Showing posts with label #inspie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #inspie. Show all posts

Thursday, March 29, 2018

"Chasing the Wind" by Paula Scott (JustRead Blog Tour) ... and a GIVEAWAY!


Chasing the Wind book blitz

Welcome to the Chasing the Wind blog blitz and giveaway, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

chasing the windTitle: Chasing the Wind
Author: Paula Scott
Publisher:
West Butte Publishing
Release Date:
March 20, 2018
Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction
A beautiful, half-Indian girl raised by the Californios finds her fate intertwined with an American frontiersman haunted by his past in 1850 California.
As California comes to statehood amidst the madness of the gold rush, Isabella Vasquez must wed a buckskin-clad American who wins her in a card game. Though their union is passionate, Isabella soon finds herself abandoned in a brothel, where she rises to fame as a singer known as the Bluebird. Yet because of her Indian blood, the Bluebird will always be bought and sold in the white man’s world. When more is demanded of the Bluebird than just singing, Isabella flees to Fort Ross in search of her Russian father and her own race of people.
Peter Brondi has battled Indians all his life. The last thing he wants is a half-Indian wife. While taming the West with Kit Carson and John C. Fremont, Peter has fought the Mexican War and lost his beloved fiancée, Maggie, to his half-Indian brother, Paul. To satisfy his father’s dying wish, Peter vows to find his brother and put an end to the hate that’s between them. But when history repeats itself and Paul steals Isabella away, Peter must come to terms with his past and the animosity he holds against all Indians, including his half-brother and the wife he has forsaken.

*Chasing the Wind is the final story in the sweeping saga of California Rising, a tale of love, betrayal, and the ties that bind brothers together and California to the nation.

PURCHASE A COPY: Goodreads | Amazon


Excerpt...

“I’m sorry for the man I’ve been. I feared and hated Indians all my life because of what I’ve seen them do. I treated you poorly on account of your Indian blood. I’d never have treated a white woman the way I treated you. I’m sorry.”

She was the first woman to see him shed a tear. It unleashed something in Peter he’d never felt before. Raw vulnerability. Never in his life had he been afraid of dying. But he was afraid of living honest and open this way before God and Belle.

“Dios will help us,” she said hopefully.

“Yes, God will help us,” he agreed.

A smile curved her lips even as she cried.

It was God who gave him the resolve to stand before Belle with tears on his face. His old self never would have stood for that. Never would he have let her or anyone else see that kind of softness in him. His heart swelled with gratitude. He knew something profound had just happened between God and them.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

paula scott

Paula began her writing career as a civilian contracted to write for the United States Air Force’s newspaper and magazines. Later, she wrote feature stories for a daily California newspaper. A fifth generation Californian, Paula’s great great grandmother came to California in a covered wagon and married a California farmer. Paula’s family has been farming ever since. Paula works on her family’s farm, writes historical fiction, and blogs about life, love, and farming at psbicknell.com
 
CONNECT WITH AUTHOR: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

chasing the wind blitz giveaway

GIVEAWAY

Paula Scott is giving away a signed print copy of Chasing the Wind! (US Only) Void where prohibited by law. Enter via the Rafflecopter below. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

 
tour schedule

March 28, 2018  

March 29, 2018 

March 30, 2018 

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Friday, February 16, 2018

"The Saturday Night Supper Club" by Carla Laureano ... and a GIVEAWAY!




Carla Laureano has graciously offered to give away a copy of her new release (US ONLY). You can enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the end of the post. (Giveaway ends February 23, 2018. If you are the randomly chosen winner, I'll contact you and pass on your information.) 


Q&A with Carla...

Q: What is something your readers would be surprised to know about you?
A:  I’m definitely a city girl, but I’ve got some serious DIY chops. I’ve painted the entire house interior by myself, despite the fact I’m afraid of heights and hate being up on a ladder. My husband and I also remodeled our kitchen with my dad’s help in 2016. We assembled and installed cabinets, tiled the backsplash, did wiring, plumbing, you name it. The only thing we had professionally installed were the countertops. After doing that, I feel like I can do just about anything, so I’m constantly looking for home improvement projects, especially ones that involve power tools. Next up is a refresh for the hall/kids’/guest bathroom. It so desperately needs it; I just need to find the free time to work on it.

Q:  We painted out house before we moved in, and that was enough for me, lol! I really enjoyed the painting, far more than I expected. Along those same lines, what household item can you not live without?
A:  I have two messy school-age boys, so vacuum cleaner immediately comes to mind. But that’s not really a fun answer, so I’m going to say my Vitamix. I had to wait almost ten years to buy one, and I love that thing beyond what’s reasonable to feel for an appliance.

Q:  Ha! I've never tried that. Perhaps I'll have to give it a go. What are some of the books in your TBR pile?
A:  I’ve got so many! I’m still trying to catch up on books that I’ve missed over the last couple of years. Just Look Up by Courtney Walsh, The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry, The Wedding Chapel by Rachel Hauck, and The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley are four of them. But there’s at least a dozen more staring at me in judgment on the shelf of my nightstand, not to mention everything loaded on my e-reader.

Q:  Oh, I hear you! My pile is huge, as well. You definitely listed some great books. I hope you find time to read them this year. Do you have any specific rituals for when you work? This could be anything, such as music, a particular snack, a specific pen you use, or an article of clothing you need to wear.
A:  Not really. The closest I come is the fact I need a drink nearby, but that’s more practical than ritual. I don’t like to give myself excuses to get up, especially when the work is not going well. Sometimes it’s tea or coffee or just my ubiquitous glass water bottle. (I seriously walk around the house with it, take it into stores, carry it in my car. Denver is dry!) I do like to have noise-canceling headphones when I’m working somewhere other than my office, but again, that’s more of a practical thing.

Q:  I like to have a drink nearby, as well, so I understand. What project are you currently working on?
A:  I’m currently doing content edits on the second book in the Supper Club series, Brunch at Bittersweet Café. For readers who have already read The Saturday Night Supper Club, this is pastry chef Melody’s story! As soon as I’m finished with this, I’m diving into the first draft of the as-yet-untitled book three of this series.

Q:  Yay! Something to look forward to! Finally, what advice do you have for new writers?

A:  Don’t start stressing over publication now. Fall in love with language and story. Hone your craft. Try out different techniques. Play with points-of-view and styles and structures. Give yourself room to fail and try again. If you’re already thinking about audience and marketing and sales, you’ll hamper your creativity. For now, just play. The rest will still be there when you’re ready, I promise. It took me fifteen years of writing novels before I got published, and I don’t regret that apprenticeship for one second. It was the best preparation for a professional writing career that I could have asked for.

Great advice! Thanks so much, Carla. I'm sure my readers will enjoy getting to know you a bit better. 

My review...

If you are a foodie, this is a book you need to check out. (It’s enjoyable for non-foodies, as well!)

Denver chef Rachel Bishop is smack dab in the middle of a social media campaign that seems designed to ruin her image. Despite being a James Beard Award winner and having a fine-dining restaurant, she now finds herself out of business, trying to figure out what to do with her life. Alex Kanin never expected his article to develop a life of its own. While sending Rachel’s career into a tailspin, his own career is revived. He didn’t intend for things to turn out as they did, and he wants to do what he can to make things up to Rachel and repair the damage done by his words. Will Alex be able to keep things on a professional level? Will Rachel even accept his help?

Laureano’s latest (the first in a new series) has flawed yet resilient characters, making their search for identity, God’s plans, etc. relatable. The descriptions will leave the reader feeling like they are a part of the story … and hungry! Non-foodies will not be lost, as the author does a wonderful job of explaining things about the food industry. It’s nice to have the social media aspect and the impact our words have on others highlighted in this story, as it is something to keep in mind when doing anything online.

The Christian message is woven throughout the story, so it does not overwhelm the reader. The social media aspect keeps things relevant to today’s culture as it highlights the importance of not making judgments before knowing all the facts. Some parts near the end seemed to wrap up a bit abruptly, but perhaps they will be addressed in another book.


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.





About Carla...


Carla Laureano is the RITA Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as  a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

Where you can find her online...



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