Friday, June 8, 2012

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 

18 comments:

  1. An interesting set of 5 things. Italy does beckon.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

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  2. Thank you for hosting me today. This was a fun set of questions.
    Patricia Yager Delagrange

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  3. Thanks so much for the little view into your life. I'm a horse and animal lover, and riding a horse has always been one of my most favorite things to do. Except for our mare. She makes it very unpredictable.

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    1. I've ridden a mare only once, Cordelia, during a lesson and she was cool. It seems people have very strong views of what gender of horse to ride. Some say mares are moody. I don't know because Maximus is a gelding.

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  4. This is another thing I like about these blog book tours. Not only do I have the chance to find new books, but to learn more about the people who write those books.

    Enjoyed following you this week and look forward to the rest of the tour.

    kareninnc at gmail dot com

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    1. Thank you for following my blog tour, Karen. I'm assuming the NC stands for North Carolina? I've never been to the South....or the North or the East for that matter. I've travelled all over Europe yet never in my own U.S.

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  5. Patricia, nice finding out more about you. I also have horses and dogs and have been a vegetarian since 1986. Sorry, don't like See's chocolates but I don't like too many American made chocolates other than M&M's and Ghiradelli's. I also studied Spanish at university and lived in Madrid working as an au pair. I don't really speak Spanish anymore though I helped an American retrieve his watch and hearing aid in a small village outside Cartagena, Colombia where we were enjoying a mud bath and he handed them over to a villager before getting in. Though why he didn't leave them in the bus where everyone else left their belongings before climbing the mountain I'll never know! I still don't know how to say hearing aid in Spanish but apparently I got my point across cause he got it back!

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    1. Cheryl, we have a lot in common. What I'd like to know is why you became a vegetarian. For me, initially, it was to lose weight. That metamorphosed into where I am now, which is that I don't think we need to eat meat to have a healthy life. Americans are known for being over-proteinized. And I don't speak Spanish any more either but I can get by in the listening part. Just don't ask me to "say" anything!

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  6. Does this mean those beautiful photos you've been posting on FB are your horse? Or are they other Friesians? I can't imagine getting on something like that. But wow, when you do...

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  7. Rhea, the photo I "shared" yesterday was of a typical Baroque Friesian and they really do all look very much alike. They're breeding them now to be more svelte and no so big-bodied. I don't like that look at all. And some are even jumpers! Maximus doesn't even like walking over a pole! I posted a picture of him today though it doesn't do him justice because he's grown a lot since then.

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  8. Wonderful interview. I enjoyed getting to know even more about you, Patti. I think I would be terrified to try to ride and control a horse that big. I use to ride horses occasionally as a child when visiting my cousins or my uncle. I haven't ridden though since.

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    1. Well, Rhonda, it's kind of like a bug that bit me. I took some lessons which segued into leasing a horse which segued into buying Maximus. I was hooked.

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  9. Sigh, See's Candy...I'm a "nuts and chews" gal, myself. So Scotch Mallow probably counts!

    vitajex(at)aol(dot)com

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    1. I'm definitely a "nuts and chews" person because I hate that creamy stuff - yuck. Try a Scotch Mallow if you haven't already.
      Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
      Patti

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  10. Patricia...I live in NC too, on the Southeastern coast. We have lovely beaches and the Library where I work has a view of the river. We also have a vibrant film community (Iron Man 3 is currently filming locally). It's a great place to visit, vacation, and live.

    I also was a vegetarian for more than 10 years. I found it very satisfying.

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    1. Beaches and a library? What more could I want. Sounds dreamy. Plus, I'd be freaking out if I got to be able to watch the filming of Iron Man 3! I love Robert Downey Junior (he's in that, isn't he?) and it really does sound like a great place to visit.
      What I'd like to know is why you gave up being a vegetarian....
      Patti

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  11. thank you for the giveaway. Love the review and I look forward to reading the book. Gale pgan427@yahoo.com

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  12. Thanks for commenting, Gale. Good luck in the contest!
    Patti

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