Author & Sewing Designer June McCrary Jacobs: April 2020

Thursday, April 30, 2020

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ONCE UPON AN IRISH SUMMER ~

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~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

-- 'ONCE UPON AN IRISH SUMMER' --

AUTHOR WENDY WILSON SPOONER

~Post Includes: Book Spotlight, Excerpt,

Author Bio, Unique Author Guest

Post & Giveaway~

Once Upon an Irish Summer Blog + Review Tour

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour & Giveaway for Once Upon an Irish Summer by Wendy Wilson Spooner, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Once Upon an Irish Summer
Author: Wendy Wilson Spooner
Publisher: Ambassador International
Release Date: April 3, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Historical Romance

Two teenagers, two centuries, one city.

1817 Ireland - Allen Hamilton crosses the Atlantic alone to find a way to save his family from imminent financial and social ruin before it's too late. Instead he is met with prejudice, sickness, and starvation.

2018 Fort Wayne, Indiana - A gifted young artist struggles with debilitating grief after a sudden death in her family. When she unearths Allen Hamilton's noble rise from rags to riches in Antebellum America, their shared connection inspires her own healing and renewed inspiration.

Based on a 200-year-old letter collection, Once Upon an Irish Summer brings to life and weaves together this true story of romance, mystery, and hope.

EXCERPT:
Mom came over and put her arm around my shoulder. “Beth, we think it’ll be good for you to go back to Fort Wayne and to spend time with Mimi. Think about it. You love her. And maybe you’ll find inspiration to paint something new.”

Furiously swiping at my cheeks, I shrugged her off. “I don’t want to go back there! Don’t do this to me!” To my mind came hazy memories of my grandfather. No, please. Not now!

Instantly, I snapped. “I’m not going to Fort Wayne for the whole summer! I was supposed to visit Mimi for only a couple of days, then come straight back here to paint!”

Dad didn’t flinch. “You can paint in Fort Wayne, and you are going.”

Waterworks launched down my cheeks. I headed for the door.

“Dad’s going to open up our old house,” Mom called after me. “But—I have to stay here because I already committed to the summer school counseling job, and we need the money.”

I turned back. “What? You’re not going?”

No one said anything.

Spinning on my heel, and making as much noise as possible, I stomped upstairs to my art studio and slammed the door.

PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Christianbook

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wendy Wilson Spooner became a novelist after writing academically and for family history clients. Her love of history compels her to write the true stories she unearths during research, and she's found that truth is indeed much more exciting and inspiring than fiction! She writes about family, faith, grief, art, and overcoming obstacles in life by coming to know who we truly are—children of God, and the descendants of remarkable people who paved the way for us—even if they really struggled. Wendy believes in learning from our ancestors, honoring them, and standing on their shoulders to become someone even better. When not writing, Wendy currently serves as Vice-Chair for Daughters of the American Revolution over the American Heritage Contest in Art and Sculpture. She also loves to hike, paint, travel and spend time with her favorite people—her family.

Please discuss the research you conducted while writing this book:

Wendy: The research for Once Upon an Irish Summer started in Ireland. The Hamilton family I wrote about in the historical chapters were from three main counties. Two in Northern Ireland and one in the republic. In all three of these gloriously green, rolling-hill areas, with my husband and parents, we combed through archives in Town Hall Records, churches, tromped through ancient cemeteries, spent hours in libraries, climbed walls to get to family historic sites, and searched for hours through microfilms at PRONI in Belfast, the main archive repository for Northern Ireland. I could feel and sense my family roots everywhere. Ireland became part of my soul and I can’t wait to go back.

Equally exciting, was researching the Hamilton family after they came to America. They were the kind of people who inspire you to become a better person. They were highly educated, abolitionists long before the Civil War, highly religious, and advocates for all who needed their assistance whether it was educationally, financially, politically, or through the arts.

I also had a great time researching and creating the present-day world for the main characters in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. That city has a rich heritage as the cross-roads to the west in the 1800s, and for today’s teens, it’s full of fantastic parks, educational opportunities such as Purdue University, several renowned art schools, wonderfully diverse high schools, and so much more.

CONNECT WITH WENDY: Website | Facebook | Instagram

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a signed copy of Once Upon an Irish Summer with a gorgeous Irish bookmark!!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway will begin at midnight April 28, 2020 and last through 11:59 PM EST on May 5, 2020. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US mailing addresses only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

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~ FINDING PEACE ON WISHING BRIDGE SOCIAL BLITZ ~

~ 'FINDING PEACE ON

WISHING BRIDGE'

SOCIAL BLITZ ~

Author Ruth Logan Herne

~Post Includes: Book Spotlight & Giveaway~

Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge by Ruth Logan Herne

Preorder Link

Jazz had searched far and wide for the peace, joy and tranquility that had been shattered as an adolescent, but maybe she’d been looking in all the wrong places. Maybe- just maybe- she could find it here, in Wishing Bridge.

When supermodel Jazz Monroe answered a friend’s call for help, she’d just taken a hiatus from the job that made her a very rich woman to fight an eating disorder. Jazz is ready to embrace a new normal, but when her life is threatened, she has to re-examine her options. Stay? Or go? And if she stays, can she ever really find peace in Wishing Bridge?

@Ruth Logan Herne @Amazon Publishing

@JustRead Publicity Tours

#justreadtours #WishingBridge #RuthLoganHerne #giveaway

#booklaunch #newrelease

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(1) winner will receive a print copy of Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge plus chocolate!

Enter giveaway via @JustRead Publicity Tours on Facebook
-OR- follow this link to enter: JustRead Publicity Tours Rafflecopter Form

@Ruth Logan Herne @Amazon Publishing

@JustRead Publicity Tours

#justreadtours #WishingBridge #RuthLoganHerne #giveaway

#booklaunch #newrelease

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Sunday, April 26, 2020

~ MMGM RETRO FICTION BOBBSEY TWINS ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY RETRO FICTION

FEATURE ~

-- THE BOBBSEY TWINS: THE RED,

WHITE AND BLUE MYSTERY

{Original Bobbsey Twins #64} --

AUTHOR LAURA LEE HOPE

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LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS

ABOUT THE BOOK {FROM THE BLURB INSIDE THE BOOK}:

"I hope I never meet the monster!" says Flossie Bobbsey as weird howls come from a crack in a hillside on the farm of the twins' friends in Virginia.

The Young detectives not only meet the howler, but catch a thief and discover a special treasure—one of our nation's very first flags. It had been hidden during the Revolution by the young girl who made it. What fun the Bobbsey's have in this All-American adventure! They not only solve the mysteries but learn about the early days of our country by visiting the quaint shops and streets of Colonial Williamsburg.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR {FROM GOODREADS}:
Laura Lee Hope is a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for the Bobbsey Twins and several other series of children's novels. Actual writers taking up the pen of Laura Lee Hope include Edward Stratemeyer, Howard and Lilian Garis, Elizabeth Ward, Harriet (Stratemeyer) Adams, Andrew E. Svenson, June M. Dunn, Grace Grote and Nancy Axelrad.

Laura Lee Hope was first used in 1904 for the debut of the Bobbsey Twins, the principal characters of what was, for many years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of children's novels. Other series written under this pseudonym include: The Outdoor Girls (23 vols. 1913-1933), The Moving Picture Girls (7 vols. 1914-1916), Bunny Brown (20 vols. 1916-1931), Six Little Bunkers (14 vols. 1918-1930), Make Believe Stories (12 vols. c. 1920-1923), and Blythe Girls (12 vols. 1925-1932).

The first of the 72 books of the Bobbsey Twins series was published in 1904, the last in 1979. The books related the adventures of the children of the middle-class Bobbsey family, which included two sets of mixed-gender fraternal twins: Bert and Nan, who were 12 years old, and Flossie and Freddie, who were six.

Edward Stratemeyer himself is believed to have written the first volume in its original form in 1904. When the original series was brought to its conclusion in 1979, it had reached a total of 72 volumes. At least two abortive attempts to restart the series were launched after this, but in neither effort was the popularity of the original series achieved.

Speculation that Stratemeyer also wrote the second and third volumes of the series is believed to be incorrect; these books are now attributed to Lilian Garis, wife of Howard Garis, who is credited with volumes 4–28 and 41. Elizabeth Ward is credited with volumes 29–35, while Harriet Stratemeyer Adams is credited with 36–38, 39 (with Camilla McClave), 40, 42, 43 (with Andrew Svenson), and 44–48. Volumes 49–52 are attributed to Andrew Svenson, while 53–59, and the 1960s rewrites of 1–4, 7, 11–13, and 17, are attributed to June Dunn. Grace Grote is regarded as the real author of 60–67 and the rewrites of 14 and 18–20, and Nancy Axelrad is credited with 68–72. Of the 1960s rewrites not already mentioned, volumes 5 and 16 are credited to Mary Donahoe, 6 and 25 to Patricia Doll, 8–10 and 15 to Bonnibel Weston, and 24 to Margery Howard.

MY THOUGHTS:

I used to read a lot of these Bobbsey Twins mysteries when I was in grade school. I loved the adventure and mystery included in each book. This book was published in 1971, so it was a new read for me.

Before the shelter-in-place order which shut everything down where I live, I visited our library's 'Friends of the Library' book store one Saturday. As I approached the doorway to the store, I noticed a book cart placed next to the entrance with the short endof the cart facing me. There was a sign taped to the cart which read, 'Old Friends', with an arrow ---➤ pointing to the right top shelf of the cart.

My heart jumped for joy because my first thought was, 'There might be some old children's books on that shelf!' {Now I know you'll understand this emotion because you wouldn't be reading this post if you didn't have an affection for children's books! 🤣 }

Sure enough, once I got over to the shelf, I saw several copies of hardcover Bobbsey Twins mysteries, Trixie Belden mysteries, and a Five Little Peppers book. I quickly looked through each book, prepared to buy whichever ones were in good condition. Unfortunately, the Trixie Belden books had broken bindings and were completely falling apart. A good sign that they had been well-read and well-loved during their lifetimes! A few of the Bobbsey Twins books had mildew and severe water damage. They went right back on the shelf. Two of the Bobbsey Twins books and the Five Little Peppers book were in excellent condition for being almost 50 or more than 50 years old! I just love when that happens!

The books were marked $1 each, can you believe it? I purchased them, and the lady who helped me told me she loved the Bobbsey Twins books when she was a girl. She shared that she had given her set of books to her own daughter who was now sharing them with her children -- the bookstore lady's grandchildren. I just love it when that happens, too!

Now, about the story . . . I read the other Bobbsey Twins book I purchased first. I'm not reviewing it here because honestly, it contained a lot of stereotypical language and offensive attitudes toward indigenous peoples and I didn't care for it because it was disrespectful and unkind. It would not be well-received in today's world. I was hoping that this Red, White & Blue Mystery would be more entertaining and less offensive. Good news -- it possessed both of these qualities.

The Red, White & Blue Mystery was well-written, fast-paced, educational, and filled with good old-fashioned fun! The style of parenting practiced by parents back in this time period, mid-twentieth century, was quite different than what I have observed in our world today. The children were expected to entertain themselves and follow the rules they had been taught at home. If they got into a scrape, the parents stepped in to remind them of their standards for the children's behavior. Children learned a lot through exploring the world on their own it appears in this book.

This adventure involves the Bobbsey Twins, 12-year-old Bert and Nan and 6-year-old Flossie and Freddie, going on a summer trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, with their father. Mother Bobbsey stayed at home to organize the local Garden Show for the first part of the vacation.

In Williamsburg, the Bobbseys spent a lot of time with their family friends, the Culvers. The Culvers's children were Jay and Sally Ann who were twelve and eleven years old, respectively. Mr. Culver is an archaeologist who taught the children how to organize and carry out an archaeological dig on his family's historic property.

Throughout the story the children learn a lot about the American Revolution, life in Williamsburg, and Colonial history. These parts of the book were very well done, I thought. The children were immersed in living history at every turn.

The Bobbseys and the Culvers worked on solving a mystery involving a thief named 'Long Arms' who boldly takes historic items from the people and shops in and around Williamsburg.

There is a good bit of humor in the story because the younger Bobbseys are only six-years-old, and lots of things have to be explained to them. This involves a lot of idioms and puns, which I expect middle-grade readers will enjoy as much as I did.

The back matter in the book is impressive. The Pledge of Allegiance is printed in the first section and several facts are presented about the history of the Pledge. Next comes a section entitled, 'Some Rules for Displaying the Flag', which I found interesting since some of the rules were ones I had not yet learned about.

Highly-recommended! I think this book would be a great family, classroom, youth/Scout camp/church group read-aloud. The story's lively pace will inspire children to ask, "Oh, can't you read just one more chapter?" Since it is set during the week leading up to the Fourth of July, it is a perfect summer read. Enjoy!
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Find the links to read more great Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts from middle-grade authors and bloggers at Greg Pattridge's 'Always in the Middle' Blog.

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Thursday, April 23, 2020

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE HER HIDDEN HOPE ~

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

-- 'HER HIDDEN HOPE' --

AUTHOR JILL LYNN

My Friday Fiction Feature today is the below quote from the recent contemporary inspirational romance release from Author Jill Lynn!

'Her Hidden Hope' by Jill Lynn from Love Inspired

~ She once trusted him with her heart, but will she ever trust him with the truth? ~

Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/34wWHaq

Jill Lynn JustRead Publicity Tours

#HerHiddenHope #JillLynn #justreadtours #amreadingromance #christianfiction #bookquote

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Monday, April 20, 2020