Robin Mason Book Bash Cover Reveal

TESSA BOOK BIRTHDAY and RE-NEW COVER REVEAL

Blog tour hosted by Bird’s Nest Books.

“When you pretend to be something you’re not, it always finds you out.”

“Don’t ever be ashamed of who you are. Don’t ever, for anyone, hide your true self. Know your true self, and shine like God made you to be.”

Today, I’m celebrating my debut novel’s fourth birthday. A brief word of explanation— Tessa, has a double birthday; at the prompting and with the help of a friend, I first released her in early March 2014, but for Kindle only. I quickly learned the value of having print copies, and with the help of that same friend (who did all the formatting for me) I released and had all the celebration in October.

Tessa’s official book birthday is 31 October, which is fitting for the story—she assumed an identity not her own, thus “wearing a mask.”

ABOUT THE BOOK

One mother.  Two daughters.  One favorite.  One not. 

When Cassie Barclay is presented with an opportunity – or is it a curse – she jumps at the chance.  She takes on a new life, her sister’s life, and although at first, it holds appeal and promise, she soon realizes sometimes the fairy tale is tainted.

Assuming the name of Tessa, Cassie moves into the life that was her sister’s, and faces first one realization then another, one disappointment after another. Stepping into Connie’s life does not automatically grant her all that Connie had or was. But it does deny all that she had and was as Cassie. As herself.

Just when she believes her life is on an even keel, something comes along to ripple the waters and remind her of her secret. Until the day she gets a phone call that rips her world apart. Who is the mysterious caller? And who knows her secret?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

“I’ve always had voices—er, stories in my head. I once said I should write them all down so someone could write them someday. I had no idea at the time that someone was me!” Ms. Mason has seven novels, Tessa, Clara Bess, and Cissy, in the unsavory heritage series, and The Long Shadows of Summer, The Tilting Leaves of Autumn, The Silent Song of Winter, and The Whispering Winds of Spring in her Seasons series. All of Ms. Mason’s books are available on Amazon, both for Kindle and in print. She also has several poems included in an anthology, Where Dreams and Visions Live (Anthologies of the Heart Book 1) by Mary Blowers, as well as a short story, Sarafina’s Light, also in an anthology, Blood Moon, compiled by Mary Blowers. She is working on a on One for the Price of Two, the first story in her new series, FourSquare, to release next year.

http://robinemason.com

http://robinsnest212.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Robin.E.Mason/

http://www.amazon.com/Robin-E.-Mason/e/B00MR5IQ9S
https://twitter.com/amythyst212
http://www.pinterest.com/amythyst212/

https://www.instagram.com/robinemason212/

https://plus.google.com/+RobinEMason

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7808042.Robin_E_Mason

EVOLUTION OF A COVER

dat first cover doh…

RE-NEW COVER REVEAL

‘Dat first cover’ was my uneducated and oblivious attempt at cover design.  The second try captured the essence I wanted, but didn’t convey well to the second and third books in the series. Number three was professionally done, but as lovely as it is, I still didn’t love it. I took the design back into my hands last year with the fourth cover, but it was missing something. Now, for Tessa’s birthday, she has a stunning new look!

 Isn’t she gorgeous!!

 🎉 GIVEAWAY* 🎉

Birthday Blitz Bash for Robin E. Mason’s debut novel, #Tessa is under way, starting with this Blog & Social Media Blitz! Tessa is available on Amazon, both in print and Kindle format!  Purchase here:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IPZ5JEE/.

Bird’s Nest Books is celebrating Tessa’s fourth birthday with a tour-wide #giveaway! Robin is gifting one reader a Prize Pack that includes:

A signed print copy of Tessa

3 oz packette of Tessa’s Tea

unsavory heritage mug

necklace with paint palette pendant

unsavory heritage bookmark

three (3) framed mini art prints

BONUS  BOOKS from Heather Gilbert, Lisa Lickel, and Linda Rodante

RAFFLECOPTER

a Rafflecopter giveaway

OR GO TO THE LINK BELOW

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b485f64b1/?

*Giveaway is sponsored by Bird’s Nest Books, and is not affiliated by any social media venues. Open to US residents only. Through November 7, 2018

#BirdsNestBooks #bookbirthday #Tessabookbirthday  #unsavoryheritage #RobinEMason

“Maybe you have to know the darkness to truly appreciate the light.”—Madeline L’Engle

99cent mystery from Gail Pallotta

Hair Calamities and Hot Cash has its roots in the Western North Carolina Mountains. The elevation of the small town reaches nearly to the tops of the peaks to allow for breathtaking, romantic views, but the characters resemble the residents from my hometown at the foothills.

A Christian bond binds them whether they are acquaintances, best friends, people who only tolerate one another or folks who keep their distance. They squabble, and each of them likes some people better than others, but they respect each other. When one of them faces a hardship, death, illness or any other crisis, the rest of the residents reach out to one of their own. In the blink of an eye they’re ready with open hands, outstretched arms and casseroles.

It’s a quiet place with little to do, and everyone knows everyone else’s business, so they gossip. No newspaper, and probably not the internet, could keep up with their word-of-mouth broadcasts.  When Philip Wells, a stockbroker from New York, crashes his car into the young widow Eve Castleberry’s beauty shop, word spreads like lightning. At the same time, everyone in town hears how Eve suddenly created frizzy hairdos and dyed people’s hair red instead of blond. When she and Philip start dating...Well, there is no end to it.

The two of them do manage to keep Philip’s robbery a secret while they try to solve the crime. Of course, they don’t realize they’re chasing two of the F.B.I.’s most-wanted. But I must stop adding to the gossip, relax and enjoy the view.

About the Book:

“A comedic romp from small town to big city in search of missing money, hair catastrophes, and love. A truly fun read”—Cynthia Hickey, author of the Shady Acres Mystery series.

What happens when a New York stockbroker crashes his car into Eve Castleberry’s North Carolina beauty shop...on the same day the young widow’s defective hair products are causing wild hairdos? Soon Eve finds herself helping the handsome stranger hunt the thieves who stole his client’s cash...and hot on the trail of two of the F.B.I.’s most-wanted criminals! Romance blossoms amid danger, suspense and Eve’s hair-brained plan to get back the money.

About the Author:

Award-winning author Gail Pallotta’s a wife, mom, swimmer and bargain shopper who loves God, beach sunsets and getting together with friends and family. A former Grace Awards Finalist and a Reader’s Favorite 2017 Book Award winner, she’s published five books, poems, short stories and two-hundred articles. Some of her articles appear in anthologies while two are in museums. She loves to connect with readers.

Sign up for her newsletter at http://www.gailpallotta.com/mainphp.html

Visit her website at gailpallotta.com

Hair Calamities and Hot Cash is on pre-order for .99 at Amazon

For a special treat, Gail is giving away an electronic copy of her book Barely Above Water

Near future good scary read with Victoria Buck

Wake the Dead

Victoria Buck

Near future inspirational science fiction

Series: Killswitch, and Transfusion

July 2014, Pelican Book Group

Ebook $.99

Print $16.99

Amazon 

About the Book

What if the first man reborn of an evolutionary leap doesn't like his new life? Is escape even possible? The time is right for introducing the world to the marvels of techno-medical advancements. An influential man, one loved and adored, is needed for the job, and who better than celebrity Chase Sterling? After suffering injuries no one could survive Chase is rebuilt like no one has ever seen before. In the not-too-distant future a man—if he can still be called a man—breaks away from the forces taking over his life and finds new purpose in the secret world of hiding believers.

My Review

Let me begin by saying that I bought the sequel when I finished reading this book. Although you can read Wake the Dead as a complete story, be prepared to want to carry on. The book opened like a terrible nightmare. I’m not a fan of reality shows, but I can’t ignore the hype that surrounds them, and when it’s no longer a secret in the near future that a quasi-government has taken control of life as we know it, I am draw reluctantly but compellingly in. Scary.

A TV star and his brilliant but cheeky assistant go too far while researching the next astounding giveaway for a reality game show which promises to “Change Your Life.” In a new era when expectations are lower than they’ve ever been, the only way ordinary citizens can achieve is through a lottery of sorts, a game played with their lives, upon which they must, in turn, serve Big Brother.

Chase, however, has a secret weapon he’s not even aware of…until he dies in spectacular technicolor. A victim of his own research into providing a profound medical breakthrough for his contestants, he slowly wakes up to reality and the truth of his own world. He’s given real choices for the first time in his life. His decision-making journey is what creates the thrilling last quarter of the story of a dystopian society crying for recognition. Chase has the power to truly help the world “Change” if only he’ll risk enough.

Told through the eyes of the main character, Wake the Dead is a novel well written and researched, and frighteningly plausible.

About the Author

Victoria Buck is a native Floridian running a small business with her husband, who teaches her everything she needs to know about both melodrama and comic relief. Wake the Dead is her debut novel. Killswitch is the follow-up to book one. Transfusion is the last book in the trilogy about the world's first transhuman. Now, on to other stories! If you like the futuristic stuff, there's a little steampunkish novelette called Gears available on Kindle. Victoria is currently working on two present-day novels. No transhumans or insurrections. Of course, there has to be a bit of a weird twist!

Supreme Court nominee will do anything

It's still cold out there...

When nobody loves you, you have nothing to lose.

Lily Masters is not getting involved with any fake job scheme covering a sex trafficking operation supposedly cooked up by her stepbrother, prison guard Art Townsend. Hoping to get help at a friend’s place deep in the woods of northern Wisconsin before a blizzard, Lily loses her way. At first, she doesn’t realize how fortunate she is to be found by Cam Taylor, a poetry-spouting former lit professor. Cam has his own reasons to hide while writing a biography of his Civil Rights activist grandparents and accidentally stirs up a cold case murder involving a potential Supreme Court judge. When trouble follows, either of them is the likely target.

Beneath every story is layer upon layer of trust and lies. Who can they believe when things go from surreal to devastating?

Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/2fPE5tt

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2ew7YMM

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2fPIAEj

Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2fwuwia
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/understory-1

Women’s Fiction

Romantic Suspense

Keywords: racism, prejudice, Wisconsin, suspense, sex trafficking, prison life, dogs, blizzard, Civil Rights

Theme:

The underlying theme of UnderStory is prejudice—how we look and perceive others and judge them and ourselves by the way they look, whether we can see the physical or emotional scars. Lily Masters is born with a genetic condition, Poland’s syndrome, which colors her world, makes her feel unloved and unwanted, and although she’s learned to hide her condition and feelings, get a good job and function in public, she can never again connect with someone who would learn about her physical problem and reject her. When Lily is rescued by a biracial Literature professor, Cam Taylor, who is dealing with prejudice on so many levels, and they are stranded together, she begins to learn not to judge people and situations by what others say or even by her own standards. Lily and Cam’s journeys are about learning that shame is a reaction they choose based on others’ perceptions and standards, not something they have to accept. Learning to free herself from the bonds of self-loathing, Lily realizes how to be strong and fight for her family and how to accept love as well as give it. Cam comes to a peaceful place as he learns to see the world through what is, not through what he anticipates.

Endorsements:

Lisa Lickel weaves together a masterful tale of intrigue and romance, and the multilayers of complexity will leave the reader turning the pages. The characters are well-developed, and overarching themes involving racism and prejudice will resonate with the reader. The story takes place in the Midwest—in a small town that harbors a big secret—perhaps more common than anyone dares to imagine. UnderStory is one of those rare books that’s not only a great read but makes a statement about what’s most important—in the midst of depravity, unfairness, and greed.

—Lorilyn Roberts, award-winning author and founder of the John 3:16 Marketing Network

Drugs, human trafficking, and corruption all play their part in Lisa Lickel’s atmospheric thriller, UnderStory, but it’s the characters and the love story you’ll remember most. In some ways, the book reminded me of the movie Fargo—quirky locals, investigators facing not only ruthless criminals but also a frozen winter landscape of snow and ice in an isolated far north town. The blizzard is the catalyst that brings together two emotionally damaged strangers when Cam finds the mysterious Lily unconscious near his isolated cabin. When he brings her inside, he becomes involved in both love and dangers he never expected when he hid himself away in the woods.

—Robin Johns Grant, author of Summer’s Winter.

Excerpt

Cam Taylor listened to ice crystals pinging his kitchen window pane. Too cold to make decent snowflakes.

He’d let his dogs inside last night—early morning—when they made a ruckus. After filling a water bowl and offering treats, he let them stay near the woodstove. The mercury plunged way below the fat red zero on the ancient Wisconsin Bank of the Great North Woods outdoor thermometer. It was really cold out there in the driving blizzard…not counting wind chill.

He gulped the last of his coffee while he watched the two animals pace between the kitchen stove and the front door, restless. They were as mixed up a breed as he. Lear was mostly retriever, the shelter said, and Iago, part Shepherd with the usual dark markings, but shorthaired.

“So, you want to show me what you found? Hmm? Maybe some deer hide we can salvage?” Fatally cold out there, yeah, but a brisk walk through lashing snow might shake the vapors of the ghosts that clung after his dreams.

While he dressed for outdoors, he continued to talk to them. “Better be more exciting than a rabbit, guys.” The white stuff already heaped six inches deep in places, and he couldn’t tell exactly where his driveway started. The dogs shot out the door as soon as he opened it. Lear and Iago howled and acted stupid, pouncing and prancing in the blowing fluff. Cam lashed his snowshoes to his boots, grabbed his poles, and took off from the porch steps after them. One deep breath sent him sputtering and rasping. He tied his scarf across his face and muttered, “Twenty-four below, one gangsta ready to roll…”

Author Lisa Lickel is a Wisconsin author who loves books, collects dragons, and writes inspiring fiction. She also writes short stories, feature articles, and radio theater, and loves to encourage new authors through mentoring, speaking, and leading workshops. Lisa is a member of Women Fiction Writers of America, the Council for Wisconsin Writers, the Chicago Writer’s Association, and vice president/instructor for Novel-In-Progress Bookcamp and Writing Retreat, Inc. She is an avid book reviewer and blogger, and a freelance editor. Find more at LisaLickel.com.

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/lisalickel

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lisajlickel

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lisalickelauthor

Amazon author page: http://amzn.to/2bPxi2X