Thursday, February 11, 2016

Sky Garden by Jenny Schwartz - Guest Blog and Giveaway

VBT_SkyGarden_Banner copy

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jenny Schwartz will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Five Things You’d Never Guess About Me


Oh this is fun!

First, you’d never guess that I got my first grey hair at sixteen and it was discovered, appropriately enough, in maths class! The desks were really close together, and a friend (so kind of her) pointed it out. I gave up dying my hair ages ago, although I am tempted by that rainbow unicorn look. But, no, I’m too shy to pull that off.

Second, you’d never guess that I can actually draw. I’m not saying I’m an artist, but if you ask me to draw an apple you can guess it’s an apple—or maybe a funny-shaped pear. I like painting, but I lack true talent for it (and time), so I happily occupy the role of audience instead and attend exhibitions, etc.

Third, I’m so chatty online you’d never guess how frozen I get with stage fright. Never, ever attempt to interview me live. I sound stoned—not that I’m confessing that I’ve ever been stoned! Moving on!

Fourth, thing that you’d never, ever guess is that I once kept a Siamese fighting fish. I’m not really a fish person, but at the time I lived in a flat with a no-pets rule. A fish was the compromise. Sam was a lovely ruby red colour and seemed a happy enough fish until the morning he was found dead. Poor Sam. He was my first and last pet fish.

The fifth and final thing you’d never guess about me, and I mean never guess, is that I’ve been to Summernats. For those not Australian, this is Summernats. I am not into cars, motorbikes or anything like that, but there might be photographic evidence somewhere (I think it’s lost) of me drinking bourbon and encouraging burn-outs. Yep, you’d never guess! I have a vivid memory of walking carefully back to the car that night, picking a path between lounging bikies, having been thoroughly lectured on not saying anything stupid (I sometimes need those lectures).

So there you go! Five things you’d never guess about me. Thanks for asking!

MediaKit_BookCover_SkyGardenOn the rooftops of London, you can be anyone.

A year ago, Lanie Briers escaped a serial killer. She grew up in a theatre family and her act was mediumship, but not anymore. Life, now, is a hidden retreat above a quirky Bloomsbury museum, where she waits and watches.

Nick Tawes is an unexpected intrusion. He's a landscape architect filming a television series on roof gardens, and he intends to build one in Lanie's aerial territory. He has his own demons, old family troubles, that lure Lanie out of her refuge and into living again.

But as summer progresses and the sky garden grows, Lanie's enemy is closing in--because some secrets must go to the grave.


Enjoy an excerpt:

Stories fed identity—and changed it.

Lanie had used stories to shock and survive. She’d used them carefully, crafting her old stage act of mediumship to draw out people’s stories and reflect them, eliciting gasps of awe at her insight. Magic, went the murmur. But it wasn’t magic. They were the same tricks conmen used.

And she’d used those tricks brutally, as the one weapon left to her. Survival had cost her the joy of performing.

But that was the past. She forced the memories away. Here was safe harbor, the library that was a sea captain’s final berth. A fantasy, but a comforting one.

She was searching for a spy glass to add to the photos she’d take when the electronic beep from the front door signaled the entrance of a visitor.

Showtime.

A tug at her jacket and a pat to her hair—Good, the chignon doesn’t wobble—and she was ready to perform.


About the Author:MediaKit_AuthorPhoto_SkyGardenJenny Schwartz is a hopeful romantic with a degree in Sociology and History — people watching and digging into the past. She lives in Western Australia and is working towards her dream of living by the sea. Jenny writes romantic suspense, as well as contemporary and paranormal romance.

Website: http://authorjennyschwartz.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JennySchwartz.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jenny_Schwartz

Buy the book at Amazon. It's on sale for only $0.99 during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

25 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for challenging me to write 5 things no one would guess about me. It was fun!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I loved your five things. I think this story sounds really fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, MomJane -- I had a lot of fun thinking of the five things ...

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. They were fun to recall, Rita. I enjoyed my school years -- yes, even maths class (kind of) -- so thinking back was lovely.

      Delete
  4. I have enjoyed learning about the book. Thanks for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loved your guest post! Thank you for the chance at the giveaway. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm Australian and I have never heard of Summernats.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're not missing out, Mary! :) Car enthusiasts might disagree with me. It's a Canberra thing. What was charming was the car owners' evident pride in their cherished vehicles.

      Delete
  7. Fun post, I enjoyed reading it! Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really enjoyed your Five Things, Jenny, and laughed out loud at some of them. I'd never heard of Summernats so naturally I had to google it! Sounds interesting! Your book tour has been a lot of fun and I've enjoyed learning about you and your book. And I know what you mean about freezing in public settings--I tend to do that, too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Betty! Writing the 5 things amused me, so I'm glad it amused you, too :)

      PS public speaking is awful!

      Delete
  9. Rainbow unicorn hair? That sounds awesome! I only wish I was confident enough to do that. If you do it, we want evidence! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa, I wouldn't hold your breath! I'm too shy. The idea's great in theory, till I realise I'd have to leave the house wearing it...

      A board on Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/explore/unicorn-hair/

      Delete
  10. I enjoyed reading the guest post and the excerpt. This book sounds very interesting! Looking forward to checking it out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Ally :) I hope you enjoy SKY GARDEN. Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  11. What a great post! Loved the "Five Things" list. :)

    ReplyDelete

So... inquiring minds want to know: what do you think?