12 Days of Christmas with Carolyn Chambers Clark

12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza is being brought to you by Peggy at Pawing Through Books, Jennifer at Books and Barks, and myself. 
Each day for the next 12 days each of our blogs will feature a different author. There will be guest posts, interviews and giveaways! So be sure to stop at each blog to join in the fun!


A special thank you to all the authors who are participating and those who have donated prizes!

Merry Christmas!

Today's guest is:

Carolyn Chambers Clark

Author of the delicious mystery, Candy, Murder and Me!

Cookie Berelli, candy addict and dress designer co-stars with Sigmund

Freud, a psychoanalyst dachshund, in her first mystery, CANDY, MURDER

& ME..

When full-figure dress designer and candy addict Cookie Berelli

discovers the PI she hired to clear her of embezzlement charges dead

in her design studio, she investigates, to wacky results. For example,

is Eugene Gemstone involved? After all, he is her number one fabric

cutter at Florida Fashions, and he did start acting overemotional

after he wore one of the dresses she designed into the ladies’ room at

Chez Riso and got arrested. He's especially suspect now that he's

disappeared with all of Cookie's candy stash. Then again, it could be

that cute PI, Andy Shea, who shows up at the funeral of her dead PI,

and makes her hear the love song from GONE WITH THE WIND in her head,

or it could be just about anyone else on the planet.

Everyone's starting to look suspicious now, especially Yuri Yarutski,

who owns a sports bar in the bad part of town and wants to go a few

rounds with Cookie, the woman who lives in a tree (who in Florida can

live without air conditioning?), and even Bernadette Humphreys of

Bernie's Tattoos who comes up with the weirdest body art. Okay, yes,

Cookie did find the body, in fact two of them,and so she has to clear

herself, but does that mean the murderer has to go after her?

Recipes from her Norwegian and Italian heritage including Grandma

Berelli’s Pralines (“Worth going to jail for”), Cookie’s Maple Candies

(“So good they’re criminal”), and Nana’s Kringlas (“To kill for” - ),

among others, are available throughout the story to break up the

mayhem and available at the end, indexed by chapter.

With such a great response from readers, Cookie plans to put her next

murder investigation in print.

My review of this delectable mystery is here.

COOKIE'S CHRISTMAS

Cookie Berelli's chewing on a stick of strawberry licorice and

wondering what Christmas will be like with her parents and the rest of

her cuckoo family. Sure, they're okay people, but why does her mother

always pick on her clothes, her weight, and just about every else she

does?

She starts to picture what's going to happen at Christmas.

For starters, she's going to knit a red sweater and beret for Sigmund.

Dogs always look so cute in clothes, don't they? Of course, with his

short, dachshund legs, he'll be tripping all over and getting caught

on the tree and probably knocking it down a couple of times. That's

the breaks when you're a top fashion designer.

"Hmmm..." she says after she finishes the ensemble for Sigmund. What

else does she need to do? Cookie prances into the kitchen and takes

out the fixings for edible Christmas tree ornaments. She takes out the

angel and Santa cookie cutters. This is going to be way fun!

Especially when Uncle Anthony rolls in, the smell of garbage truck

around him like a halo after he'd finished off the route for one of

his pick-up guys. Of course, he'll eat all the stuffing and none of

anything else. That was just what he did. Good thing Cookie made her

own dressing, which she'll hide so at least a few people can grab a

bite or two before Uncle Anthony pounces on it.

Cookie's gotta hurry and get dressed. After Sigmund okays her wearing

a pumpkin-colored sheath she designed, she toddles out with ornaments

in hand and the dog trailing behind. When she gets there, all the

nieces and nephews help her put the ornaments on the tree. At least

that keeps her out of the kitchen and away from the steam Mom's making

in there. Pasta on Christmas? You bet. Everyday is pasta day at the

Berelli's.

When Mom calls out, "Dinner's ready!" everybody makes a mad dash for

the table where they chow down way too much pasta, turkey, ham, mashed

potatoes and gravy and her brother, Joey's, broccoli supreme, which

isn't too supreme. When everybody's too stuffed to get up, Cookie

hears a bang and drags herself up to see what's the clatter all about.

In the living room, the tree's on the floor and half the edible

ornaments have big holes in them and teeth marks, too. Who in the

world would eat the ornaments. "Sigmund!"

The dog's no where to be found and neither is Esther, Uncle Anthony's cat.

Using her advanced investigative skills, she tracks them down by

following the trail of of cookie crumbs. Under the sink in the laundry

room are the two criminals, Sigmund and Esther, crumbs all over their

faces and paws.

Cookie shakes a finger at them. "Okay, which one of you knocked over the tree?"

Sigmund points at Esther and she points at Sigmund.

Cookie shakes her head, goes into the living room and rights the tree.

"Good thing, I'm around here to fix these things," she mumbles and

goes back into the kitchen for a slice of pumpkin pie.

Find sample chapters of COOKIE, MURDER & ME at
http://freeandbargainebooks.blogspot.com by clicking on the book cover
in the right hand column.

Happy Holidays!

Cookie's Christmas copyright Carolyn Chambers Clark, 2011

GIVEAWAY

To be entered for a chance to win a Kindle version of Candy, Murder & Me... please leave a comment with your favorite holiday treat you always looked for in your stocking. Please be sure to include your email so I can contact you if you win!

When you finished here please stop by and see Jenn at http://www.booksandbarks.com/and Peggy at http://www.pawingthroughbooks.com


And be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Form to be in the big Giveaway!  ENTER HERE

Comments Always Welcome!

12 Days of Christmas with S.R. Johannes

12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza is being brought to you by Peggy at Pawing Through Books, Jennifer at Books and Barks, and myself. 
Each day for the next 12 days each of our blogs will feature a different author. There will be guest posts, interviews and giveaways! So be sure to stop at each blog to join in the fun!


A special thank you to all the authors who are participating and those who have donated prizes!

Merry Christmas!

Today's guest is:

S.R. Johannes

A Grace Filled Holiday

The best part about Christmas for Grace is being with her family at home.

In Untraceable, after her father goes missing, one of her concerns is the holidays looming around the corner.

It could be her first Christmas without her dad.

So this year, that is her Christmas wish: to get her dad back.

Last year, she asked for a new knife, a motorcycle (which Tommy actually gave her on her birthday), some vintage t-shirts, and a new rod.

A typical Christmas at Grace’s house would not be much different than any day for her.

First, Grace and her dad would go cut down their tree fresh on Christmas morning after a huge breakfast. Later after they decorate, they would exchange gifts. She would give him a fishing “Lure of the Month” subscription and her mom a new set of Knitting needles. They would give her a new camping knife (much bigger and sharper) and a huge box of Moon Pies (her favorite). Her mom would fuss over a turkey that her dog, Bear, would eventually steal from the table.

Then Grace and her dad would bundle up and take a patrol into the woods - where it would probably be snowing. They might try to fish if the river wasn’t iced over. He would bring back fresh wood for a fire.

They might all go into town at some point for some extra stuff. Grace’s dad would talk to everyone and buy stuff on sale, whether he needed it or not. They would stop by Carl’s place and Les’s station to drop off gifts. Wyn would be at Carl’s getting ready to go home. He would give Grace a spoof gift – like a hat that said KISS MY BASS. She would give him a fruitcake or a shirt that said “I’d rather be shopping.”

Later, Tommy would come over for dinner (since his wife is dead). He will bring them all presents. Some new fishing gear for Dad, something carved out of wood for Grace and flowers for Mom. He would join them dinner with them in front of the fire as a family. Tommy and her dad would sing Christmas songs (badly) as her mom played the piano (badly)

Grace would top off the night with Moon Pies and spicy Cheetos watching The Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation on TV with her dad and Bear. Her mom would knit another pair of socks for Grace and laugh as Grace and her dad recited every line.

Grace’s Chritsmas are simple but special. 

Author Bio (Long):

Shelli Johannes-Wells started out writing for her local school paper, winning a state Nutrition essay contest for “Be a Smart Cookie”, and singing in a local Jazz band. Somewhere along the way, she earned an MBA in Marketing and embarked on an 18-year marketing career in Corporate America working as a marketing and communications consultant.

In 2000, Shelli traded in her expensive suits, way-too high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She started her own marketing & communications business, www.bilaninc.com, and continues creating materials for a variety of large profit and nonprofit clients, including Spanx, Goody Hair Products, Chick Filet, Delta, CARE, and the Boys & Girls Club of America.

Shelli’s dream is to publish children’s books and magically imprint the imaginations of kids. In addition to juggling nap schedules while attending client meetings, Shelli focuses on her writing. She is a frequent marketing speaker at SCBWI conferences across the U.S and runs a popular marketing blog, Market My Words (www.faeriality.blogspot.com) where she provides marketing advice for authors in the hopes of helping them better market their words.

In her spare time (yeah right!) and if the kids allow (yeah right!), Shelli obsesses over movies, reads children’s books (over and over), wishes she could squeeze in Bikram Yoga sessions, and dreams of sleeping in on the weekends.

She currently lives in Atlanta with her dog, British-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess that someday will change the world.

TO RECEIVE AUTHOR NEWS

If you would like to get periodic author news on my upcoming special edition in Jan or on the release of my future books, please register your email address here. I do not expect to send more than one email a month.

Contact information:

Email: shelli@srjohannes.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/srjohannes

Author Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SRJohannes/249888602550

Personal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/srjohannes

Author Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5235537.S_R_Johannes

Book Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12731861-untraceable

Blog: http://faeriality.blogspot.com/

GIVEAWAY

To be entered for a chance to win a Kindle version of Untraceable please leave a comment with your favorite holiday cartoon or movie. Please be sure to include your email so I can contact you if you win!

When you finished here please stop by and see Jenn at http://www.booksandbarks.com/and Peggy at http://www.pawingthroughbooks.com


And be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Form to be in the big Giveaway!  ENTER HERE

Comments Always Welcome!

12 Days of Christmas With Gwendolen Cross

12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza is being brought to you by Peggy at Pawing Through Books, Jennifer at Books and Barks, and myself. 
Each day for the next 12 days each of our blogs will feature a different author. There will be guest posts, interviews and giveaways! So be sure to stop at each blog to join in the fun!


A special thank you to all the authors who are participating and those who have donated prizes!

Merry Christmas!

Today's guest is:

Gwendolen Cross

Technically, this is not about Christmas—or about Hanukah or Kwanza, either. But it is about sisters, the caramel core of my novel, The Orphan Sister, and about the compressed pleasure and boredom of family vacations.

My sister Claudia was the first cold water swimmer to cross the Sitka Sound, up there in Alaska. Someday I hope we’ll go with her, my utterly entertained children and my husband and I, to see what amazing things she does up there to fundraise for important causes, and because she is spectacular at bridging distances with the regular work of her strong arms. Meanwhile, I’m left in the northeast to reminisce about family vacations when Claudia and I were kids.

First, we went camping. I don’t remember a whole lot about family camping (but for a long time in young adulthood it was my preferred mode of vacation, because it costs so little), but I do remember losing my Sierra cup to a waterfall—oh, the intense loss of children, who have so little under their control. But I learned something: sometimes it’s okay to let go, and sometimes it is not.

The family story goes that I was about one and Claudia was four, and my parents noticed she wasn’t right where they’d left her (paddling pretend stick boats across invented sounds of spilt drinking water, perhaps?), and they found her, sitting happily in a patch of poison ivy, eating it. She didn’t have an allergic reaction, but if anyone can eat posion ivy and have a better immune system for it, it’s Claudia.

Later, we went to Vermont. By then we had a little sister, Rebecca, who ran about in a blaze of blond hair and blue eyes, naked but for a sheet, flashing the cows. Claudia and I set up at the Holiday Home, a rickety rental house with a million house flies and evocative clapboards, even a handpainted sign, that sat across the road from the lake. We walked down the lake path together, dove deep into the cold Vermont lake, and trekked, one stroke at a time, from marker rock to marker rock. We became swimmers because that was one place to go. We also collected different rocks from the path, pounded them with something harder (a clay conglomerate mashed with granite, for example) and made ourselves face paints. We paddled the canoe past the lake houses, looking to see how people lived when they weren’t worried about money, looking to see if their docks were smoother, looking for friends, but we didn’t really need any.

Later, there were swim lessons at the lake at 730am, when our teachers had finished morning farm chores and the cows were grazing. Claudia was always the first in the water, and she was always patient if there was something I couldn’t do. We wandered the one gift shop in town dreaming of carved wood birds and we bickered, I’m sure, but that’s not what I remember.

In the winter, once our family had our own second house, miles from the lake and endowed with tragic circumstances (the woman who had it built died before it was completed; the next couple broke like a vase on a marble floor), we cross-country skied across the trails maintained by the Greensboro Lodge. We went out for hours, came back to the woodstove and good cooking. We shared a bed for some of that time, and I both chafed against the company and found it comfort against the rest of the world. Now, when my son wakes, he smells like my sister Claudia—a comfort, again.

Vermont was a place of boredom (letters to best friends, decorated envelopes, hours at the Greensboro library hoping for something I hadn’t already read, hours in the Willie’s Store looking at plaid wool shirts as if they were a couture delight (never our forte), penny candy, watching the horror of flies on fly paper in the house. It was a place of family tragedy, about which I will not go into detail. It was also a place where we found entertainment in each other’s company, in the company of green moss fairy beds and hikes from cowguarded pasture to glacial-contoured sweet hills, frosted in snow or leaves.

Claudia moved to Wisconsin for college, and on to Nepal, then Virginia, then San Diego, where we overlapped for a few years. She took me kayaking, we went swimming in the cove with our husbands, we mountain biked and even went cross-country skiing an hour away in the mountains. And it was a comfort to sit together in a café, working on our very different works, keeping company.

I’ve since moved back east, and I miss the comfort of a sister so close. Rebecca, our little sister, lives in Boston. Samantha, our half-sister twenty years younger than I, visits sometimes from law school. I learned when it’s okay to let go, and when you need to hold on, even over the distance of memory, the thousands of pounds of waterfall pressure, the continent.

Gwedolen is the author of THE ORPHAN SISTER:

Clementine Lord is not an orphan. She just feels like one sometimes. One of triplets, a quirk of nature left her the odd one out. Odette and Olivia are identical; Clementine is a singleton. Biologically speaking, she came from her own egg. Practically speaking, she never quite left it. Then Clementine’s father—a pediatric neurologist who is an expert on children’s brains, but clueless when it comes to his own daughters—disappears, and his choices, both past and present, force the family dynamics to change at last. As the three sisters struggle to make sense of it, their mother must emerge from the greenhouse and leave the flowers that have long been the focus of her warmth and nurturing.

For Clementine, the next step means retracing the winding route that led her to this very moment: to understand her father’s betrayal, the tragedy of her first lost love, her family’s divisions, and her best friend Eli’s sudden romantic interest. Most of all, she may finally have found the voice with which to share the inside story of being the odd sister out. ..

I have heard many awesome things about this book and am looking forward to reading it. I haven't yet only because I was told not to buy it until after Christmas.  Guess we know what that means. 

In addition Gwendolen has written:

    

You can find out more on Gwendolen on her website: http://www.gwendolengross.com

Simon &Schuster Author Page: http://authors.simonandschuster.ca/Gwendolen-Gross/78500852

FaceBook Page: http://www.facebook.com/gwendolen.gross

TypePad: http://gwendolengross.typepad.com/theorphansisterggross/

When you finished here please stop by and see Jenn at http://www.booksandbarks.com/and Peggy at http://www.pawingthroughbooks.com


And be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Form to be in the big Giveaway!  ENTER HERE

Comments Always Welcome!

Bookie Friends Favorites Challenge 2012

I'm nosy. I like to know what everyone is reading. I have found some really interesting books this way. I found been introduced to many authors I did not know through Bookie Friends. So when I came across this challenge I thought it would be a fun and easy way to find some treasures. Okay so it also legitimizes my being nosy. That is a bonus. If you would like to hop on and join in the fun, (especially if your nosy and want an excuse for it), check out the rules and sign up HERE. 

Basically the way it works is after you sign up, you put up a list, (with Links), to 5 of your favorite books. I know I have hundreds that could go on this. I promise to keep it at 5.  Add the Challenge button to your blog. 

Then you visit the blogs of the others participating and you choose at least 3 books, (it can be more), that you will read and review. They can be chosen at one time or as you go. When you make a selection you need to post it with a link back to the person who suggested it.

Then read and review. Make sure to link your review to the original post. 

Now the hard part...my 5 books. 

1. The Stoning of Soraya M. by Freidoune Sahebjam
2. Two Old Women by Velma Wallis 
3. Ghost on Black Mountain by Ann Hite
4. The Shining by Stephen King
5. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The first one I am choosing is ...

 Room by Emma Donoghue from Bree at Diary of a Domestic Goddess

after which I am considering the following:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak from Jen at The Introverted Reader

Howl's Moving Castle by  Diana Wynne Jones from Jessie at Jessie's Book Place

or 

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens from I'd Rather Be At The Beach

For those who looked for my post earlier I apologize. I have been sick and also have a personal issue I am dealing with. 

Comments Always Welcome!

Savvy Diva's Take on 44 Days of Random Thoughts &Observations by Jahzara

Savvy Diva's Take On  44 Days of Random Thoughts & Observations by Jahzara

Paperback, 184 pages Published  by Jahphut

This book is being reviewed through Virtual Tours. Book was provided for review. No compensation was received for review. All opinions are my own.

The Savvy Diva's Take On 44 Days of Random Thoughts & Observations is exactly what it says. You will get to know the Savvy Diva and most likely will be able to picture her talking to you after the first few chapters.  The chapters are days of her thoughts and observations. Some are funny and some are serious. Most of them, I found, I could relate to. I like Jahzara's writing style. She talks to you as if you were with her. This brings you comfortably into her thoughts. I find this a good book to use for reflections. Jahzara talks about things most women have experienced or know someone who experienced it. Several times reading the book I was in full agreement with her. 

Day 4 If I Were A Boy... I knew reading the title of this day I was going to like it. I can remember thinking how lucky boys were when I was growing up and my mom kept telling me I couldn't do something, "because your a girl".  Which only served to make me determined that I could do it - what ever it was- no matter what. I also spent time daydreaming all the stupid stuff I would do if I was a boy. Chug a can of soda and belch way loud - got it covered.  Pee standing up - no problem. Peeing my name I haven't mastered. Climb a tree, play baseball, tell the stupidest joke on earth, spit a few times - easy peasy. So I knew I could get into this chapter. I was not disappointed. Jahzara took it to the adult level and I had a good time with it. 

Day 5 brings us to Big Love. Okay this is a first. No one knows I watch HBO's Big Love. Well no one knew. I have managed to keep it a guilty secret pleasure for all these seasons. I only watch when no one is home. I don't answer the phone unless I pause it so no one will guess what I am watching. I knew I was in trouble when I saw Day 5.  I absolutely LOVED Jahzara's take on this show. For me, part of the draw of watching this show is the WTF moments and part of the draw is the question of could I fit into a family like that? And who would I be? I could certainly handle a sister helping out with the pregnancies. I freely admit I would have welcome a sister to send my kids to when I was tired of playing referee. There were even times when I would have gladly shoved an ex to another women. Oh yes I watch and think hmm maybe there is something to this. Maybe, if I had sister wives, I wouldn't have needed the divorce.  But then reality sets in and I realize most likely someone would have ended up deceased. Since it wasn't going to be me I might have ended up with all the children. Well that takes care of that little fantasy.

Pet peeves. Day 6. We could stay at Day 6 for a long time.  I know exactly how she feels when her CD is cracked open and played before she gets to listen first. And the fries thing. Oh how I related to that. What is it with people in the car who always say they don't feel like getting anything when you pull into a drive thru and then will go after your fries when you pull away? I want to break fingers over hot fries. It never fails. If I order extra fries nobody touches them. But let me take the person at their word and do not order any extra - it is a guarantee they are going to eat my fries. For real, if your hanging with me and we pull up to McD, ORDER something! Because you may get hurt going for my fries.

These are just a few days of what Jahzara writes about. I could go on and on. It is a short but fun book. You don't have to read it in order or all at once. It is the perfect book to carry with you for those odd moments waiting with nothing to do. You can read a day, share it with whoever is around you and reflect on your feelings about what you read. It also is a good book to leave out for guest in your home. 

To read an interview with the Savvy Diva please go to http://reviewfromhere.com/2011/12/09/interview-with-jahzara-the-savvy-diva/

To read the Savvy Diva's awesome blog please go here: http://jahphut.com/divablog/

Comments Always Welcome!

12 Days of Christmas with Allison Bruning

12 Days of Christmas Extravaganza is being brought to you by Peggy at Pawing Through Books, Jennifer at Books and Barks, and myself. 
Each day for the next 12 days each of our blogs will feature a different author. There will be guest posts, interviews and giveaways! So be sure to stop at each blog to join in the fun!


A special thank you to all the authors who are participating and those who have donated prizes!

Merry Christmas!

Today's guest is:

Allison Bruning

This is my character Anna Marie Turner from my book  "Calico" Book One (Children of the Shawnee series) 

December 24, 1755 - Ohio Wilderness

                Snow falls all around my tiny cabin nestled deep within the French fort. I lay bound to my bed, large with child. My only companions are the wife of the French captain and her children. Today is Christmas Eve.  I watch the snow fall outside through my window.  I wonder if we were in France, where might I be? I can only imagine the grand Christmas ball thrown at Versailles. The music floating in the air as beautiful couples twirl in rhythm. The joyfulness of the season emulating throughout the palace, the midnight mass in the cathedral, family dinner with the House of Orleans, and presents. Oh, how life at the French court is drastically different from what I have here.    

                I lean back and close my eyes. Just as the birth of Jesus brought hope to the world, this Christmas I have been given hope by my French husband. What a wonderful, most blessed gift! I found love where no love should be. I was a British lady. What British lady falls in love with French nobility when there is a war going on? Oh and the love we share is magical! I giggle like a child everything I think of it. I am so happy! Never in my life have I ever been so elated. All my life, I hadn’t been a person to my father but a tool he could use to further his own objectives. He beat, molested and raped me all my life. He forced my brother and I to have incest. But that wasn’t the worse of it all. Last winter, my father held a rifle to my brothers head and forced him to beat me to death. My poor brother. He didn’t want to do it. But I pleaded to him to kill me. For I knew if he wouldn’t father would kill us both. Alexander had complied. Thank heavens he stopped beating and stabbing me when he did. I was so close to death. Afterwards Alexander gave my torn body to François then disappeared.  Oh, what a gift François is to me. He healed me back to health, gave me a child and a new life!

                This Christmas I am grateful for the many blessings God had bestowed upon me.  I have a wonderful husband who adores me. I am large with child. Alexander and I have reunited. Our parents are dead and France protects me.  

                I hear the front door close and my husband’s voice in his office. François has returned! I rise from my bed and grab my robe. I have grown too large to wear any clothes other than my chemise. Alexander believes I carry more than one child. No meal can satisfy my ravishing appetite.   I place my robe around my large body, tied it in the front and open the door to my husband’s office.  Oh, what a sight he is to my eyes. He stirs my soul with just one glance. I stand at our door watching my husband converse with his younger brother.  The war had taken a break for Christmas Eve yet even now my husband and his brother plan their next attack. How strange it seems that the world can find peace on Christmas yet the very next day act as if nothing had transpired. I do not understand it. Have we learned nothing from Jesus’ birth? The hope of the world.

Amazon link to Calico http://www.amazon.com/Calico-Allison-Bruning/dp/0979017254/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

If you would like to a Kindle copy of Calico please leave a comment below. One copy will be given away!

When you finished here please stop by and see Jenn at http://www.booksandbarks.com/and Peggy at http://www.pawingthroughbooks.com


And be sure to enter the Rafflecopter Form to be in the big Giveaway!  ENTER HERE

Comments Always Welcome!