Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: Moon Over Alcatraz by Patricia Yager Delagrange

Today we're welcoming author Patricia Yager Delagrange to the blog on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for her women's fiction novel, Moon Over Alcatraz.

Patricia will award a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So comment today AND follow her tour (if you click on the banner over there on the left, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!

I asked Patricia to share five things about herself that we might not guess -- I love getting to know something a little different than the norm about authors we feature!  Take it away, Patricia...

1. I’m a vegetarian. I haven’t eaten meat since 1976. Originally I wanted to lose weight so I read Diet for A Small Planet which is all about what to eat if you don’t want to eat meat or chicken or fish. After many years of combining foods in order to get enough protein, my vegetarianism metamorphosed into where I am today, i.e. I don’t believe we have to eat meat to survive. We’re no longer cave men and women, and we don’t need to hunt in order to live. I think people would be healthier with less heart and weight and other physical problems if they cut meat out of their diet and ate more fruits, vegetables, and grains. Just saying....

2. Learning to ride my horse has been more of a challenge than writing a book. I never thought I’d be able to ride my horse or enjoy him at all because he’s so big. Maximus is a Friesian which means he’s built like a Clydesdale horse (but not quite as big) but isn’t a true draft horse, yet he weighs 1,425 pounds. When I’m on top of him I feel as if the ground is really far away and when he moves, it’s like riding a locomotive. He has a lot of impulsion and strength and I had to learn not only how to manage him but overcome my fear. Overcoming my fear was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done (and am still dealing with) in my life.

3. I love dogs. In fact I love all animals. My Wednesday blog is mostly about endangered animals as well as humans helping out animals and the occasional story about an animal rescue. I’m a member of the Humane Society of the United States and believe that if anyone can be an advocate for animals, it’s that organization. They have the money and the clout to change laws and make the lives of animals better than they are now.

4. I love See’s candy. You’d never know it from looking at me since I’m 5-feet 6-inches tall and weigh 125 pounds. However, when my husband gives me a gift, it’s almost always accompanied by a box of See’s chocolates, preferably Scotch Mallows!

5. I love novels set in Italy. I stumbled upon an author in a Large Print book that my father-in-law gave me with a story by Peter Pezzelli and I loved his writing. I bought his other two books, but it seems he hasn’t written another since the last one I read. I love the way he describes the culture, the family closeness, the beauty of a country so much older than ours in the U.S. I’d like to find another author who writes books set in Italy.

Following the death of their baby during a difficult birth, Brandy and Weston Chambers are grief-stricken and withdraw from each other, both seeking solace outside of their marriage; however, they vow to work through their painful disloyalty. But when the man Brandy slept with moves back to their hometown, three lives are forever changed by his return..

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, I attended St. Mary’s College, studied my junior year at the University of Madrid, received my B.A. in Spanish at UC Santa Barbara then went on to get my Master’s degree in Education at Oregon State University. I live with my husband and two teenage children in Alameda, across the bay from San Francisco, along with our two very large chocolate labs, Annabella and her son Jack.

My horse lives in the Oakland hills in a stall with a million dollar view.

http://www.patriciayagerdelagrange.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patricia-Yager-Delagrange/204510679568596
http://twitter.com/#!/PattiYager