Searching: Dragons of New York by Rachel Graves

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Welcome to It's Raining Books. Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?

I wish I could be a healthier version of myself who had more energy and slept better. That’s a pretty boring option, when I could be a superstar or a hero with magical powers, but it’s something I think about almost every day. Just getting rid of my allergies would be wish-worthy – I’d love to be able to taste watermelon or snuggle up to a cute cat. When most people make wishes, they look at the big things but I’d be happy with a lot of little everyday joys. Most of my characters practice a sport as a hobby, there’s a runner, a swimmer, and, in my latest release, a woman who does aerial yoga. That part of my writing is definitely wish fulfillment.

What did you do on your last birthday?

Walked by the ocean and enjoyed a delicious plate of fried shrimp from the best clam shack in New England. I moved to Salem, Mass. in February, and while this Florida girl hasn’t adapted to the winters – and probably never will – I love being close enough to the ocean to walk along the beach. It’s a simple pleasure that always brings a smile to my face. The water is way too cold for swimming, but just watching the waves feels special.

What part of the writing process do you dread?

From about twenty-thousand words to around forty-thousand. That’s the part where there’s almost no momentum in the story. It leaves me half-convinced I should just delete everything and start over from scratch. Stories are like starting a fire for me. The bad part comes when the spark of an idea has almost fizzled out, but the slow smolder of a real story hasn’t caught on yet. I have a lot of unfinished stories that died around twenty-thousand words. Sometimes they just need to rest for a while. I’ve had manuscripts sit at twenty-thousand words for five years before I picked them up and finish in three months.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it?

Sometimes! When I turned forty, I challenged myself to write every day for a hundred days. It was a defining moment for how my writing worked. Now, writing streaks keep me motivated. I’ve either written or edited a book every day for the last 239 days. Trust me, I don’t wake up ready to write with a thousand great ideas all of those days! Instead, I’ll write what I see – a pretty sunrise becomes the sun hanging over a crime scene, the knickknacks on my bookshelf turn into magical relics in a museum collection, and the blanket tucked around my toes turns into someone’s bedsheets.

Tell us about your latest release.

It’s a murder mystery and a slow burn romance with middle aged adults as the main characters. They all know their own minds and have complicated lives. Ravenna, Raven to her friends, has three doctorates, two best friends, and one slightly crazy ghost of a mother hanging around. She’s a dragon who can shift into human form but she spends a lot of time on the move to avoid anyone finding out. The second main character, Ian, is a former trauma surgeon who was injured in a shooting. He went through a dark period after he was hurt, but eventually found a new calling helping paranormal citizens. He’s gotten into his trust fund, so he’s rich again, but still estranged from his family. And then there’s Cloak, the relic that’s bonded to Ian’s soul, a very sassy magical creature that can hide as a tattoo or shift itself into any piece of fabric. The three of them have wonderfully thorny interactions as they work together to solve a string of murders. I really enjoyed writing characters who didn’t trust immediately and who brought so much of themselves to the page.

A dragon terrified of being discovered by the government, Ravenna Drake is constantly on the move. When the woman who raised her gets cancer, Ravenna trades her nomadic work restoring black market magical goods for a steady job. But her cautious life ends after her name is found at the scene of a werewolf murder.

Dr. Ian Chen, a sorcerer bonded to a powerful relic, works for the government treating supernatural citizens. He insists on investigating when his patient’s body is discovered completely drained of blood. His search leads him to the beautiful but frustrating Ravenna Drake, who refuses to stay away from the case or follow his instructions.

As more bloodless bodies surface, threats from secret societies and corrupt politicians force the dragon and the sorcerer to work together. If Ravenna and Ian can’t catch the killer, the people they love the most may be the next to die.

Read an Excerpt

He wanted to pry more of the story out of her but decided against it. As she followed him down the block, they blended into the small crowd on the street. Ian watched the people around them for a second. Normal people, with no idea my world even exists.

She broke the silence, “You know this neighborhood?”

“There was a gang that recruited a witch. He wasn’t that powerful but he knew how to use sacrifices to call a demon. It took me a while to figure it out.” Ian shivered with the memory of living fire, a monster in the shape of flame. He could work with dead bodies but remembering the smell of burned corpses would always be a problem.

“I thought you didn’t like the word witch.”

He glanced at her expression of wide-eyed innocence. It had to be fake. “This guy, he wasn’t doing much. Calling him a sorcerer would be a bit of an insult to the real ones.”

“Not that you know any real ones.” She smiled up at him. Why were they playing this game? She probably wasn’t the murderer, if she was, she knew what he was. Why not just come clean?

Cloak answered the question as if he’d been asked, “Then tell her about the BPA.”

“Right, that was why.” Because once she knew who she was helping, she’d probably stop. The BPA wasn’t popular with all the people they protected, and even the non-paranormal citizens seemed to think his agency was either evil or a scam. He’d say enough to get her help, but leave things vague enough to keep her, and the investigation, safe.

About the Author:

Rachel Graves writes mysteries that blend the supernatural with steamy, sexy scenes. Her work explores the many shades of gray found between the lines of right and wrong. Rachel's books focus on strong heroines who take charge of their own fate, their friends, and their families. Rachel is a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and uses research skills honed getting a graduate degree in psychology to seek out rare folklore and magical creatures. Her writing incorporates popular monsters like vampires and werewolves as well as diverse creatures like selkies and yuki onna. Rachel has lived in a cursed town, taken far too many ghost tours, and counts down to every Halloween starting in November. You can read short stories and learn more about her on her website.

Website: http://www.rachelgraves.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Graves/e/B011H977D0
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/RachelGraves
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Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Dragons-New-York-Book-ebook/dp/B0BGFGNF7V/ref=sr_1_1

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The Fate of a Crush by Marie McGrath

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Marie McGrath will be awarding a $10 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.

Welcome to It's Raining Books. How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?

The trope of a best friend’s brother is one of my favorites and when I looked around, I didn’t see as many of them as I had hoped. It’s a soft spot because I had experienced it myself. As a high school teenager, my crush never went past that. Nothing had ever happened, but I liked the idea of what if it had. How would a character navigate that scenario: betraying her best friend while dating someone who you really liked. Once I started there, everything else sort of snowballed.

What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

My goal was to provide a feel-good young adult romance. I wanted the tension between the love interests and the room for the characters to be themselves, no matter what. I feel like this is my best book yet. I read passages and still laugh, even though I know what happens. I also think it deals with real life issues for a high schooler and I’d like to think that there are real positive outcomes from some of those events.

What was the hardest part of writing this book?

The hardest part for me was making sure their relationship was believable. My crush on my best friend’s brother, never happened. So I was writing something that I hadn’t experienced. I had to dig deep to find out, why would he like her? When would that change happen? How would that impact what he did and said and how would she handle spending time with him without alerting her best friend? I like my plots to feel as real as possible, so it was important for me to build this relationship in the best way.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Their banter. Allie and Hunter were so fun to write. Allie, who I’ve been told is a lot like me in real life, is nose deep in a book and volleyball, but only has eyes for Hunter. She notices everything about him, and yet has to pretend it’s not happening. Those moments were fun, but letting them explore their feelings was the best. Seeing how he would treat her, and how she would respond to his attention was fun to write.

Were there alternate endings you considered?

Not really. The ending was originally a little different, but only in how the conflict was resolved. After my beta feedback, I needed to add scenes and changed where and when/how soon the conflict was resolved, but the ultimate ending in the epilogue was never any different.

Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?

A lot of aspects of this novel are based on my experience. I played volleyball growing up, so it was easy to have Allie be a setter, which was my own position when I play. I also went to Outer Banks in high school … yes with my best friend’s family, just like Allie. So this novel didn’t require as much research to understand details, but it was fun to take something I had experienced and twist into their story. It makes the memories I have even more special to me.

What genre of books do you enjoy reading?

I honestly read a lot of genres, but I focus mainly around romance in the different areas like historical, fantasy, etc. I really like reading about relationships, but a close second is epic fantasy.

Falling in love with a senior was risky … especially when he was your best friend’s brother.

Allie Duncan started sophomore year with two aspirations, make her school’s volleyball team and keep her crush on Hunter Baylor, her best friend’s brother, a secret. If Mia found out, she would feel betrayed. The crush was useless anyway. Hunter was a star basketball player and she was a nobody. Or so she thought until his attention was piqued after Allie went on the Baylors’ summer vacation. When Hunter goes to homecoming with Allie’s sophomore rival, she’s devastated and her confidence is destroyed, especially after his date tells her the Baylors pity her. Hunter tries to make it up to Allie, which leads to a kiss, leaving Allie confused.

Can she push this crush out of her heart to save her friendship? Or is Hunter worth the risk?

Read an Excerpt

“You have no idea how much I think about you, Allie Duncan.” He said my name almost as a whisper against my skin.

My body tensed and sent tingles to every spot he touched.

“I-I …” I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to say it. “I couldn’t think either. Being that close to you practically drowned all my brain cells and short circuited the wiring. If you had asked me my name, I doubt I would have been able to tell you.”

“Good,” he said as he straightened and outstretched his hand.

“What do you mean good?”

“It’s no fun if I’m the only one on the edge.”

I giggled. “You’re terrible.”

“Maybe, but at least I’m honest.”

About the Author: Marie McGrath lives in a small rural town in Maryland. She hopes to inspire others with her stories. Her favorite genres to read are YA Romance and Contemporary Fiction. She loves the color turquoise, tigers, and listening to music.

Website: https://mariemcgrathauthor.wixsite.com/books
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marie_McGrath_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarieMcGrathAuthor

Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Fate-Crush-Marie-McGrath-ebook/dp/B0BBD42D73/
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Hope, Strength, and Courage by Kathryn Lee

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This book has been a self-reflective journey of a medical doctor as an ordinary person going through ordinary life's ups and downs. In epistolary form, its articles were written during the special time of her first year of training to become a general practitioner/family physician, including making the tough decision to give up hospital specialist training, "withdrawing" from fast-paced hospital work, transitioning to working from a metropolitan hospital to a rural community clinic, witnessing and getting used to a younger sibling's growing up, and being independent from a close and loving family. Some also feature a promotion of the author's new academic career at the start of the COVID 19 pandemic and how it was perceived. The book shows a journey of love, strength, perseverance, purpose and encouragement. Lots of anecdotes, lots of stories, lots of quotes. With love and respect.

Read an Excluseive Excerpt

Dude, no matter how old we are, and however self-sufficient we are as adults, we are forever children in our parents’ eyes. At times, I secretly get cross that too much food is being packed for me, but I understand that it is not the food that matters; in reality, Mum and Dad are packing their kind, tender, unfailing love into big and small bags for me—for us—to take home. This small yet significant gesture is one they do carefully, tirelessly, and lovingly. Complaints that the food is too much and we are never going to finish it cause them a sense of hurt, as they take it personally, as a sign of unlove and discontent. So I accept it graciously for what it is. Brother … think of the days where Mum and Dad prepared us a routine, normal meal and we felt very content and happy. That’s how Mum and Dad are conditioned to be. They miss the days when we were with them, enjoying home-made meals at the family table. They love us unconditionally, and by feeding us and ensuring that we are healthy, by cooking herbal and medicinal soups and dishes and packing healthy veggies, fruits, and snacks for us (that they deem too expensive to eat themselves), they feel useful and loved again. May God help us be considerate children for our parents and love them as they love us. By better appreciating them, you will be a better parent when the baby is born. Honour your parents, as God commands. May God bless them as well! Yay, we are family forever, even in Heaven!

About the Author:Kathryn Lee is a medical doctor. A Christian. A daughter. A sister. A student in life university. An ordinary person in an extraordinary world.

WEBSITE: https://authorkathrynlee.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22644710.Kathryn_Lee

Amazon.com.au: https://amazon.com.au/dp/0228833280
Amazon.com: https://amazon.com/dp/0228833280
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hope-strength-and-courage-kathryn-lee/1139427777
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Kindle: https://amazon.com/dp/B094DS6C8K
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Salvation by L.C. Conn

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. L.C. Conn will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Their final battle has come, and Chaos will not surrender.

The danger and risks have never been more real for Claire. She has spent her adult life fending off his relentless attacks, and now only wants to protect those she loves, but in doing so, she places everyone at greater risk.

Born of two sacred lines created by Carling, generations before, Aroha must face Chaos. Young, and unsure of herself, Aroha looks to her godmother for guidance, but is it enough? Claire must prepare her for the moment Aroha was born for.

Can Claire keep those she loves safe and reunite those that were once lost?

Read an Excerpt

The headache that had started the previous night at dinner, continued into the morning of the next day. It was a continual throb that invaded Claire’s concentration at work and finally she gave up, heading home to try and get rid of it. The painkillers she had taken were not working, so she headed upstairs to bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow her eyes closed against the light.

“Claire!” A shout from somewhere inside her mind came to her and Claire soon found herself at the side of Carling.

“You needed me, Carling?” she asked wearily, the fog of the headache making it hard for Claire to even see her.

“Yes, we do. We have found something, and we need to work together to rid it from us.” Carling pointed to an area that seemed to be turning black and dark.

“What is it?” Claire asked, stumbling slightly towards the infected area.

“It feels very much like the memory dream that our brother inserted into our minds,” Carling told her.

As Claire neared the dark shadow, pain began to sear through her head, pulsating and thumping. Wave after wave crashed over her, driving her onto her knees.

“I can’t. It hurts so much,” Claire gasped, her head dropping into her open hands. Carling rushed to her side and held her up.

“Tony, our brother, help! We need you!” Carling called out to Tony so insistently and loudly that he joined them straight away.

“Claire?” Tony asked when he saw two women before him.

“There is no time to explain. We are being hurt,” Carling told him. The points of light under her skin were now moving rapidly with her agitation. “We need your help to get rid of this,” she begged, lowering Claire gently to the ground.

About the Author:

L.C. Conn grew up on the outskirts of Upper Hutt, New Zealand. Her backyard encompassed the surrounding farmland, river, hills and mountains which she wandered with her brothers and fed her imagination. After discovering a love for writing in English class at the age of eight, she continued to write in secret. It was not until much later in life that L.C. turned what she thought was a hobby and something fun to do, into her first completed novel. Now married, L.C. moved from New Zealand to Perth, Western Australia, and became a stay at home mum. While caring for her family and after battling breast cancer, a story was born from the kernel of a dream. The first book of The One True Child Series was begun, and just kept blooming into seven completed stories.

EMAIL: raindropc1970@gmail.com
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/LCConn
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/ConnLoraine
INSTAGRAM: https//www.instagram.com/l.c.conn
WEB PAGE: https//lcconnwriter.wordpress.com/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BDQTXGYK/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i5

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Cause for Elimination by Marla A. White

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Reclaiming her life after a devastating riding accident, equestrian Emily Conners’ world shatters again when she discovers her friend and boss laying in a stall with a smashed skull. Now jobless and with a handsome cop underfoot investigating the case, she's torn between wanting the killer found and keeping her own secrets safe.

Detective Justin Butler always gets his killer, but this victim has a stampede of enemies and few leads to go on. Stonewalled by the tight-knit equestrian world, he looks to Emily for help, but she’s strangely reluctant. Is she hiding something, or is she afraid of their growing attraction?

As the search for the murderer heats up, their hearts become entangled and their lives at risk, forcing Emily and Justin to work together to find the killer before they strike again.

Read an Excerpt

Sitting around the rickety picnic table and talking over old times, she almost forgot for a moment why the detective—Justin, she reminded herself—was there. He sat there, loose limbed and relaxed, interested in their conversation while most non-riders soon got glassy-eyed with boredom. But he wasn’t just chatting, was he? She had to remind herself he was listening for information to help him catch a killer.

“What about you ladies?” he ventured. “Did any of you ever have any problems with Ms. Yates?”

After another fit of laughter, Erin howled, “Like we’d ever ride with Pam. Despite what everyone around here may think, we’re not crazy. Well, not that crazy at least.”

“Hunters are more our speed,” Samantha chimed in. Emily took in her very un-hunter-like, fringed pink half-chaps and raised her eyebrow. “Okay, we don’t fit in with that crowd either,” Samantha admitted. “Which is why we’re here with Ben.”

“Since Pamela had Ben blacklisted, he’s stuck with us ladies who hack.” The three shared another round of titters.

They may not have realized they’d supplied Ben with a motive to kill Pamela, but Emily did. “Hang on, rumors have blown that way out of proportion. Pamela wasn’t thrilled after Ben dissolved their partnership and took his clients to Middle Ranch, but—”

“Hah! ‘Wasn’t thrilled’ is putting it mildly,” Sandy interrupted. “First chance she got, she had him brought up on abuse charges.”

Samantha added her two cents. “They banned Ben from showing for three years, so naturally, his clients who were serious left him and found another trainer.”

“Funny, no one told me this before now.” Justin’s voice lost its light tone, and the heat of his glare rolled over Emily’s skin.

About the Author:

Marla White is a story analysis instructor at UCLA and writing coach who lives in Los Angeles. She graduated from the University of Kentucky (go Wildcats!), where she took her first horseback riding lesson. After dabbling in hunters, barrel racing, and weekly trail rides, she fell hopelessly in love with the sport of eventing. She conquered Novice level before taking a break to pursue novel writing but hopes to return to the saddle someday soon. Her first novel, “The Starlight Mint Surprise Murder,” was published in 2021 followed by the first two books in her Keeper Chronicles series. When she’s not writing, she’s out in the garden, hiking, or putting together impossibly difficult puzzles.

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Daughter of Belial by Jennifer Juvenelle

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

Some Family Trees Should Be Burned. . .

Greer Girls are special. Greer Girls are rare. Greer Girls are central to the secret Order of Belial.

Sophie Greer knows none of this. All she knows is that her now ex-boyfriend cheated on her, she’s alone working in Paris, and her mysterious billionaire boss, Edward Hughes, is way too interested in her life.

But when Sophie is kidnapped in Moscow while on a business trip, she’s plunged into the dark underbelly of the global elite and a sinister secret society with deep ties to her family; ties that lead to revelations darker than anything Sophie could have imagined.

Betrayed by the man who raised her, and targeted by the illustrious Hughes family, only one thing is certain—family history can be deadly. If Sophie is to survive, she must decide who to trust and what to believe, or risk being crushed beneath the weight of the all-powerful secret Order of Belial.

Read an Excerpt

The front door slams behind me with a clamorous thud. I jump, frightened. Marcella Belleville’s ominous laughter sails through the air while the cloaked beings descend the steps to encircle me. Turning to and fro, I try to slip through an opening in their ranks, but they close in so that not even a hairpin could find a fissure for escape. A low chanting starts up, like a rumble from some vile private inferno.

Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.

The primal beating of the drums grows louder, drowning out Marcella’s maniacal laughter. Blood rushes to my face. I hear a whirring in my ears.

Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.

All I see is darkness. My heartbeat keeps time with the pulsing of the drums.

Suddenly I feel another presence. Ephemeral. Sinister. It also laughs. Its guttural wails blend with Marcella’s tinny falsetto as it, too, encircles and envelops me. No one is touching me. I know that. And yet…

It feels like hundreds of hands are caressing my body. Sliding up and down the sides of my torso. Untucking my shirt. Unfastening my trousers. Cupping my breasts. Pulling my hair. Wrapping icy, tentacled fingers around my throat…

It feels awful—delectable—disgusting—delicious, all at once. I hate it. The chanting grows louder.

Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.

Testor ad sanguinem. Respondendum est in sanguinem.

“Stop!” I cry out, finding my voice at last. “Please. Stop!”

But it’s too late. Wispy black smoke fills my nostrils. My mouth freezes into a silent scream as the smoke fills every orifice in my head—eyes, nose, ears, mouth. The sound of babies crying mixed with horrific images of children laughing and playing in blood assault my senses. I know it can’t be real, must be a trick of some sort, an illusion, but I’m powerless to stop it.

About the Author

JENNIFER JUVENELLE is a Native American/French author born in Hollywood, raised in Detroit, and fashioned in France. Formerly an actress and model, Jennifer now splits her time between crafting psychological thrillers and the magic of motherhood. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, Jennifer made healing from trauma a priority when her life became untenable. Daughter of Belial is the unexpected product of her journey from trauma to triumph. An eager explorer, she currently lives in a remote Mexican seaside-jungle village with her debonair Aussie author husband and their young son.

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Defiant by Bobbi Smith

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Bobbi Smith will award a randomly drawn host a $10 Amazon/BN GC. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Clint Williams
Born February 16, 1852
Died March 23, 1877

Those were the words that marked his grave, and Clint knew that although he stood reading his own epitaph, they were true. Ever since the attack that had killed his entire family, he’d been dead inside. Only one thing kept him going—the burning need to bring in the outlaws who’d done it.

The Last Chance Saloon

Posing undercover to infiltrate the gang, Clint could let no one know his true identity or the fact that he’d once been a Texas Ranger. Not even the pretty daughter of a preacher man who burst into the saloon calling upon the gamblers to repent. As far as she knew, he was a gunslinger with a bad reputation who had no right to touch a good woman. But sometimes a man’s got to break all the rules, ignore common send to follow his heart and get downright… Defiant.

Read an Excerpt

Clint arrived in Dry Springs and made his way to the Last Chance Saloon where the outlaws were supposed to show up. After taking a drink at the bar, he joined in a poker game, wanting to get a feel for the place.

“Praise the Lord and repent while there’s time!”

Clint looked up to see the saloon being invaded by what looked like a Bible-toting minster and his entire congregation.

“Get out of here, preacher man!” the bartender shouted.

“I can’t! I’m here to save these souls from the devil!”

“The only devil in here is you!”

The church people gasped at his words.

“Hey, look at the women he brought with him,” one of the gamblers at the table with Clint said, grinning.

“Some of them are grandmothers, but not that one!” the gambler named Ed nodded toward a pretty, dark-haired young woman in a sedate gown. “She’s Rachel, the preacher’s daughter.”

Clint glanced over at her. Tall and slender, she moved with elegance through the chaos. He grew angry that her father would subject her to this. Women like her were meant to be protected and cherished.

“Gambling is a sin!” the preacher called out.

“But sin is fun!” one of the drunks responded.

“I think I need some redemption,” Ed said, reaching out to grab Rachel and pull her onto his lap.

Rachel was shocked by his actions and struggled to break away as he planted a wet kiss on her neck.

“Unhand my daughter!” the reverend demanded.

“Come on, little angel, give me some salvation.” Ed tried to kiss her.

Rachel slapped him, disgusted by his vile behavior.

“Why you little—” Ed drew back, ready to hit her.

Clint had had enough.

“Let her go,” he commanded quietly.

“Hell, no!”

Clint stood up, ready to confront him. “I said, let her go.”

“Mind your own damned business.”

Clint drew his gun. “She is my business. Get your hands off her now.”

Ed froze at the site of his gun. “What are you so riled about? She’s just a whore like the rest of them.”

“No, she’s not.” Clint’s voice was so calm it was deadly. He reached over and took Rachel by the arm, drawing her off the other man’s lap.

“You want some of her, too?” Ed taunted, leering at Rachel.

Clint ignored him as he glanced down her. She was trembling and close to tears. He understood her fear.

“Leave now, while you can,” Clint directed in a low voice.

Rachel looked up at the tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired stranger who’d just rescued her. She had no idea who he was, but she was thankful for his help. Too upset to speak, she only nodded and hurried to her father.

Clint remained standing with his gun drawn until they’d left the saloon.

About the Author After working as a department manager for Famous-Barr, and briefly as a clerk at a bookstore, Bobbi Smith gave up on career security and began writing. She sold her first book to Zebra in 1982. Since then, Bobbi has written over 40 books and several short stories. To date, there are more than five million of her novels in print. She has been awarded the prestigious Romantic Times Storyteller of the Year Award and two Career Achievement Awards. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists. When she's not working on her novels, she is frequently a guest speaker for writer's groups. Bobbi is mother of two sons and resides in St. Charles, Missouri with her husband and three dogs.

Website: https://bobbismithauthor.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13375.Bobbi_Smith

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Defiant-Bobbi-Smith-ebook/dp/B009NXLUKE

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Bedtime Stories for the Living by Jay Armstrong

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jay Armstrong will be awarding a $10 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 Might Not Know About Me

1.As a kid, I was expelled from a weekend religious retreat for climbing out of a bathroom and hiding in a nearby woods during a church service. To this day, I contend the homily was painfully boring.

2.I was a stand-up comedian in my early twenties.I won first place, a $1000 prize, in an amateaur stand-up contetest. A few days later, I spent all the money on a TV.

3.On a busy city street, a friend and I dove through the open back door of a random, passing limousine.The door shut, the people inside laughed, and the limo receded into the night.The limo was filled with adult entertainers.

4. In college, I created my own internship.The course description outlined a hard-hitting news show. However, it soon turned into a “fake news” show. In one episode, while I was on camera investigating rumors an old campus building was haunted, my friend was in the background dancing and wearing a white bed sheet. I somehow managed to get an “A.”

5. I eventually married the first girl I ever kissed.

Diagnosed with a progressive brain disease, a young father is determined to teach his children the importance of pursuing their dreams.

A cell phone’s ring interrupts the silence as Jay Armstrong sits in his high school classroom preparing for the year ahead. Something about the ring makes his stomach drop. It’s his doctor.

The words, “diffuse cerebellar atrophy, a rare, degenerative brain disease” float through the speaker. All of Jay’s youthful dreams of being a writer rush back, flooding the twenty years he has spent teaching students how to appreciate novels, memoirs, and poetry. The care he put into teaching them how to write with clarity, insight, and humor, and how to dance at the prom. The bedtime stories he never told his children spin in his imagination. It will all die when he dies.

Jay chooses to experience his condition as an inspiration here to teach him to appreciate the time he still has. He writes letters and stories to his three children about his failing voice, his impaired motor skills, and falling down on Christmas morning. Writing helps him cope with the illness and its symptoms. And so, he accepts the mission of writing more stories for them: the difference his father’s wink made at a critical moment of a baseball game, why they should take walks even in cruddy weather, and how he avoided having to explain what semen is for.

As his condition worsens, Jay’s faith in the power of storytelling deepens. His daily life is wildly different than he foresaw, and possibly shorter, but he can leave his children a legacy more valuable than any financial inheritance. He writes "Bedtime Stories for the Living", an episodic memoir to show his children how to accept their limitations and find joy. The collection of tender, witty stories about fatherhood, persevering despite illness, and pursuing your dreams, demonstrates how love gives us the strength to face heartache with bravery and grace.

Read an Excerpt

BEFORE I TURN OUT THE LIGHTS: LETTER #2

Dear Haley, Chase, and Dylan,

I want you to read poetry. Right now. Before you get old and cranky and consumed by jobs, car insurance rates, supermarket sales, and your kid’s soccer practice. You know me as “Dad.” But for seventeen years, in three different high schools, they knew me as Mr. Armstrong. The English teacher. And from the feedback I received from the students, parents, and official administrative evaluations, I was an “A” teacher.

My classroom desk was often littered with chicken-scratched Post-it notes. I did not decorate my classroom with colorful, motivational decor. For as long as I can remember I had just three black-and-white posters: Mohammed Ali, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. I never had a legitimate filing system for student work. Lesson plans were often disorganized and outdated. Classroom novels were haphazardly stacked in a corner, as if the spines were stricken with scoliosis. I failed to keep abreast of the newest advancements in pedagogical theories.

After one particular evaluation, an administrator demanded I stop wasting valuable class time telling personal stories. I told them to “fire me.” I was serious. I told them I would rather stock shelves or lay bricks than be denied the opportunity to tell stories to young people. Fortunately, I was not fired. In fact, later that year, I was awarded “The Teacher of the Year” at my school. Sometimes defiance gets a bad rap.

For years I skirted poetry the way you skirt chores. Poetry seemed too hard. Too tedious. Too much risk and not enough reward. Yet, in my last few years of teaching, when my disease had accelerated, I taught more poetry. I found comfort in its mystery. Each poem presented a learning workshop for the students and me.

I assume I avoided teaching poetry for so many years because I didn't want to be wrong. Being vulnerable in public used to bother me. Maybe I just grew comfortable being uncomfortable. When you’re the only adult in the room, there’s a lot of pressure to be right. When you’re older, you’ll feel this pressure.

Over seventeen years, a student never announced they planned to go to college and major in poetry. No one said they planned to buy a black beret, a black cat, a black turtleneck, or rent a studio apartment in Brooklyn and chain-smoke all night long.

But many said they planned to keep reading poetry after high school. Even the halfhearted students. They said they liked how poetry comforted them in moments of crisis. When their mom lost her job. When they were rejected by their dream college. When COVID-19 hit. When they watched American cities moan and burn amid the fires of civil unrest in the summer of 2020. Caught in the cross-hairs of history, they said they found shelter in the sturdy verse of a poem.

They even said they never realized how cool poetry was. How defiant poets were. Bukowski. Plath. Thomas. And how anything by e.e. cummings broke enough grammar rules to send an elementary school teacher to the school nurse. How Marvell made them laugh. How Frost inspired them. How Angelou, Hughes, and Dickinson feathered their nerves and thawed their frozen spirit. How poetry made them cry. Wince. Shake. Smile. And think deeply about themselves. About others. And how despite being quarantined in a lifeless town, through a well-written verse they sensed the zipping electricity of the living world just beyond.

They said reading poetry was a way to feel less socially distant. I liked one particular email from a student who said it amazed them how a poet from New Mexico could know how a “seventeen-year-old kid from New Jersey felt.” Other students liked how a specific poem, “Good Bones” or “Dover Beach” felt. Like an old friend who stood by them when they stood in the street, looking up, convinced the sky was falling.

Like high school, poetry is not a problem to solve. Poetry is proof of existence. Like your portrait in a high school yearbook. You can take a poem at face value and move on or read it like a scientist, trace its features, and wonder about the mysteries hidden just below the surface.

I suspect the world is much, much more than we will ever know. Such is our calamity. We learn so much, yet we know so little. However, we’re gifted with teachers who tease out little-by-little, line-by-line the ingredients of the world. Science. Math. History. English. I found a teacher in poetry. A teacher who didn’t always understand (with big words, often pretentious rhyme scheme, and obscure allusions to Greek mythology) but who taught me to question, to find humanity in others, and to observe the fine details of fleeting scenery.

Bottom line: Read poetry. You may not become poets but eventually you will have to enroll in the fine art of living. Poems are essential materials for passing the course.For your homework, please read the poems I’ve assigned below. Prepare an oral presentation of three to five minutes and discuss how the poem relates to your life by connecting it to a personal experience. You must set a minimum of two lines to memory. You will make your presentations after dinner. Also, no PowerPoint. Only halfhearted students use PowerPoint.

Haley, please read “The Journey” by Mary Oliver.
Chase, please read “Golden Retrievals” by Mark Doty.
Dylan, please read “The Voice” by Shel Silverstein.

Goodnight.
I love you.
See you in the morning.

About the Author:

In 2013, Jay Armstrong was diagnosed with diffuse cerebellar atrophy. A condition that causes dysfunctional motor skills, speech and vision impairments, and balance deficiencies. At the time of diagnosis, he was establishing himself as an endeared high school English teacher, a varsity soccer coach, and an above average dancer. However, the progressive disorder forced Jay to reevaluate his life.

Supported by his high school sweetheart turned wife (Cindy) and their three children (Haley, Chase, Dylan), Jay retired from teaching in 2021 to pursue his dream of becoming an author.

Jay believes in the power of storytelling. He also believes in dad jokes, laughter, and the unrelenting pursuit of dreams. Jay’s debut book, Bedtime Stories for the Living, is an episodic memoir in which Jay shows his children how to accept their limitations and find joy. The collection of tender, witty stories about fatherhood, persevering despite illness, and pursuing your dreams, demonstrates how love gives us the strength to face heartache with bravery, humor, and grace.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Jay is passionate about Philly sports, soft pretzels, and Rocky Balboa.

Bedtime Stories for the Living is available at the following: The book will be $0.99.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jay-Armstrong/e/B09LF9HN51
Lulu: https://www.lulu.com/shop/jay-armstrong/bedtime-stories-for-the-living/paperback/product-y67dzn.html
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bedtime-stories-for-the-living
Vivlio: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9798985214314_9798985214314_10020
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bedtime-stories-for-the-living-jay-armstrong/1140591539?ean=2940165155536
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1598611714

Websites: http:www.writeonfighton.org
http://jayarmstrongwrites.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writeonfighton
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/writeonfighton

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In the Mood by MW Arnold

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. M W Arnold will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

During a hectic couple of weeks in February 1944, the girls of the Air Transport Auxiliary Mystery Club must face devastating personal loss amongst their number. A member of an illegal faction blackmails Betty, whilst a mystery at Mary's ancestral home threatens to cause more trouble than anyone thought possible. In the midst of what should be the happiest of times, the portents seem to be catching up and little is what it seems to be. Can the girls find the strength to battle forces both internal and external, yet still maintain their dignity and friendship?

Read an Excerpt

Hi mum. Sorry I didn’t tell you before. Had to have another operation as I had an infection, but all better now. Leg’s a bit shorter now. I think the Germans believe I’m trying to escape a piece at a time! Ha ha! Please don’t worry about me, not going to be stupid anymore. Love Joe.

Ruth had to read it through twice before she allowed herself to flop back into her seat, relief flooding through her bones, which rapidly led to a flood of tears. Ignoring her typewriter and the story she’d begun, Ruth grabbed a piece of paper and started to write.

My dear Joe. Lawrence and I buried your ‘foot’ in the garden. The ceremony was spoiled by Bobby watering the grave, however…

About the Author:

M W Arnold lives near Northampton, UK and is known to his family and friends as, Mick. He was in the Royal Air Force for 16 years, visiting many different countries and very much enjoying himself. If he ever meets the Queen, he will have to thank her. He began writing as these characters needed their own voices. For a few years now, he's been a member of the Romantic Novelists Association, a wonderful group of writers who've welcomed this bloke into their fold with open arms.

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Love Potion #999 by C.S. Edwards

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. C.S. Edwards will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN 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 Would Probably Never Guess About Me Hmmm… That’s a tricky question. I’m not that interesting, which is probably why I write. LOL. I’m also kind of a blabber mouth, so a lot of readers might already know all my tells. But, I’ll give it a shot.

1) I once drove a New York City cab. Nope, I was not a licensed cab driver. Yes, I should not have been driving. It was St. Patty’s day in the 90’s, and my crew had a tradition of asking the cabbie if we could just drive a few blocks. We were idiots. The cabbie was even a bigger fool for letting us do such a thing. But it happened. I drove one city block to the next pub, once inside the establishment I secured an NYC cop hat as a souvenir, and the rest is a blur – but totally innocent.

2) My fav snack is also an ultimate guilty pleasure… a Monster Energy drink – Ultra Sunrise. Terrible, but oh so awesome! And yes, I know it’s a drink, but I can’t eat anything sweet when imbibing this luscious nectar. Seriously, I’d pass out from the rush of sugar and caffeine coursing through my body all at the same time. If I have to pick a food, I’ll say beer cheese. It’s a Kentucky thing. If you’ve never had the pleasure of dipping your favorite crunchy chip or cracker into the cold whipped, spicy, beer-laden, cheese, you are definitely missing out on one of life’s best things.

3) I’m a bit weird. I can write anywhere. Quiet, dark rooms. Loud, bright spaces. Inside. Outside. The car. I do love my back porch in the fall and spring. The sofa in our family room is a great place on most evenings. When a story is developing, or spinning in my mind, it doesn’t really matter where I am, or who is around, or what is going on. If I have my laptop, I can write. I might be rude and ignore everyone, but it’s all in the name of creativity!!

4) I grew up on 17 acres in a tiny town in Eastern Kentucky. I played dress up every day and had imaginary friends and pets. My favorite imaginary pets were called floffies. One day my parents received a large box in the mail. Whatever was inside was protected by hundreds of Styrofoam packging peanuts. My six-year-old eyes lit up and I squealed “floffies.” That’s the day my imaginary puppies manifested. I drug that box of floffies everywhere. When they cracked in half or broke that just meant they had babies. One day my dad and a man built a large bon fire to clean up some brush around our property. The man, who did not understand how precious my box of floffies were, used it as kindling. As I saw my white puff of pets spewing into the sky trying to escape the flames, I stood crying and knew my floffies had left me forever. I never played with them again.

5) The longest consecutive number of days I’ve stayed in my house (post quarantine of 2020/2021) is 18. I might have wandered around in my yard, but I never left the house – for anything. Not even a walk around the block. I’m a hermit, is what that sounds like. But let me explain. Since I can have pretty much everything I need or want delivered to my door, I just don’t get out much. I work a full-time 40-hour a week (or more) job – from home. I have 5 kids. I cook a lot of meals, keep house, write books, and take care of whatever else gets thrown into the mix. I think I’m just too busy to leave the house! That being said, I do love to go for random drives, visit family, and go on vintage shopping excursions. So, I’m not a total recluse. I’m just very selective about my external activities – LOL.

Did you hear what happened when a witch doctor met a witchologist in a bar? Well, mayhem ensued! What else did you expect? It's all because everyone had too many Gnome Island Iced Teas, not to mention the cloud of intoxicating glitter that put everyone under the table even if they didn't drink a drop. But the real punch line in that fateful tale were the two potion-filled arrow toting cupids. For one witch, after that night, stuff got real.

You see, the witch doctor was none other than the famous apothecary and alchemist, Betsy Babington. She's a celebrity! Famous, successful, single, and... bored. Before she walked into that bar, Betsy was itching to change things up. So, she enlisted her coven of misfits and two mischievous cherubs to make a rogue love potion recipe — destined to be the next big thing in her famous potions brand. She never once thought about making Love Potion#999 for herself! Definitely not! Well, maybe she did, just a little...

For the whole truth, you'll have to read the story. All I can really say is some magical historians have said Betsy Babington's tangle with the trouble of Love Potion #999 was like opening Pandora's box. Now that was a little extreme. For the folks who were there, it was more like a weekend in Vegas.

Read an Excerpt

“It definitely makes a statement. Doesn’t it? The silver color is so regal,” Jessica said.

“Beautiful.” Lola drew the word out in a muddy Central European accent.

“Agreed. I’m super pleased with this one. I think it’s going to do really well.” Betsy sighed.

“That was not convincing at all. What’s up, Betsy? Do you not like the vials? They are the finest crystal we could get.” Ron held a sample size vial up in the air. The sun, streaming in from the bank of floor to ceiling windows in the apartment, hit the silver potion, making it dance like liquid glitter.

“Of course, I do. I think this potion is great. It’s just… well, I wish we could do something really different. Something super cool and interesting. A potion for the ages. You know. One that would change everything.” Betsy raised an eyebrow.

“Like what?” The coven responded in unison.

Betsy paused for a split second before she slid the tattered loose-leaf paper out of her pocket. “Like this.”

The coven stared at the wrinkly, yellow sheet. Its scripted writing danced across the page, captivating them all. No one spoke. No one looked away.

“It’s a love potion. We’re going to make the magical world’s first love potion in 200 years,” Betsy said.

About the Author:

I was born in Ashland, Kentucky, the youngest of three children, and grew up in the small Eastern Kentucky town of Inez. I moved to Lexington to finish high school. Attending Transylvania University for two years, before graduating from Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia - with a degree in Economics - go figure! After a stint in New York City, I moved back home to Kentucky and have since built my life around family.

Living just outside of Cincinnati with my husband, Sean, and our five amazing kids, and a precious goldendoodle, I work hard to find time to balance family, work, and writing.

My first passion is weaving mysteries and I'm working on several new fiction projects now. This past year, I also found great joy in creating useful journals, trackers, and planners. I have big plans for publishing more of these creative notebooks in the future! As always, I cannot wait to share my next novel with you. I hope you enjoy, and welcome hearing from you!

Website: https://csedwardsauthor.com/
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Magic and Mayhem Universe: https://magicandmayhemuniverse.com/c-s-edwards/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/c.s.edwards

Buy Links: https://books2read.com/ap/nmOXwE/CS-Edwards

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Shining Brightly by Howard Brown

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

In one word, the central message of my memoir Shining Brightly is:
Hope.

Wherever life takes you, even to a death sentence like the one I received twice in my life with advanced stage IV cancer, there’s always the possibility of a surprise around the corner. After a lifetime of such surprises, I’m so full hope that I now work with others on a daily basis in encouraging a similar resilience in their lives.

Here are five of the many surprises I have discovered in my life:

First: Like fans of the movie Dirty Dancing, I learned a lot about life and about loving family relationships at those classic summer resorts in the Catskills that today mainly live in nostalgic memories for countless families.

As you’ll read in the book, I explored those resorts with my sister and cousins as children, hosted by our grandparents. For us, those trips modeled the central importance of spending family time together every year.

Second: I love the Atlantic shoreline, but not where you would expect. As the Catskills faded, the annual cross-generational outings in our family transitioned to the Atlantic shoreline. There are many spots along the ocean that are popular to millions of Americans—and are jam packed as a result. Instead, our family found a favorite resort area way up in Maine that we claimed as our family home away from home for decades.

In my book, I risk letting readers in on our little slice of Atlantic heaven. As a result, I realize I may be adding to the crowds along our favorite stretch of shoreline. I’m risking it to spread a little joy into readers’ lives.

Third: Everything I needed to know about working with customers in my career as a successful entrepreneur, I learned from a traveling shoe salesman. That’s my father, who supported us by loading up old-fashioned carrying cases of shoes and boots and then crisscrossing New England to sell his wares. In my memoir, I write about my love of my father and his marketing adventures. There’s a lot we all can learn about the power of personal networking from those independent entrepreneurs who tirelessly build loyal customers nationwide.

In fact, as my book is launched, Dad still is out there beating a path to some of his oldest customers like many other salespeople who form a backbone of our country’s economy. In the pages of my memoir, you’ll likely gain a whole new appreciation for these daring entrepreneurs. Fourth: My brother Ian was never supposed to be my real brother.

Let me explain that puzzling line: In this memoir you will learn how I agreed to a carefully monitored mentoring arrangement with little Ian through a program that was known as Jewish Big Brothers.

Then, all of us were surprised at the solid relationships that formed between Ian, his mother and my existing family through the years. If you want a true testament to hope that lies just around the corner for all of us, then read the story of my relationship with Ian.

But a word of warning: After reading those stories in my book, you may decide to become a mentor yourself.

Fifth: Basketball is my happy place.

Again, I need to explain that line. Part of successfully building up your resilience is becoming aware of the places that sap your strength and raise anxiety, as well as those places that are guaranteed to make you happy and rebuild your energy. I discovered basketball as a child and play it to this day.

In fact, as you will discover in the pages of Shining Brightly, I even promote interfaith peacemaking on the basketball court.

How do I do that?

Well, you’ll just have to discover this and other surprises in the pages of Shining Brightly.

In Shining Brightly, Silicon Valley pioneer, cancer survivor and interfaith peacemaker Howard Brown shares keys to resilience for successful entrepreneurs, patient advocates and community leaders. He shows us how to reach out through our families, our communities and around the world to form truly supportive connections and friendships. From Howard’s career as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, to his conquering metastatic stage IV cancer twice, to his compassionate outreach as a peacemaker, to his love of sports—this ultimately is not one man’s story. Shining Brightly is a story shared by countless men and women—and may wind up changing your life as well. With each true story he tells in the pages, Howard invites readers to picture how they might join him in shining more light in our world.

Read an Excerpt

When I landed in Silicon Valley in 1997, people told me: “The math is crazy here. Two plus two equals 200.” As a top salesman for more than a decade, I was used to the roller-coaster ride of chasing big deals. I’d had my share of setbacks as well as breathtaking commission checks when great deals finally were signed. But moving into Silicon Valley was climbing to a whole new altitude. At the same time, I also was evolving from strictly sales to becoming a serial entrepreneur, a life whose ups and downs are less like a roller coaster and more like scaling the Himalayas. Silicon Valley in the 1990s was as disorienting as Alice in Wonderland or The Matrix.

With each passing quarter of the year, old assumptions were turned head over heels. I had come of age when aspiring salespeople, executives and entrepreneurs could develop their skills along comfortable on ramps like NCR’s lavish training programs. There was no Sugar Camp with the implicit promise of a successful career. In Silicon Valley, it was learn fast, move fast and earn faster. Everything was new and speculative. There was no safety net. We were scrambling to find toe holds in startups operating out of borrowed garages, cramped cubicles, dusty attics—wherever we could pitch our tents. We were competing for seats at flimsy card tables where people were hunched over their plans to build the future. I was among thousands who were hooked on this adrenaline rush. I sweated toward my first big success in a claustrophobic basement startup that was overwhelmed with the odor of frying onions every day as the vents of the next-door Mexican restaurant turned on for the lunch and dinner rush.

When people first told me about Silicon Valley’s crazy math, I laughed at the exaggeration. When I landed in the scrambler myself, I realized they weren’t kidding. Within just a few years, Lisa and I were able to buy a beautiful, newly built home and increase our charitable giving significantly with our “found money.” I earned big money via large commissions and stock options originally worth pennies working around the clock to build and sell a revolutionary product in the music industry that wound up failing not too long after it went public. We were ahead of our time in that basement, so our concept quickly fizzled. But in Silicon Valley? We still took money home. And, as surprising as it may seem, most of the investors weren’t complaining. For the most part, they were clear-eyed venture capitalists pouring money into startups that sounded promising, hoping to strike gold on just a few of the many bets they were placing.

What about all that money? That’s the first myth about the heyday of Silicon Valley that I need to bust. Many of us weren’t in this for the money. Sure, we all hoped to strike it rich and make a better life for ourselves. Some of us made big money, often for an all-too-brief time. I know that I personally wanted to become a philanthropist and give back. But the money was not what drove us to work insane hours and to nearly abandon our families along the way. No, what drove us through each day was the heady dream of reinventing the way the world works—the way we all connect and move and interrelate—the way we do our work and the way we enjoy ourselves after work. We were the generation that firmly believed we could make the most fantastic tech dreams come true. And, if that sounds like the plot for a sci-fi movie, then so be it.


About the Author:

Howard Brown is an author, Silicon Valley entrepreneur, interfaith peacemaker, two-time stage IV cancer survivor and healthcare advocate. For more than three decades, Howard’s business innovations, leadership principles, mentoring and his resilience in beating cancer against long odds have made him a sought-after speaker and consultant for businesses, nonprofits, congregations, and community groups. In his business career, Howard was a pioneer in helping to launch a series of technology startups before he co-founded two social networks that were the first to connect religious communities around the world. He served his alma matter—Babson College, ranked by US News as the nation’s top college for entrepreneurship—as a trustee and president of Babson’s worldwide alumni network. His hard-earned wisdom about resilience after beating cancer twice has led him to become a nationally known patient advocate and “cancer whisperer” to many families. Visit Howard at ShiningBrightly.com to learn more about his ongoing work and contact him. Through that website, you also will find resources to help you shine brightly in your own corner of the world. Howard, his wife Lisa and daughter Emily currently reside in Michigan.

Website: http://www.shiningbrightly.com
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Shining-Brightly-resilience-entrepreneur-interfaith/dp/1641801476/ref=sr_1_1

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Raise the Bar by Jay Ibrahim

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jay Ibrahim will be awarding a $15 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.

Raise the Bar is about leaving the world of normalcy and mediocrity and raising yourself above your standard. It is about living a life of excellence and mastery in all aspects of your life, including health, wealth, relationships and spirituality. Most of us are good, but when we are told how to live great, we say, "I'm good enough." This mindset is damaging and limiting, hence we succumb to our thoughts, not our potential. This book will take you on a thirty-day journey to take your life to extraordinary levels and become whole. Raise the bar in everything that you do and become a legacy-maker.

Read an excerpt

Everyone needs love. It is part of our evolutionary status and physiological needs. Everything in our life stems from love, including all creation of life and happiness. Love is the utmost manifestation of what we seek to desire and helps us reach a level unfathomed. It all begins with our love to learn and grow, to help others, and to love back. Love is our romantic essence that brings forward a spark of life. Love is the only thing that defies physics and creates miracles. Total focus and creation of what you love the most will shine a light toward your life.

Love is the true cure for disease and mental health symptoms as it helps you see beyond the illness and see the true salvation of your deepest despair. Love allows you to forgive and cherish what you have and will enable you to feel with true intent. Love is what keeps you in a relationship and what motivates you to move forward in life, business and build on your faith.

Love also has the power to destroy if not used properly. How many times have you seen love in a one-sided relationship lead to an empty relationship filled with blind hope and faith? Or overbearing love that led to stalking and even a crime of passion. No matter where you look, the common denominator is always love.

Define what love life looks like to you, but you cannot want something from others. For example, you cannot say that you want someone to love you for who you are; that is bull and has no weight. Do you love yourself for who you are? That statement has nothing to offer but the simple indication that you choose not to grow or improve in your relationship, and you want a mother figure who will take care of you and your needs while expecting nothing. I say to that, GROW UP.

Define the type of love you desire in the next 30 days by defining the kind of growth and love you are going to share:

What type of lover do you want to be?
How will you show that?
Who will you have to be to become that person?
What does love mean to you, and how will you show that?
What type of loving person will you become to attract the person
you love?
Are you ready for a relationship (be honest)? What is the one thing
that is stopping you? Define what that is, and the following chapters will help you break away from that and attract your ideal partner.

About the Author:

Jay Ibrahim is an entrepreneur who revolutionized the relationship world. His background in psychology, behavioural psych, Applied Behavior Analysis, psychotherapy and rehab counselling over the last eleven years puts him ahead of the race when it comes to relationships, conflict and resorting to your love life once again. His decades of experience and profound knowledge of modern ages and classic strategies of resorting to relationships and communication give all his clients the comfort to know they are in good hands, and that there is no problem he can't handle. Jay has an online platform called Metanoia Academy. Ultimate Freedom Journey is one of his successful programs, helping thousands of people raise the bar in health, wealth, relationships, and spirituality and live a life of freedom mentality. He is a world-renowned love doctor mentoring clients on how to be the ultimate man.

Website: https://jayibrahim.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Lovefreedomjourney
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