Source: Chapter Sampler

An #EnterTheFantastic Author Interview | feat. “Lost and Waiting” by Amanda Read which has a heart of the natural world set within a Magical Realism world!

Posted Sunday, 25 October, 2020 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

Conversations with the Bookish badge created by Jorie in Canva. Updated version July 2020.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

As I previously disclosed on my spotlight about “Tree Magic” – I have a soul connection to the natural world. I am a nature and wildlife photographer as well – as being out in nature is soul lifting as much as it is inspiring. You have to stand still in order to see the natural world as it is living in harmony with our world but is slightly removed from our time scales as well. If you’ve ever caught a squirrel eating a nut and realised the trance they were in without ‘seeing’ you until they were finished you see the veil between the natural world’s rhythm and our own synchronicity with nature.

I have regularly spoken about the natural world on Jorie Loves A Story – from the stories I am reading to the context of the stories which seek to bring an ecological mindset and heart for conservation onto my blog because I believe strongly those stories are necessary for today’s world. Not just due to the climatic changes we’re all experiencing but to help re-connect readers with the knowledge about the natural ecosystems they might overlook and not be as familiar with as I have become myself. Knowledge is the first step towards change and to remain connected to the connectivity of how the natural world and our world intersect is one step closer to finding better balance in how to keep Earth a healthier place.

Today, I am wicked thankful I can bring you this conversation I had with the author of “Lost and Waiting” – especially on the fringes of experiencing the loss of trees in my neighbourhood due to the nausating ways in which city planners due not consider the natural world in their plans for progress. I shared a *thread about this on my social feeds on Twitter in case anyone is curious. However, I regularly seek out literature which has a soulful connection to the natural world as I readily love to champion those stories and to help carry a torch for others to seek out similar stories for themselves.

If you love fantastical stories featuring Magical Realism plots and the curious connections between nature and humans, I think this might be a good fit for you as a reader as I feel it is for myself. Likewise, I recently spotlighted “Tree Magic” and am in the process of reading it ahead of sharing an interview with the author on the “Tree Slayer” blog tour. One of my favourite stories I’ve read involving the natural world was when I reviewed The Kinship of Clover. As much as I loved The Walking Fish for Middle Grade readers who are just discovering the natural world round them.

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An #EnterTheFantastic Author Interview | feat. “Lost and Waiting” by Amanda Read which has a heart of the natural world set within a Magical Realism world!Lost and Waiting
by Amanda Read
Source: Chapter Sampler

When Evangeline comes across a Victorian plant hunter’s journal at Kew, it is the sign she’s been waiting for. Its author, Edwin ‘Chile’ Morgan, claims to have discovered a living myth: the World Tree. Morgan’s words share life lessons and reflections on the natural world, offering Evangeline a way to overcome the grief of a stillbirth.

With journal in hand, Evangeline sets off to Chile on a journey in search of the tree at the centre of all: heaven, life and the afterlife. In her way are an unprincipled pharmaceutical multinational, an oil company set on deforestation, and an enigmatic art aficionado whose interest in her takes an unsettling turn.

A genre-bending adventure.

Genres: Biological Diversity, Botany, Ecology, Epistolary | Diaries and Journals, Horticulture, Magical Realism, Sci-Fantasy



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1838534110

on 26th June, 2020

Format: Chapter Sampler | Online

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

This is a Self-Published novel.
I love celebrating Self-Pub stories on Jorie Loves A Story!

Available Formats: Trade Paperback and Ebook

Converse via: #MagicalRealism, #Nature and #Genrebender
as well as #LoveBooksTours & #LostAndWaiting

About Amanda Read

Amanda Read

Amanda Read is a novelist and short story writer. She was awarded the MA in Creative Writing, with distinction, from Bath Spa University.

In an earlier life, she received a Royal Horticultural Society Fellowship through which she trained as a plant taxonomist/systematist at the University of Reading, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Natural History Museum, London.

Amanda lives with her husband in rural Wiltshire, UK, where she can be spotted hot on the heels of Carlos and Carmen, the border terriers. She works as an agricultural research programme manager for international development.

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Posted Sunday, 25 October, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Botany, Conservation, Ecology, Environmental Activism, Environmental Advocacy, Environmental Conscience, Environmental Science, Horticulture, Indie Author, Love Books Tours, Magical Realism, Preservation, Science, Self-Published Author

An early #blogmas Book Spotlight and Extract | Featuring Notes by Jorie on behalf of “This Christmas” by Laurie Winter

Posted Wednesday, 21 October, 2020 by jorielov , , , 0 Comments

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

October is a bit early for spotlighting #ChristmasReads, I will admit – however, some years the stories which you want to be reading at Christmas have a way of touring ahead of November & December! I read the premise of this Contemporary Romantic Suspense and knew I was going to be featuring it as a pre-#blogmas surprise for my readers!

Every year for the past several years I’ve been keen on finding new voices in Fiction who are writing compelling and/or uplifting stories for Christmas! I have enjoyed the diversity of stories I am finding each year and which genres capture my eye as each Autumn I find myself captured by a different group of genres which set the tone for what I am intrigued to seek out each Winter. The stories I feature on Jorie Loves A Story are future reads of mine – each of them tucking into a part of what I love about #blogmas and the celebration of a the changing season of the final hours of the year.

I have loved reading Christmas Romances ever since I was quite young and it was through Victorian & Regency Christmas Romances I first caught the romantic novel bug and became a lifelong reader of Romances! Being able to host my own Twitter chat which regularly celebrates Romance & Women’s Fiction as well as all genres featuring strong women and/or Feminist Fiction is quite heartwarming to me as a host. When it comes to Romantic Suspense novels – the ones I love have a wicked cunning plot with realistic characters you can feel as if you can rally behind soon after you’ve met them. I tend to gravitate towards Contemporaries lately for Rom Suspense but the best bit of course is the resolution at the end! Where you can let out that breath you’ve held inside you waiting to see how it would all resolve! At least, I do!

As a precursor to my #blogmas showcases this year, I am thankful I could join the blog tour for “This Christmas” and help celebrate discovering it as it appears to be a self-published novel and I *love!* supporting authors who are taking the Self Pub route for their careers! Here’s to rockin’ our readerly lives as Autumn shifts into Winter and as the Christmastide starts to arrive in our lives. Despite the bumps and heartaches of the year there are quiet moments of peace and solitude which give us a peaceful respite in order to enjoy the holiday seasons which are now readily upon us now that Halloween is less than thirteen days away! Imagine!?

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An early #blogmas Book Spotlight and Extract | Featuring Notes by Jorie on behalf of “This Christmas” by Laurie WinterThis Christmas
Subtitle: The North Star series
by Laurie Winter
Source: Chapter Sampler

'A beautiful story of loss and new love, set in a snow-capped mountain ski resort town.'

Celia Batista waited a long time for all three of her sons to be together for Christmas. But after one of her identical twins disappears without a trace, Celia must rely on Police Captain Luke Veldkamp for help. Despite Luke’s accusations that her other twin son is involved with organized crime, she falls for the handsome, Stetson wearing cop.

Luke Veldkamp is facing his first Christmas after the loss of his wife, working nonstop to avoid the holidays and his grief. His daughter, who’d moved home to care for her mom before her passing, pushes him to face his pain. Luke pushes back, telling her to return to college and regain her own life. If his own strife isn’t enough, the mission to locate the missing son of his beautiful neighbor grows more personal than any other case.

While Luke and Celia fight to keep their families from falling apart, they find comfort and strength in one another. And when love blooms between their children, Luke and Celia’s own relationship takes root and grows. But Celia is used to living on her own terms, and loving a man who has isolated his heart is a risk too great. Now, Luke must either confront his emotions or face a life without the woman he’s come to love.

Genres: Christmas Story &/or Christmas Romance, Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense



Places to find the book:

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1735743813

Published by Self Published

on 21st September, 2020

Format: Chapter Sampler | Online

This is a Self-Published novel

Converse via: #ContemporaryRomance or Contemporary #Romance
as well as #RomSusp or #RomanticSuspense and #ChristmasReads

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • #blogmas 2020
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Posted Wednesday, 21 October, 2020 by jorielov in Bits & Bobbles of Jorie, Blog Tour Host, Book | Novel Extract, Book Spotlight, Christmas Romance &/or Holiday Story, Contemporary Romance, Indie Author, Prism Book Tours, Romance Fiction, Romantic Suspense

An #INSPY Suspense Book Spotlight with Notes | featuring “Acceptable Risk” (Danger Never Sleeps series, Book Two) by Lynette Eason

Posted Wednesday, 14 October, 2020 by jorielov , , , , 0 Comments

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

As you know, I have a propensity for reading INSPY Lit and settling into different styles of INSPY narratives from Contemporary to Historical as well as my favourite niche of joy with Mum which is Contemporary INSPY Suspense. Our favourite imprint for reading those lovelies is Love Inspired Suspense – however, some of those authors are now being published elsewhere, such as Ms Eason! We have several of her stories from Love Inspired Suspense on our #mustreads list and it is just a matter of time of getting into those stories! Similar to how we’ve followed Ms Goddard to Revell we are also following Ms Eason. This is why I was thankful to be on this blog tour featuring her Danger Never Sleeps series as she is the second author Mum and I have had the most interest in reading this year!

I had hoped to borrow “Collateral Damage” via audiobook via my regional library’s CloudLibrary, however, in the past six weeks I’ve had too many migraines and it has taken me away from focusing on my reading life. However, I am thankful I found the chapter samplers online instead where I could see small snippets of what the first two novels of this series are about and where they begin. On a recent blog tour with this touring company, I did have the chance to focus a bit on the opening chapters of “Set the Stars Alight” which happily surprised me as I was migraine-free for a short bit of time wherein I could find myself happily immersed within the story and the narrator’s performance. You can read my thoughts about that story and learn why I enjoyed discovering the narrator who was a new narrator popping up on my bookish radar.

Recently, I related my immense joy in listening to ‘Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish’ whilst ‘Magnolia Storms’ was one of my top favourites during a recent INSPY readathon this past August. You will find a healthy gathering of INSPY stories in my Story Vault as well!

Today, I had originally planned to bring you an interview between Ms Eason and myself, however, unbeknownst to me she was not available to respond in time for my tour stop. I decided to focus instead on spotlighting the series and help my readers know a bit more about the Danger Never Sleeps series as I explored the series myself through chapter samplers online. As you know, I can’t read full narratives in ebook formats, however with chapter samplers I can read short snippets and gather the gist about how a story will evolve through the rest of a novel. Likewise, I hope if this series itches your own curiosity – you’ll either seek out the series itself or dip into the samplers online as I have myself.

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An #INSPY Suspense Book Spotlight with Notes | featuring “Acceptable Risk” (Danger Never Sleeps series, Book Two) by Lynette EasonAcceptable Risk
Subtitle: Danger Never Sleeps (2)
by Lynette Eason
Source: Chapter Sampler

Sarah Denning is a military journalist with the Army in the Middle East when her convoy is attacked and she's taken hostage. When former Army Ranger Gavin Black is asked by his old unit commander--Sarah's imposing father--to plan an extremely risky rescue, he reluctantly agrees and successfully executes it.

Back in the US, Sarah is livid when she's discharged on a false psychiatric evaluation and vows to return to the Army. Until she learns of her brother's suicide. Unable to believe her brother would do such a thing, she puts her plans on hold and enlists Gavin to help her discover the truth. What they uncover may be the biggest story of Sarah's career--if she can survive long enough to write it.

Strap in for another breakneck nail-biter from bestselling romantic suspense author Lynette Eason that will have you up turning pages long into the night.

Genres: Contemporary (Modern) Fiction (post 1945), Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction, Romantic Suspense



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 9780800729356

Published by Revell

on 4th August, 2020

Format: Chapter Sampler | Online

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The Danger Never Sleeps Series:

Collateral Damage by Lynette EasonAcceptable Risk by Lynette EasonActive Defense by Lynette Eason

Collateral Damage (book one)

They thought they left the fight behind on the battlefield.
But their greatest struggles are just beginning.

Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others, but her days of helping military personnel are over. She’s got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she’s not equipped to take on more.

Former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James could handle anything that war sent his way. The only thing that scares him now is sleep. As the shadows close in, the nightmares begin.

Finally convinced that he needs help, Asher makes an appointment with a counselor. When he arrives at her office, she isn’t there–but a dead body is. When it becomes clear that Brooke was the real target of the attack–and that her secrets go even deeper than his own–Asher vows to protect her no matter what.

Acceptable Risk (book two)

Active Defense (book three) ← forthcoming release January, 2021!

As a former field surgeon in Afghanistan, Heather Fontaine is used to life-or-death situations. She just didn’t expect them to follow her home. When she returns from a party to find that someone has broken into her house–and threatened her friends–she assumes it is the stalker who has been following her and creeping her out. She hopes to find safety and peace of mind by leaving the city and hiding out in a small town. But trouble has followed her even there.

Luckily, a stalker isn’t the only one watching Heather. Travis Walker has been secretly watching out for her for weeks. As owner of his own security agency, it’s what he does. Together, Travis and Heather must figure out who wants her dead–and why–before it’s too late.

Bestselling and award-winning author Lynette Eason will have you looking over your shoulder as you dive into this fast-paced, suspense-filled story about losing control and finding something even better.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Published by: Revell (@RevellBooks)
an imprint of Baker Publishing Group

Available Formats: Hardcover, Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook

Converse via: #INSPY #Contemporary #Suspense, #ChristianSuspense
as well as #LynetteEason or #ChristianFiction

About Lynette Eason

Lynette Eason

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of Collateral Damage and Acceptable Risk, as well as Protecting Tanner Hollow and the Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master's degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children.

Photo Credit: © Mary Denman

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Posted Wednesday, 14 October, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Inspirational Fiction & Non-Fiction, INSPY Realistic Fiction | Non-Fiction, Love Books Tours, Sampler Chapters &/or Excerpt of Novel

An #EnterTheFantastic Book Spotlight with Notes + Extract | featuring “Tree Magic” (Tree Magic series, Book One) by Harriet Springbett

Posted Monday, 14 September, 2020 by jorielov , , , 7 Comments

Stories in the Spotlight banner created by Jorie in Canva.

Hallo, Hallo dear hearts!

I have had a firm attachment to the natural world ever since I was a young girl – growing up with a fascination and wonderment about nature, wildlife and especially of trees! This is why when I first saw this blog tour being announced, I was super giddy about participating on the tour because any writer who can celebrate and champion the natural world in a pro-positive way is an author I would love to feature on Jorie Loves A Story!

I could immediately connect with the premise with this novel which is why I am trying to seek out a copy of this in print through my local library – there is something quite magical about how trees are the guardians within the natural habitats we visit whilst hiking or walking in natural landscapes; they know things and they remember everything. This is partially why it is soul-crushing whenever there are huge wildfire seasons like the ones that are affecting the Western United States right now and/or the fires in Australia at the turning of the New Year. Nature grieves for the losses those fires bring to those habitats but I oft felt the trees especially are full of the grief of what could not be protected and what fell at their feet due to how the forests have not been able to withstand fire as they had in the past. I still remember hearing about the old growth forests of the Redwoods recently and of how achingly hard it was to see them aflame.

I have regularly spoken about the natural world on Jorie Loves A Story – from the stories I am reading to the context of the stories which seek to bring an ecological mindset and heart for conservation onto my blog because I believe strongly those stories are necessary for today’s world. Not just due to the climatic changes we’re all experiencing but to help re-connect readers with the knowledge about the natural ecosystems they might overlook and not be as familiar with as I have become myself. Knowledge is the first step towards change and to remain connected to the connectivity of how the natural world and our world intersect is one step closer to finding better balance in how to keep Earth a healthier place.

Today, I am wicked thankful I can bring you a short extract from “Tree Magic” whilst I am also supporting the author again in October with an interview when “Tree Slayer” the sequel to this lovely novel goes on tour. I look forward to conversing with you then about the series whilst today serves a preview of how the series begins! If you love fantastical stories featuring Magical Realism plots and the curious connections between nature and humans, I think this might be a good fit for you as a reader as I feel it is for myself.

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

An #EnterTheFantastic Book Spotlight with Notes + Extract | featuring “Tree Magic” (Tree Magic series, Book One) by Harriet SpringbettTree Magic
by Harriet Springbett
Source: Chapter Sampler

Thirteen-year-old Rainbow discovers she can communicate with trees.

But that’s just the beginning. Her magic hands can shape trees at her will, but her gift is dangerous and has fatal consequences. An accident that leaves Rainbow unconscious leads her mother to make a confession that will change Rainbow’s life forever. Are her abilities a gift or a curse? Can Rainbow really trust her mother? From England to France, through secrets, fears and parallel worlds, Rainbow’s journey to understand her powers takes her beyond everything she’s ever known.

To find the truth, she must also find herself.

Genres: Magical Realism, YA Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

Add to LibraryThing

ISBN: 978-1-911293-63-7

ASIN: B087MCBT53

Also by this author: Tree Slayer, Tree Magic

Also in this series: Tree Slayer


Published by Impress Books

on 11th August, 2020

Format: Chapter Sampler | Online

Fun Stuff for Your Blog via pureimaginationblog.com

Published by:  Impress Books (@ImpressBooks1)

Available Formats: Trade Paperback* and Ebook

NOTE: Although this title was released into print, I am having trouble sourcing where it is currently available to be purchased as it is listed as being out of stock. However, I am going to try to source this through my local library’s ILL services – perhaps through inter-library loan I can fetch a copy? This is being newly released digitally and the pub date reflected is for the ebook.

Further Enquiries: I was thankful the author updated me on the new ISBN for the print edition of this novel – I’ve updated the listing for this post to reflect the ISBN for the August 2020 print edition of “Tree Magic” – however, the only bookstore online I can find this listed on is Book Depository. Thereby it is still a bit harder for me to source and I am going to try to get this either by way of the older edition via ILL at my local library or hopefully through a new purchase request through one of my regional libraries. I shall keep my readers updated on my progress. The link for LibraryThing has been updated to reflect the new ISBN however I left WorldCat’s link to route to the older edition in case other readers like me need to seek the book through inter-library loans.

Converse via: #YALit, #Trees and #Magic, #MagicalRealism, #YAFantasy
as well as #LoveBooksTours & #TreeMagic

About Harriet Springbett

Harriet Springbett

Harriet Springbett’s childhood on a small farm in West Dorset gave her an early exposure to nature, which continues to inspire her writing.

She qualified as an engineer but, during a Raleigh International expedition in Chile, she realised she preferred words to numbers. She abandoned her profession, moved to France, studied French and then worked as a project manager, feature writer, translator and TEFL teacher. She now lives in Poitou-Charentes with her French partner and their teenage children.

Since her first literary success, aged 10, her short stories and poetry have been published in literary journals and placed in writing competitions, including a shortlisting in the 2017 Bath Short Story Award.

Harriet leads writing workshops, has judged the Segora international short story competition.

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Posted Monday, 14 September, 2020 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Book Spotlight, Coming-Of Age, Indie Author, Love Books Tours, Magical Realism, Young Adult Fiction