Author Interview | #WriterlyYours PR presents it’s 1st #blogtour: #ShadowShifts! Here’s a lovely convo I had with the author behind the MG Lit series, J.M. Bogart!

Posted Tuesday, 17 May, 2016 by jorielov J.M. Bogart, Liminal Lights, Liminal series, Morning Rain Publishing, Shadow Shifts 1 Comment

This particular interview has a lovely back-story attached to it, as it truly speaks to how Wrimos can find each other throughout their continued writerly journey! You see, last November I created a special guest post for Priya – of whom was the book blogger I met through the book blogosphere event #Bloggerthon in [2015]. You can see why we hit it off straight out of the gate by reading our conversation from that event! We started to think of ways we could continue to collaborate with each other, and my essay about why I entered Nanowrimo 2008 was one of the best joys I’ve had in articulating my own writing process and journey.

My guest feature became a bit lost in a blog overhaul, but has the pleasure of being re-highlighted this upcoming Nanowrimo (November, 2016). I look forward to re-linking and promoting the post this Autumn, as like I said, it was a definitive moment for me where I could share a bit of my own story in regards to being ‘a writer’ who happens to be ‘moonlighting so to speak’ as a book blogger! We all have our seasons, and this is mine: not to work on my own manuscripts and stories, but to focus directly on the stories currently being published and/or fall into one of my passionate genres of interest – including with prime focuses on INSPY, Children’s Lit and Classical Lit!

The author I had the pleasure of interviewing for Priya’s debut blog tour (J.M. Bogart) has a connection to Nanowrimo herself – as it was her novel “Newvember” which originally winked an eye of interest for me to read! She was also focused on last November – as Priya brought together different writers and bloggers who shared a common thread of interest with the immersive writing challenge whilst providing inspiring stories of how we each found our own path to follow.

I knew I wanted to broach questions that would pertain to the Liminal series which drew a concern on my own behalf but also, to focus on Ms Bogart’s writing voice, style and approach to being an Indie Author. She happens to be on the team of a Canadian Indie Publishing house as well! For those of you who might have as keen of an interest in reading Middle Grade Lit as I do, I asked to host a small excerpt of the novel “Shadow Shifts” to help introduce my readers to her series! I felt this was a lovely compliment to our conversation!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you’ve had the chance to read through our conversation – perhaps inspiring the convo to continue below the post!?

When Bean fails to secure Nadia’s human magic, she puts her entire race at risk. Liminals fade as fast as Shadow-monsters emerge, creating a disturbing imbalance between light and dark. Liminals aren’t the only creatures affected by things that go bump in the night…

Knowing the ravenous appetites of the Shadow-monsters will grow out of control, Bean, Tissa, Pritt, and Ping are forced to deal directly with the dire situation. Armed with the ancient secrets of their people, they band together to destroy their enemies and return balance to their magical realm.

The existence of all things Liminal depends on their success.

Read an Excerpt from the Novel:

taken from Chapter 3 of Shadow Shifts, 2nd novel in the Liminal series Read More

Posted Tuesday, 17 May, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Children's Literature, Faeries & the Fey, Fantasy Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Middle Grade Novel, Reader Submitted Author Interview, Supernatural Creatures & Beings, Supernatural Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Writerly Yours PR

Blog Book Tour | “Camelot’s Queen” (Guinevere’s Tale, No. 2) by Nicole Evelina #HistFantasy

Posted Monday, 16 May, 2016 by jorielov Camelot's Queen, Guinevere's Tale, Lawson Gartner Publishing, Nicole Evelina 0 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours 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 “Camelot’s Queen” direct from the author Nicole Evelina in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

Why I appreciate reading Nicole Evelina’s Guinevere Tale series:

Evelina has taken us into the heart of Guinevere and her girlhood peers, as we walk inside those hours she spent on Avalon honing her talent and learning about the world from a point of view not concurrent to her parents or ancestral home. Evelina re-develops the image of Guinevere and the back-story therein, allowing us the grace to re-examine what we think we know of the characters being brought back to life inside this trilogy. It’s a curious undertaking, because although it’s rooted in a canonical history of literature, mythos and lore; there is a new attempt at re-developing a story whose depths are grounded by the character’s will of heart and spirit of passage through their growing years.

The complexity and the authentic voice inter-combine to bring a scope of realism to Guinevere and to the back-story of her life. It’s a wholly original complex origin story where even if you are as under-read as I am about Camelot and Arthurian Legend, you can curl inside this novel due to how well-told Evelina evoked it’s heart out of the pages she lent us to read!

Mythology, fable and lore can feel disconnected at times to an actuary world if the conception of their perimeters are not fully fleshed out and brought to such a high level of vision by their writers. This is where Nicole Evelina excels as her vision of the story is portrayed in such a convicting manner as to etch your heart directly into the lifeblood of her characters; you feel everything they are sensing and appreciate the direct connection in order to best understand their world. Definitely a harbinger of emotionally writ historical fiction centred on known persons who have inspired many but of whom feel more three dimensional inside this story as they are presented with equal fragility as their contemporary peerage.

The research Evelina put into this work of a trilogy is evidenced by how she chose to tell the story, first through direct sight of Guinevere approaching hard choices and managing her emotions in the thick of it and secondly, through enlivening the background with such scope of depth as to embrace the mystical and mythology of how Camelot exists. She even kept the continuity alive by bringing together the origins of those who call Avalon home with their familial heritages and beliefs; such as I celebrated in seeing Guinevere’s Rhiannon and Lugh arriving in time for her ascension to Priestess of Avalon. The fundamentals of religion and ancestry are inter-woven to the core of who Guinevere is and what she stood for thereby granting the reader a more grounded vision of the woman Guinevere became latter in life.

– as disclosed on my review of Daughter of Destiny, Guinevere’s Tale No.1

Camelot's Queen
Subtitle: Guinevere's Tale Book Two
by Nicole Evelina
Illustrator/Cover Designer: Jenny Quinlan (JennyQ)
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

History remembers Guinevere’s sin, but it was Arthur who transgressed first.

Forced into a marriage she neither anticipated nor desired, Guinevere finds herself High Queen, ruling and fighting alongside Arthur as they try to subdue the Saxons, Irish and Picts who threaten Britain from every direction. Though her heart still longs for her lost love, Guinevere slowly grows to care for her husband as they join together to defeat their enemies.

Meanwhile, within the walls of Camelot their closest allies plot against them. One schemes to make Guinevere his own, another seeks revenge for past transgressions, while a third fixes her eyes on the throne. When the unthinkable happens and Guinevere is feared dead, Arthur installs a new woman in her place, one who will poison his affections toward her, threatening Guinevere’s fragile sanity and eventually driving her into the arms of her champion.

Amid this tension a new challenge arises for the king and queen of Camelot: finding the Holy Grail, a sacred relic that promises lasting unity. But peace, as they will soon learn, can be just as dangerous as war. As the court begins to turn on itself, it becomes clear that the quest that was to be Arthur’s lasting legacy may end in the burning fires of condemnation.

This highly anticipated sequel to Daughter of Destiny proves there is much more to Guinevere’s story than her marriage and an affair. See the legend you think you know through her eyes and live the adventure of Camelot’s golden days yourself – but prepared to suffer its downfall as well.

Genres: After Canons, Arthurian Legend, Feminist Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical-Fantasy, Women's Fiction

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-0996763134

Also by this author: Daughter of Destiny, Nicole Evelina (Guest Post: Camelot's Queen), Been Searching For You, Madame Presidentess, Mistress of Legend

Also in this series: Daughter of Destiny, Mistress of Legend

Published by Lawson Gartner Publishing

on 9th April, 2016

Format: Trade Paperback

Pages: 481

Book No. 1 Daughter of Destiny (review)

Book No. 2 Camelot’s Queen

Book No. 3 Mistress of the Legend releases late 2016/early 2017

Read an Excerpt of the Novel: Read More

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Posted Monday, 16 May, 2016 by jorielov in 6th Century, After the Canon, Apothecary, Arthurian Legend, Avalon, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Britian, British Literature, Disillusionment in Marriage, Domestic Violence, Early Middle Ages [the Dark Ages] (1001-1300), Earthen Magic, Earthen Spirituality, Flashbacks & Recollective Memories, Folklore and Mythology, Herbalist, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, Historical Romance, History, Indie Author, Inspired By Author OR Book, Kidnapping or Unexplained Disappearances, Loss of an unbourne child, Marriage of Convenience, Mental Health, Mental Illness, Midwife | Midwifery, Midwives & Childbirth, Mythological Societies, Parapsychological Gifts, Passionate Researcher, Psychological Abuse, PTSD, Re-Told Tales, Realistic Fiction, Spirituality & Metaphysics, Supernatural Fiction, Superstitions & Old World Beliefs, Trauma | Abuse & Recovery, Warfare & Power Realignment, Women's Fiction, Women's Health, Women's Rights, Writing Style & Voice

Book Review | “See Also Deception” (A Marjorie Trumaine #Mystery, No.2) by Larry D. Sweazy

Posted Friday, 13 May, 2016 by jorielov Larry D. Sweazy, Marjorie Trumaine Mystery, Prometheus Books, See Also Deception, See Also Murder, Seventh Street Books 2 Comments

Acquired Book By: I am a reviewer for Prometheus Books and their imprints starting in [2016] as I contacted them through their Edelweiss catalogues and Twitter. I appreciated the diversity of titles across genre and literary explorations – especially focusing on Historical Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction and Scientific Topics in Non-Fiction. I received a complimentary ARC copy of “See Also Deception” direct from the publisher Seventh Street Books (an imprint of Prometheus Books) in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

On why I love reading the Marjorie Trumaine Mysteries:

Sweazy has a lovely tone of delivery inside his stories – especially in regards to See Also Murder, as he takes his time introducing his characters whilst giving you the strength of their lives up front. His gentle manner of allowing his characters to warm to you is what granted me the most joy in curling inside the novel – I could tell I was on the fringe of rallying behind Marjorie Trumaine straight out of the gate! His poetic glimpses of farm life in the Dakotas, of singling out moments of paused reflection were a delight to entreat inside because they earnestly told living truths about the lifestyle the Trumaine’s lived. I appreciated the way the novel started to become such an enjoyable feast of words, expressions and observational nuggets of the author’s impressions on behalf of his world.

Mr Sweazy injected such heartache inside his character’s heart, but he etched out the hard lines with feather kisses of hope and an underscored will to survive in the face of so much uncertainty. In the character Marjorie Trumaine he created the strength of a woman who was an equal to the natural environ of her home – the Dakotas have such fierce weather patterns, they alone can strengthen your resolve (or break it if your unable to deal with the influx of change on such a high frequency); but it’s how he’s given her something to focus on with an orderly task within the publishing industry that fused her will to her lifeline of hope that I felt was most fitting of all. It spoke to her true nature and to the spirit of the young girl she once was who found solace in stories.

To read the rest of my thoughts and what inspired me to read the #MarjorieTrumaineMysteries kindly read my review on behalf of the first novel in the series ‘See Also Murder’!

See Also Deception
Subtitle: A Marjorie Trumaine Mystery

October 1964—just months after freelance indexer Marjorie Trumaine helped solve a series of murders in Dickinson, North Dakota, she is faced with another death that pulls her into an unwanted investigation. Calla Eltmore, the local librarian, is found dead at work and everyone considers it suicide. But Marjorie can’t believe that Calla would be capable of doing such a thing.

At Calla’s wake, Marjorie’s suspicions are further aroused when she notices something amiss in the open casket. But neither the sheriff nor the coroner are interested in her observation.

Despite pressing job commitments and the burden of caring for a husband in declining health, Marjorie recruits Deputy Guy Reinhardt to help her uncover the truth. What she finds is a labyrinth of secrets that she had no knowledge of— and threats from someone who will kill to keep these secrets hidden.

Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9781633881266

on 10th May, 2016

Pages: 244

Marjorie Trumaine Mystery series:

Story Locale: A small town in North Dakota in 1964

Series Overview: Marjorie Trumaine, a freelance book indexer, uses her research skills and attention to detail to help the police solve crimes in rural North Dakota during the early 1960s.

See Also Murder | No.1 | review

See Also Deception | No.2 | Happy #PubDay! 10 May, 2016

Published By: Seventh Street Books (@SeventhStBooks)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #MarjorieTrumaineMysteries

About Larry D. Sweazy

Larry D. Sweazy Photo Credit: Rose M. Sweazy

Larry D. Sweazy is the author of See Also Murder, A Thousand Falling Crows, Escape from Hangtown, Vengeance at Sundown, The Gila Wars, The Coyote Tracker, The Devil’s Bones, The Cougar’s Prey, The Badger’s Revenge, The Scorpion Trail, and The Rattlesnake Season.

He won the WWA Spur award for Best Short Fiction in 2005 and for Best Paperback Original in 2013, and the 2011 and 2012 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Western Fiction for the Josiah Wolfe series.

He was nominated for a Derringer award in 2007, and was a finalist in the Best Books of Indiana literary competition in 2010, and won in 2011 for The Scorpion Trail. He has published over sixty nonfiction articles and short stories, which have appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine; The Adventure of the Missing Detective: And 25 of the Year’s Finest Crime and Mystery Stories!; Boys’ Life; Hardboiled; Amazon Shorts, and several other publications and anthologies. He is member of ITW (International Thriller Writers), WWA (Western Writers of America), and WF (Western Fictioneers).

Photo Credit: Rose M. Sweazy
FYI: think Patrick Swayze when saying the author's name!

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Marjorie Trumaine: a survivor and a small towne heroine:

When it comes to fondly remembering what centred me most inside the footsteps of Marjorie Trumaine, I had to think directly on what makes her a survivor and a small towne heroine – Marjorie doesn’t shy away from difficulty, she walks straight through the eye of a tornado instead! She bolsters herself with courage she never knew she had such a well of depth to pull from as she navigates the changing tides of her small Dakota towne whilst attempting to find a footpath to settle herself upon which might bring her financial security for herself and her disabled husband Hank. She’s a character whose rooted to her farm, her community and the people who make her life well-lived and full of meaning. She cares about her fellow neighbours and has a long history of pride of her ancestral roots wherein her fortitude of strength can be readily foreshadowed out of the annals of her family’s living history.

Marjorie takes stock of things most might dismiss out of hand – she has a quick perception to recognise a visual clue waving itself in front of her eyes to alert her that something is not quite as it seems; thus giving her a bit of an edge on others who might not understand the truth they have yet to see for themselves. She’s not just a survivor of fate’s cruelty and the hardships of a farmer’s wife without the full use of the acres they have to spare but of life’s unexpected curves, which can test you well outside your point of return if you let them. She’s the type of heroine any small towne would rally behind because she seeks the truth in every situation and attempts to thwart her own prejudgements in exchange for re-assessing what is known by what she knows to be true herself. It’s a credit to what makes her uniquely genuine and a constant well of strength for the residents of Dickinson. Read More

Posted Friday, 13 May, 2016 by jorielov in #JorieLovesIndies, 20th Century, Animals in Fiction & Non-Fiction, Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book Indexing, Cosy Mystery, Crime Fiction, Detective Fiction, Equality In Literature, Homestead Life, Indie Author, Lady Detective Fiction, LGBTTQPlus Fiction | Non-Fiction, Librarians & Library Staff, Library Catalogues & Databases, Prometheus Books, Publishing Industry & Trade, Small Towne USA, The Sixties, Upper Mid-West America, Vulgarity in Literature

Author Guest Post | “On taking the scale of the disaster and purporting it through the dramatic narrative arc which became the embodiment of the story behind ‘1906’” by James Dalessandro

Posted Friday, 13 May, 2016 by jorielov 1906, James Dalessandro 0 Comments

I have garnished an appreciation for ‘natural disaster’ stories – mostly via motion pictures or tv adaptations since I was a young child. I credit this to being surrounded by natural disasters in a region of the United States frequently plagued by everything you can think of save earthquakes, such as the one at the center of what went wrong in San Francisco in ‘1906’! I’ve survived my fair share of tornadoes, hurricanes, severe lightning storms and have been downwind of impressive forest fires which blocked out sunlight and daylight in equal measure. Nature has a way of imparting it’s fury on us at times where I tend to think we’ve missed a lesson somewhere about minding our actions and being more respectful towards the environment we’re meant to be stewards.

The heart of the story within in ‘1906’ is not entirely centred on the quake itself, but the back-story of what was happening in the city – at the corruption and the actions of others who set into motion a spiraling vortex of destructive damages that would lead to the greatest cost of the event itself. I wanted to give the author a chance to explain his approach to lending a literary voice to this event and to the circumstances surrounding it; as to best introduce the inspiration behind the novel and the story which has led to changing hearts and minds about what truly was the truth about the losses lost that fateful year.

Lend your heart and mind to the truer story behind the fictional account and I hope you might become inspired to read ‘1906’ as much as I was myself. Some stories simply need to be told in order for History to acknowledge the truth that was simply hidden from sight – generation to generation – after faded memories erased it from being remembered.

Every disaster has a backstory, none more thrilling than this one. Set during the great San Francisco earthquake and fire, this page-turning tale of political corruption, vendettas, romance, rescue—and murder—is based on recently uncovered facts that forever change our understanding of what really happened. Told by a feisty young reporter, Annalisa Passarelli, the novel paints a vivid picture of the Victorian-era city, from the mansions of Nob Hill to the underbelly of the Barbary Coast to the arrival of tenor Enrico Caruso and the Metropolitan Opera. Central to the story is the ongoing battle—fought even as the city burns—that pits incompetent and unscrupulous politicians against a coalition of honest police officers, newspaper editors, citizens, and a lone federal prosecutor.

With the appeal and texture of The Alienist, Carter Beats the Devil, and the novels of E. L. Doctrow, James Dalessandro weaves unforgettable characters and actual events into a compelling epic.

The topic I pitched to Mr Dalessandro about his novel ‘1906’:

How did you take the scale of the disaster and purport it through the dramatic narrative arc which became the embodiment of the story behind ‘1906’? What did you instinctively want to focus on in order to provide a grounding of depth but also the humanistic response to the tragedy and it’s aftermath? Did anything surprise you whilst you were researching the back-story for the novel?

I have been a devotee of historical fiction since age 12 when I began reading Leon Uris – Battle Cry, Exodus, Mila 18. I discovered historical detail and human struggle missing from my classes and textbooks. I was transported, an eager party to the events unfolding in the pages.

All epic historical fiction needs a narrative arc, a dramatic spine anchored in an ever-evolving human struggle. Ordinary person, extraordinary events. The Civil War needs Rhett and Scarlett; California’s ascendance as the last beacon of the American dream requires Steinbeck’s Adam Trask and Tom Joad.

In my new home of San Francisco, I had a window seat on the murders of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, and the equally appalling 3 ½ year prison sentence of their killer, Dan White, of the infamous “Twinkie Defense.”

I set out to write my first novel, Bohemian Heart by updating the Noir detective thriller to contemporary San Francisco, where it was born in the Remington of Dashiell Hammett. I co-mingled a P.I. yarn with my outrage over the “official story” surrounding the assassinations of Moscone and Milk. The reviews and reader response were marvelous, the sales far less so. Read More

Posted Friday, 13 May, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, History, Indie Author, Passionate Researcher, Re-Told Tales, Reader Submitted Guest Post (Topic) for Author, Writing Style & Voice

Cover Reveal | NEW #ChocLit novel by Kathryn Freeman “Before You”!

Posted Tuesday, 10 May, 2016 by jorielov Before You, ChocLitUK, Kathryn Freeman 0 Comments

If your a regular reader or frequent visitor of Jorie Loves A Story, you know I’ve been smitten with the novelists who publish their relationship-based Romances with ChocLitUK for a good two years now! I love being on the cusp of learning about a ‘new release’ whilst I remain patient to see if the Digital First new ChocLit novel will make it to a print release further down the road of it’s lifetime. I don’t mind the gaps between the ebooks and the print editions – as it’s always given me the pleasure of balancing my ‘next ChocLit reads’ to include both Front List and Back List offerings. Thus, I am enjoying being a member of the Reveal Team at ChocLit whilst it gives me a chance to introduce my readers to a variety of sub-genres within Romance I appreciate picking up to read!

Today is quite wicked, as similar to featuring my second Sheryl Browne novel last week, this week I get to re-highlight an offering by Ms Freeman, of whom I previously had the pleasure of blogging about whilst ‘Search for the Truth’ was releasing last year!

I had a personal connection to the Pharma Industry through a close friend and enjoyed exploring the theme of that particular novel ahead of reading it – I’m looking forward to reading my first Freeman novels this year, as I make my way through my ‘next reads’ for ChocLit, as she is one Contemporary Rom writer I think I will truly enjoy reading as she has the tendency like Ms Browne to continuously make selections for her stories which first intrigue me and I think secondly will charm my heart into being endeared by once I have the enjoyment of reading them firsthand!

I was drawn to this new release for several reasons – one, the high and fast life of a race driver can have a few pitfalls along the way if racing comes first against all other pursuits (i.e. it would be easy to have a singular focus and not live outside of the track life) and second, it actually was the title that inferred a bit about the story’s heart, wherein I was happy to see confirmed on the author’s blog via a post she had written about ‘choosing titles’ for her stories!

Let’s happily pause for a moment on this latest release by Ms Freeman, coming up next month in June which looks like quite the lovely month to try ChocLit if you ask me!

Posted Tuesday, 10 May, 2016 by jorielov in 21st Century, Blog Tour Host, Book Cover Reveal, Book Spotlight, ChocLitUK, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Modern Day, Romance Fiction, Second Chance Love