By the Stars”, see this guest feature) on Twitter and it was then, I discovered that both of the authors were contacting me to see if I would be interested in reading their respective debut novels.

It felt quite kismet as I was meant to read “By the Stars” prior to “Swan and Shadow” as I booked my reviews for these stories in the order in which I discovered them (it happily had worked out that I could!) except to say I was blindsided by a migraine which took me offline for nearly a full fortnight this month. Thus, the two reviews are being featured in reverse order – and I am working on the guest feature for Ms Olsen as I finalise this review, as I was equally taken by her debut as I was with Ms Ferguson’s. They each picked a particular plot of story which dearly interests me – one is a re-telling of an iconic story and the other is Biographical Historical Fiction rooted inside a war drama!

The two authors also happily found out they were sharing a ‘book birthday’ and ‘release month’ debut and I am grateful I was able to become a part of their celebrations – as it’s the first time this has happened in the nearly 3 years I’ve been a book blogger! (blogoversary is on the 31st of March) The main draw I have with after canons and re-tellings (or outright sequels) is to see how a writer is going to re-envision what is known (or in my particular case, how they might re-inspire me to seek out the original lateron, as per my own track record, I have the tendency to read the re-tellings first! save Jane Eyre, which I am reading first – with four after canons; all of which is being featured in April!) yet make it their wholly original own creation.

I like seeing how writer’s think outside the box, but also, bend genre and the craft of writing to their own will of insight. So much can be done with a story – from the back-story to the character’s journey to the under-threading of how their world knits itself together. I love the art of discovering authors who are taking risks and paying homage to original canons whilst changing things up a bit to create this dynamic ‘new variant’ of an older story.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Notation on Cover Art: I couldn’t quite get the best impression of the cover art design until the book arrived by Post; then I was able to proper see the distinguishing artistic rendering of Aislin’s shapeshifting life lived as both human and swan. This was quite a beautiful way to evoke the hard reality of living inside two worlds whilst perhaps not feeling akin to either one whilst your betwixt and between. I have to say it brought the elements of her plight straight to light and it’s a great image!

Blog Book Tour | “Swan and Shadow” (a re-telling of Swan Lake) by Kaki OlsenSwan and Shadow
Subtitle: A Swan Lake Story

Aislin's curse is the standard fare: swan by day, college student by night, true love as the only cure. But does true love even exist outside of fairy tales? After having to cover for Aislin during her swan hours, Aislin's twin, Maeve, is willing to resort to anything from matchmaking to magic to see her sister live happily (and human) ever after.

Will either of them get their wish?


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781462118144

on 1st March, 2016

Pages: 304

Published By: Sweetwater Books (@SweetwaterBooks),
an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)

Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse via: #SwanLake #Retelling and #SwanAndShadow

About Kaki Olsen

Kaki Olsen

Kaki Olsen regularly contributes academic papers on zombies or wizards to Life, the Universe and Everything, a sci-fi/fantasy symposium originated at her alma mater, Brigham Young University.

Her published works have appeared in such magazines as Voices and AuthorsPublish.

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Posted Thursday, 24 March, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 21st Century, After the Canon, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Coming-Of Age, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Fantasy Fiction, Indie Author, Modern Day, Re-Told Tales, Shapeshifters, Siblings, Sisters & the Bond Between Them, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Swans Geese Ducks, Teenage Relationships & Friendships, Twin Siblings, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Author Guest Post | Historical Fiction debut author’s novel is inspired by real-life events; thus inspiring Jorie to select a topic befitting the story’s heart! Lindsay Ferguson responds generously to my enquiry discussing “By the Stars”!

Posted Sunday, 20 March, 2016 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Author Guest Post Banner created by Jorie in Canva.

As a regular reader of Jorie Loves A Story you will readily observe, one of my favourite niches of literature is Historical Fiction (view the stories threaded on this tag) and of the wicked lovely diversity of choices inside the gateway of History are ‘war dramas’ which I have a natural inclination towards devouring every sweet chance I have at consuming their scope of heart, depth and strong will to surmount life’s hardships against the tumultuous backdrop of war.
The main draw for me as a reader is the humanistic instinct to rise above circumstances outside our own control and to find a way to thread Hope into a state of chaotic uncertainty. War dramas curate a wide expanse of History – as the four corners of the world have dealt with war and the after effects of how war affects the ordinary stasis of life and the peace which resumes after the battles are concluded. I have the tendency to focus on the World War Eras – moving between America, Great Britain and Europe, however, I am expanding outside of this niche of time this week as I resume where I left off reading The Bridges of Constantine by Ahlem Mosteghanemi as a precursor of concentrating on a variety of war dramas across both mainstream and inspirational markets. The lyrical prose of Mosteghanemi’s classic work of a trilogy rooted in the humanity behind the war and the pursuit of love against the harshness of that reality is what drew me into it’s narrative heart.
The last war dramas which evoked such a heart-centred story-line of full immersion were The Particular Appeal of Gillian Pugsley (read my ruminative thoughts) and The Silver Locket (read my ruminative thoughts) wherein each author took a different approach to telling a guttingly realistic impression on the drama spinning out of the war era they chose to highlight through their character’s journey. Picking up from whence I left off with these stirringly brilliant observations on the human condition and the anguish of living within a reality of hard choices, I turnt my eye towards a story rooted inside an IRL inspiration! This story, By the Stars was one of a handful of selections I personally sought from the catalogues of Cedar Fort via Edelweiss a few moons ago as the conclusion of one year started to shift forward into a New Year.
I was truly inspired by the proposition of how this story was augmented out of a living history of someone’s past and thus, I created a topic for the author to respond too which would knit out the back-story to give us an inside glimpse of how Ms Ferguson approached writing the bones of her war drama.
If you are curious about where my readerly heart has wandered within this branch of #HistFic you’ll be happily ensconced into my archives! (previously read war dramas are collected via this tag)

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

By the Stars by Lindsay B. Ferguson

Deep in the alcoves of 93-year-old Cal Morgan’s mind is an unexpected and intriguing past. Recollections of growing up a farm boy during the Great Depression, learning to foxtrot in the largest ballroom in America, and serving as an infantry soldier in World War II are fragments of his memories. But perhaps above all, a once in a lifetime love story is seared in his soul, reminding us that some things in life are meant to be.

When Cal finally gets a chance with Kate, the girl he’s loved since grade school, their easy friendship quickly blossoms into a meaningful romance. Spirited and independent, Kate keeps a guarded heart due to a painful past, and Cal wants nothing more than to gain her trust. But the WWII draft calls him to the war in the Pacific and with no way of knowing when and if he will return, Cal prepares to part from her for good. After he’s gone, what Kate does next changes everything.

In the suffocating jungles of the Philippines Cal encounters the chilling life of a soldier and deadly battles of war. But with Kate’s memory always near and willing him on he puts his trust in God, ultimately driven to return to her. Inspired by a true story, By the Stars shows that love, faith, and perseverance can overcome insurmountable obstacles.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Proposed Topic for Ms Ferguson:
You’ve crafted an enduring romance set against WWII involving two strong characters whose will to not only survive the war but to believe in the hope of reunion after it concludes is at the heart of the story. It was referenced this is based on a true story – was this one from your family’s ancestral past or a story you discovered whilst you were researching the era? How did your penchant for historical fiction encourage you to write a war drama with such a convicting note of Hope?

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

First off, I want to say thank you to Jorie for inviting me on to do a guest post on her fabulous blog! I’m excited to have an opportunity to share about some of the backstory of By the Stars with readers and how the novel came to be.

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Posted Sunday, 20 March, 2016 by jorielov in 20th Century, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Indie Author, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, The World Wars, War Drama

*Special Event* | LIVE Author Q&A with Aaron Blaylock, debut novelist of “The Land of Look Behind”!

Posted Thursday, 25 February, 2016 by jorielov , , , 28 Comments

Conversations with the Bookish badge created by Jorie in Canva

Late last year, whilst the blog tour for The Land of Look Behind was being assembled, I was exchanging ideas with Mr Blaylock on behalf of what I could host in regards to a ‘guest author feature’ on my blog in conjunction with my review for his debut novel when I mentioned hosting a LIVE Author Q&A wherein we could invite everyone to visit my blog during the day of the interview to leave questions behind for him to answer in the afternoon and evening. This has been done a few times in the past on Jorie Loves A Story, much to the happy delight of attendees and authors alike!

I welcomed the chance to host another event like this one, as it allows a real-time interactive conversation between the bookish and the author whose story is gaining traction with readers. It’s a great way to attend an author event outside of the twitterverse and bring everyone together in a good old fashioned social gathering where the comment threads become the spirit of the party!

I must admit I was quite surprised by the resolution of The Land of Look Behind as I think like most readers, I had a different impression of where the story might lead us on this quest Gideon undertakes for himself, but it’s how Blaylock wrote in a curveball which ultimately changed the course of Gideon’s life which held salt. I even appreciated the ending pages of the novel itself as they were so beautifully composed and expressed; an ending befit of the core of this novel’s heart but it was so much about the journey a soul takes to understand it’s path whilst it’s travelling through a lived life here on Earth.

You will find the questions I wanted to highlight ahead of the LIVE Q&A tonight, which I am hoping will help you formulate your own questions, comments and curiosities! I am hopeful those who are on the blog tour will drop by inasmuch as fellow book bloggers, readers, and writers who want to contribute to the evolving conversation! I look forward to seeing your enquiries and chatting with you, tonight! I composed a few ‘click to tweets’ to help you pass on the word of this event via Twitter; which you will find at the end of this interview!

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Welcoming Aaron Blaylock

to Jorie Loves A Story,

for an Interview

ahead of the *LIVE!* Author Q&A!

Aaron Blaylock

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

FULL DETAILS:

Jorie interviews Mr Blaylock ahead of the 6:30pm (EST) | 4:30pm (MST) live commenting blog event which will take place in the comment threads of this post! IF you are unable to drop back during the time in which Mr Blaylock will be responding to reader comments, questions, and compliments please make sure to leave your response *early!* in order for him to respond! All comments are still moderated by Jorie, who will be on hand during the live event making sure all comments get through! Once approved you will have the ability to post a direct response without waiting.

Readers of Jorie Loves A Story, visitors on the blog tour route, fellow book bloggers and writers can easily leave a comment by using Email, WP, Google+, Facebook & Twitter interfaces without the stress of captcha as I do not use that service! *Remember!* return back to this page at 6:30pm (EST) | 4:30pm (MST) to make sure you do not miss Mr Blaylock! I do recommend subscribing to the comments in order to keep in the loop! The author will be on hand to respond LIVE for a block of two hours!

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Posted Thursday, 25 February, 2016 by jorielov in Author Interview, Blog Tour Host, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Interview & Live Author Q&A

Blog Book Tour | “The Land of Look Behind” by Aaron Blaylock

Posted Monday, 22 February, 2016 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “The Land of Look Behind” direct from the publisher Bonneville Books (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

*Note: This novel came with a happy small surprise: the Marketing Manager enclosed his card within the pages of the book and I thought – how clever! On two counts: to have a calling card for a publisher I appreciate reviewing for and hosting their authors, and secondly, it makes a curiously portable ‘bookmark’! I spy the bookmarks for the novels on author blogs and social media feeds but this is as good as that for me! Plus, all the imprints at Cedar Fort are listed and it’s a nice bit of memorabilia for a book blogger who appreciates the publisher.

Why I was curious to read this one:

Mr Blaylock pitched his novel to me before I caught sight of it myself, and through his initial contact with me, I learnt a few insights about how an author reads my Review Policy. In other words, he gave me a lot of lovely compliments and he genuinely understood my selection process as a book blogger! I was quite chuffed to have seen the ‘other side’ of my blog and how what I am leaving behind in this niche of mine is being translated to both readers and authors alike. It was the kind of note your thankful to receive as it introduced you to a new author and allowed you to receive feedback on your own ‘pitch’ to authors who may be seeking a book blogger.

Sharing a portion of my response where I began by explaining why I would be open to reading an LDS focused story-line:

As you might have inferred from my previous Cedar Fort reviews, I’m a non-LDS Protestant but this doesn’t affect how I approach reading LDS Fiction or Non-Fiction as I review both styles on my blog. Quite happily so, as I am finding some of the best fiction today is coming out of Cedar Fort, not just for the discernible adult reader but for young adults and children (as reflected in my Story Vault; you’ll find many CF authors spilt through the genres).

I’m happy to make your acquaintance and I was especially surprised you’ve pitched me your book by going through my Review Request page! That spoke volumes to me on how your approaching your career and your willingness to interact with book bloggers and reviewers. It’s a compliment to you, in other words! Well done.

What drew my eye to CF in the first place was knowing I would be seeking out a wide spectrum of fiction wherein I would find stories that were writ with a gentler voice than most contemporary releases. Herein I refer to my discourse in highlighting the unnecessary need to use vulgarity in telling stories for today’s audience. I never felt I was a ‘clean fiction’ reader until I started to see such a surge of overt instances of both vulgarity and explicit violence (another no-no in my opinion) in stories for young adults and adults alike. For YA I’m quite particular about what I will accept as far as visuals, tone, voice and expression of story even moreso than adult because I believe YA should spare certain inclusions that are rampant in Adult Lit.

I personally love adventure novels, one of the last ones I’ve read was Ian Quicksilver by a fellow CF author; it re-established my desire to read more of it’s kind, as who doesn’t want to jettison off on a quest?  Previously it was Uncovering Cobbogoth that set my sails for seeking stimulating worlds where characters have to overcome an adventurous oft arduous journey.

At first glance, I love how the symbol or crest attached to your world is a watermark addition behind the overlay of text for your title. It’s a very cleverly pieced together book cover, which I will mention on my review.

Ooh! You’ve given me a time slip narrative where I can soak inside two timescapes at once? I love discovering parallel stories where there are two folds to the context of where we’re taken! Hence why I was so very appreciative of reading A Fall of Marigolds (review).

I was quite chuffed realising this novel is centered around your own personal experiences in Jamaica and how you were inspired by the country which hasn’t left your heart. I can relate to this, as I have a personal connection to Mexico and the Mayan ruins, of which I have blogged about on different reviews; giving out a bit of information about my adventures on each one. The latest was on the cookbook Daily Tortilla. (review)

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

It should be mentioned Uncovering Cobbogoth was my first blog tour with Cedar Fort and my entrance into wicked sweet adventure fiction for Young Adult Lit! It set the bar high and gave me a new standard of what I was personally seeking inasmuch as what I hoped to find in the genre as a whole. So much of what I loved about Cobbogoth has directly influenced me to understand what I’m looking for the most in other works by authors who are focusing on a young adult audience. Upcoming this year I will be a new contributor to a Steampunk blog wherein I will be reading a heap of Steampunk spilt between my new venture and Jorie Loves A Story. The ones I am hand selecting for the new blog will have a specific list of ‘must haves’ I will be disclosing at a later point in time. The rest I’ll populate on my blog but will save the majority for Sci Fi November and the Sci Fi Experience where I purposely showcase a heap of science fiction loveliness each year (since I started in 2013).

The reason I remain transparent on my blog about my choices of what I read for review and the reasons behind what goes into my process to make a selection is to help my readers understand what first draws my attention first and foremost, but also, to a lesser extent to keep an open dialogue with my readers about what keeps us curious about the books we’re reading and the authors we continuously are discovering who are attempting to inspire us to such a level of an experience we will all but beg for more of the same to continue to enlighten us in their future releases.

As I move further into 2016 and beyond, you will find my selections growing more select as I enter into my Renaissance stage of Jorie Loves A Story. Hence why when an author takes the time to reach out to me via my blog’s Contact Form, by email or directly on Twitter (or through DMs) I take stock of how well they understand my reading life and the way in which I blog my literary adventures. If your an author following a book blogger, don’t shy away from talking to us. We’ll all bookishly geeky in our own ways, why not take the chance to open up a convo with us and see where that conversation might lead?

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Notation on Cover Art and the symbolism of The Land of Look Behind:

On the cover and back cover copy is an embedded symbol which follows into the story itself as it’s on the Chapter Headers (whilst alternating with a second symbol just as important and pertinent to the story-line); the way in which the publisher had it as a textural raised (although subtle) symbol is what originally stood out to me about the cover, as it’s three in one: the image of the adventurer in the cave’s opening going into the light of; the typography of the title of the novel; and this symbol that nearly looked like a watermark from afar. In person it has more of a presence and isn’t flat. As it exists in it’s own dimensional space and draws your eye into being pensive of it’s significance.

It took a bit of digging around the internet but I learnt one important bit of trivia: ‘the land of look behind’ is a direct reference to Jamaica as soldiers used to keep their advantage whilst travelling through the country best by never yielding a look-out point in any one direction. They went so far as to ride horses where both riders were never facing forward as one looked forward as ‘one looked back’. This is gives a bit of new insight to the titling of the novel as I personally did not understand the title at first glance, second look or the third reading of it when I sat to read the story outright.

Blog Book Tour | “The Land of Look Behind” by Aaron BlaylockThe Land of Look Behind
Subtitle: A Jamaican Treasure Worth Dying For

Jarvis tried to collect himself.
He needed a plan of action.
Captain Willard had given him strict orders -
but what weight should he give the orders of a dead man?

Three hundred years ago, a soldier named Jarvis journeyed deep into Jamaica and discovered a land of myth, treasure, and danger. Now Gideon, who served in Jamaica as a missionary, returns armed with Jarvis's journal to follow the enigmatic clues with his best friend. But they quickly discover there are forces who would kill to keep the treasure secret.

Travel into Jamaica's treacherous cockpit country in this spine-tingling thriller.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781462117956

on 1st February, 2016

Pages: 320

Published By: Bonneville Books (@BonnevilleBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #LandOfLookBehind

*NEWSFLASH*

Don’t forget to read my *special announcement*

at the end of this review! Read More

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Posted Monday, 22 February, 2016 by jorielov in 17th Century, 21st Century, Action & Adventure Fiction, African-American Literature, Ancient Civilisation, Art, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Biblical History, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Bookish Discussions, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Christianity, Content Note, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Equality In Literature, Fly in the Ointment, Historical Fiction, Historical Perspectives, History, Illustrations for Stories, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Jamaica, Lessons from Scripture, Literature for Boys, Men's Fiction, Military Fiction, Modern Day, Mormonism, Multi-cultural Characters and/or Honest Representations of Ethnicity, Realistic Fiction, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Time Slip, Treasure Hunt, Warfare & Power Realignment, World Religions

Blog Book Tour | “More than the Tattooed Mormon” by Al Carraway This should have been renamed to better describe the internal light Carraway ebbs out of her spirit and onto the page!

Posted Saturday, 13 February, 2016 by jorielov , , , 2 Comments

Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin.

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Cedar Fort whereupon I am thankful to have such a diverse amount of novels and non-fiction titles to choose amongst to host. I received a complimentary copy of “More than the Tattooed Mormon” direct from the publisher CFI (imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Note:

My copy of this non-fiction release was delayed in reaching me, however it was due to illness (December) and the sudden death of my cat (January) that prevented me from being in a position to review this title prior to now. I am thankful the publisher understood my absence from the blog tour directly and allowed me the grace to pick up this book at a point in time where both my mind and my heart was clear to enjoy reading it at long last.

I decided to write Ms Carraway before I read her book:

When I participate in a blog tour, odds are in good favour I’m going to do a lot of research in regards to the author and the story prior to accepting the tour. Sometimes I take a leap of faith and go blind into reading a book based on a blurb or an expanded synopsis; sometimes it’s the mere idea of what I will find inside a book that is enough to draw my eye curious enough to yearn to read it’s contents. In this regard, I happily wanted to know more about the ‘girl’ outside of the moniker of “Tattooed Mormon” as I had a feeling there was a ‘story’ in of itself within the name!

Through my readings of her blog, I felt compelled to reach out to Ms Carraway on Twitter and happily sat thoughtfully before composing a series of tweets I hoped she see and realise someone was trying to send her a bit of an uplift of joy tucked inside a bit of reassurance.

It reminded me of the random acts of kindnesses I like to give to people in my community, as we never know when we are going to be someone’s light of grace or a shelter in a storm they haven’t yet shared with us. We all need a lift of spirit and a bit of extra joy to help encourage us if we’re feeling a bit low or if appearances get us feeling a bit bogged down. The tweets I wanted to send Ms Carraway were the impressions of a book blogger who was soon to be a reader of a memoir I hoped would become one of my treasured discoveries, as when it comes to real-life biographies and autobiographies; the memoir is slowly becoming my favourite. Especially when it falls into a category of “Creative Non-Fiction” where the voicing of the narrative within reads more easily than traditional non-fiction, as it’s more like reading a story of fiction than a true account of a person’s life.

I don’t remember receiving a reply or seeing her account mark my tweets with a favourite, but I hoped perhaps, even if she only read them in a fleeting glance, in some small way she knew to me she was already ‘more than’ the Tattooed Mormon. She was a woman whose light is brightly shining to everyone who walks a life full of faith and the blessings it bestows to all of us. Rock on, Ms Carraway and never feel like your light is dimmer due to your tatts; if anything they are a happy signal of your artistic spirit and the joy of artistic expression during a time in your past they meant something to you. None of us are limited by appearances or choices we made in the past we might regret lateron; the best we can do is embrace all of who we are and hope that people ‘see us’ rather than ‘see past us’ or ‘through us completely’.

Blog Book Tour | “More than the Tattooed Mormon” by Al Carraway This should have been renamed to better describe the internal light Carraway ebbs out of her spirit and onto the page!More than the Tattooed Mormon

Being baptized and following the Lord has made Al's life harder than it ever was before. She endured criticism from friends and family for becoming Mormon. She faced harsh judgements from Church members for her appearance. She gave up everything and felt more alone than she ever had in her life. All because she chose God.

Now she shares an up-close look at how trusting God has led her to places she never expected. As a blogger, YouTuber, and award-winning public speaker, her message has reached millions. Sharing her love of the Savior, Al goes beyond her own conversion and encourages readers to choose God above everything else.

This uplifting book inspires readers to build a true relationship with the Lord that will bring them real, lasting happiness.


Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781462117208

on 17th November, 2015

Pages: 176

Published By: CFI (imprint) of Cedar Fort Inc (@CedarFortBooks),

an imprint of Cedar Fort, Inc (@CedarFortBooks)
Available Formats: Paperback, Ebook

Converse on Twitter via: #TattooedMormon, #BookOfMormon, & #LDSFaith

#INSPY #nonfiction

About Al Carraway

Al Fox Carraway

Al Fox Carraway has spent the last four years inspiring the world with her story of conversion, redemption, and finding faith. As a blogger and award-winning public speaker, her message has reached millions. This up-close look at her life will show you what it means to truly trust in the Lord.

Photo Credit: Al Fox Carraway headshot by Beka Price Photography.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

I would imagine the Ms Carraway I met inside More than the Tattooed Mormon would be the very same woman I’d meet in person. Her personality is electric and it leaps off the page as if she is standing right beside you and chattering with you about her life’s story rather than having a copy of a transcript version of that story in your hands. I wanted to wait to pick up her book when I had come through the stressfulness of the past few months with a clearer mind where I could soak inside her memoir and appreciate reading it with genuine interest. Read More

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Posted Saturday, 13 February, 2016 by jorielov in Ancient Civilisation, Art, Balance of Faith whilst Living, Biblical History, Blog Tour Host, Calligraphy, Cedar Fort Publishing & Media, Children's Literature, Christianity, Creative Arts, Debut Author, Debut Novel, Historical Perspectives, History, Illustration for Books & Publishing, Illustrations for Stories, Important Figures of Ancient Times, Indie Art, Indie Author, Indie Book Trade, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, Inspired by Stories, Juvenile Fiction, Lessons from Scripture, Literature for Boys, Mormonism, Naturalist Sketchings, Non-Fiction, Re-Told Tales, Religious History, Short Stories or Essays, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, World Religions