Tuesday, August 31, 2021

~ TAKEOVER TOUR UNDERCURRENTS OF SECRETS ~

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~ TAKEOVER TOUR ~
--  'UNDERCURRENTS OF SECRETS'  --
AUTHOR RACHEL SCOTT McDANIEL
~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight,
Author Bio & Giveaway~

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Undercurrent of Secrets JustRead Takeover Tour

Welcome to the Takeover Tour for Undercurrent of Secrets by Rachel Scott McDaniel, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

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ABOUT THE BOOK

 

Undercurrent of Secrets
Title:  Undercurrent of Secrets
Series:  Doors to the Past
Author:  Rachel Scott McDaniel
Publisher:  Barbour Fiction
Release Date:  September 1, 2021
Genre:  Dual Timeline / Romance 

Two women, a century apart, are bound by a haunting secret aboard a legendary steamboat. 

As wedding coordinator for the 100-year-old steamboat The Belle of Louisville, Devyn Asbury takes pride in seeing others’ dreams come true, even though her engagement had sunk like a diamond ring to the bottom of the Ohio River. When the Belle becomes a finalist in the Timeless Wedding Venue contest, Devyn endeavors to secure the prestigious title with hopes to reclaim some of her professional dreams. What she hadn’t planned on was Chase Jones showing up with a mysterious photo from the 1920s. 

A century earlier, Hattie Louis is as untamable as the rivers that raised her. As the adopted daughter of a steamboat captain, her duties range from the entertainment to cook. When strange incidents occur aboard the boat, Hattie’s determined to discover the truth. Even if that means getting under First Mate Jack Marshall’s handsome skin. 

Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.

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PURCHASE LINKS*: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & NobleBook Depository | IndieBound | Christianbook | BookBub

MORE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rachel McDaniel

Rachel Scott McDaniel is an award-winning author of historical romance. Winner of the ACFW Genesis Award and the RWA Touched By Love award, Rachel infuses faith and heart into each story. Rachel can be found online at www.RachelScottMcDaniel.com and on all social media platforms. Her work is represented by Julie Gwinn of the Seymour Agency. Rachel resides in Ohio with her husband and two children.

CONNECT WITH RACHEL: WebsiteFacebook | Twitter | Instagram

TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Undercurrent of Secrets and a $15 Amazon gift card!

Undercurrent of Secrets JustRead Giveaway

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight September 1, 2021 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on September 8, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US 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!

JustRead Publicity Tours 

*NOTE: This post contains affiliate links.

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Sunday, August 29, 2021

MMGM RETRO FICTION FEATURE MARY POPPINS

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~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY RETRO FICTION FEATURE ~
--  'WALT DISNEY'S MARY POPPINS'  --
AUTHOR GEORGESS MCHARGUE 
 
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ABOUT THE BOOK {from Amazon}:

Walt Disney's Mary Poppins [based on the Walt Disney motion picture] story adapted by Georgess McHargue, with photographs from the motion picture, illustrations by Betty Fraser and Craig Pineo (Golden Press, New York). This book is a companion to the movie. A must-have for fans of Mary Poppins. Based on the Walt Disney motion picture.


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ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:

Georgess McHargue was author of 35 books for children and young adults, some focused on archaeology, myth, and history.

She was born in New York City, the only child of Mac and Georgess (Boomhower) McHargue. She was often referred to as “Little G,’’ and, until her death, “G.’’ At 10 months, she posed for Squibb Cod Liver Oil. She was precocious and a storyteller, even in kindergarten. “The world as I knew it was entirely predicated on words - their use and misuse, their dissection, accumulation and glorification,’’ she wrote in an autobiography for one of her publishers.

Ms. McHargue graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard in 1963 with a major in history and literature. She went to New York and got a job in publishing with Golden Press for two years and then, “spent three months traveling around Greece and Italy honing her language skills,’’ she wrote.

Back in New York, she worked as trade-publisher for Doubleday & Co. for five years. “I was active in local and national political campaigns, civil rights organizations and a variety of now-defunct peace and feminist groups,’’ she wrote. “I was splashed with yellow paint at a demonstration on lower Fifth Avenue and partially gassed in front of the Washington Monument.’’

She was nominated for a National Book Award for her first book in 1968, “The Beasts of Never,’’ and wrote many reviews over the years for The New York Times Book Review.

Georgess love of horses remained strong throughout her life. In a poem she wrote, “When I Go,’’ Ms. McHargue expresses her love for them.

It begins, “When I go, I will go with the horses/Look for me where the long manes/and the long grass are tossing together’’ and ends, “Do not look for me among the twittering birds./When I go I will go with the horses.’’

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MY THOUGHTS:

My favorite movie when I was a young girl was 'Mary Poppins'. To this day, Julie Andrews is one of my all-time favorite actresses and vocalists. She is lovely in every way. I still have my set of 45 records with songs from this movie which I received for my seventh birthday! As an adult, I received a video tape of the movie in one of those fancy Disney video boxes they used to make. I still have the video, too. I also have several 'vinyl' records of her music including a Christmas album.

You can imagine the thrill I felt when I found the book I'm featuring today on the Children's Fiction table at a friends of the library book sale several years ago. The cover price is 69 cents; the price written on the inside cover from the library sale is 25 cents! Although the cover is a bit tattered (which I think is a good thing because it proves this was a well-loved book), the book is in excellent condition.

The cover of the book I have is a little bit different than the cover image I'm sharing here. Mine has a lavender background and a hand-illustrated frame around the oval photo of Julie Andrews in character as Mary Poppins. The illustrations surrounding the photo include pigeons, her straw hat, flowers, the umbrella she is holding in the photo, and a pocket watch—all clues to what lies inside the covers of the book.

The book begins with a synopsis of 'The Production' and short biographies of Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Next, the publishers present full-page color photographs from the movie. The narrative throughout the book is interspersed with illustrations of scenes from the movie and photographs from the movie.

The still photos from the movie which include Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, and the children—Jane and Michael Banks—capture the on-screen chemistry between Bert the chimney sweep and Mary the nanny perfectly. It was magical way back then, and it remains so in this book.

The book ends with 'The Cast' and 'Credits' listed just as it would have appeared on the end of the film.

Of course, there are many memorable scenes depicted from the movie in this book. But as an adult, I am certain nothing can surpass the feeling I had as a young girl sitting in an old-time, full-sized movie theater and watching the beauty, charm, and magic of this story play out on the big screen.

The next book on my TBR list to request from our public library system will be the first Mary Poppins book written by P.J. Travers and originally published in 1934. When I accomplish that goal, I will post another 'Retro Fiction Feature' spotlighting that book.

Question:  Do you have a favorite movie from your childhood that was adapted from a book? I'd love to hear about it! Please comment on this blog post. Thanks.

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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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Wednesday, August 25, 2021

~ GREAT ESCAPES CAJUN KISS OF DEATH ~

 ~ GREAT ESCAPES BLOG TOUR STOP ~
--  'CAJUN KISS OF DEATH'  --
AUTHOR ELLEN BYRON
~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Unique
Character Post, Author Bio & Giveaway~
 

 

Cajun Kiss of Death: A Cajun Country Mystery by Ellen Byron

About Cajun Kiss of Death

 

Cajun Kiss of Death: A Cajun Country Mystery 

Cozy Mystery 7th in Series 
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crooked Lane Books (August 10, 2021)  
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 164385738X  
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1643857381 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08N6SMX1J
 
The next shot from Cupid's bow may be fatal in USA Today bestselling, Agatha Award-winning author Ellen Byron's hearty and delightful seventh Cajun Country mystery.
In Pelican, Louisiana, Valentine's Day has a way of warming the heart, despite the February chill. But the air at Crozat Plantation B&B turns decidedly frigid when celebrity chef Phillippe Chanson checks in. And when the arrogant Phillippe--in town to open his newest Cajun-themed restaurant--perishes in a fiery boat crash, Maggie Crozat's dear friend JJ lands in very cold water.
Did JJ, proprietor of Junie's Oyster Bar and Dance Hall, murder Phillippe because he feared the competition? Might Maggie's mother, Ninette, have bumped off the chef for stealing one of her cherished recipes? Or was the culprit a local seafood vendor, miffed because Phillippe was somehow able to sell oysters for a remarkably reasonable price, despite an oyster shortage?
Maggie had planned to devote her February to art lessons in New Orleans, a present from her sweetheart, Bo. But now she has to focus on helping her friend and her mother cross a murder charge off the menu. Meanwhile, Maggie receives a series of anonymous gifts that begin as charming but grow increasingly disturbing. Does Maggie have an admirer--or a stalker? And are these mysterious gifts somehow related to Phillippe's murder?
Blood may be thicker than water, but this case is thicker than gumbo. And solving it will determine whether Maggie gets hearts and roses--or hearse and lilies--this Valentine's Day.
 


CHARACTER POST – NINETTE CROZAT 
CAJUN KISS OF DEATH 
Cajun Country Mysteries 

I’m Ninette Crozat, wife to Tug, mother to Maggie. We run Crozat Plantation Bed and Breakfast, the Crozat’s ancestral home in Pelican, Louisiana – town motto, “Yes, We Peli-CAN!” I do the B&B’s cooking for our guests, providing meals that focus on local Cajun dishes. Many of the recipes have been handed down in myfamily through decades – even centuries. Which is why I have to restrain myself from doing bodily harm to a certain “star” chef, Phillipe Chanson.

I’m considered by many to be an excellent cook. I give all the credit to my heirloom recipes, which I tightly guard. But along comes this “celebrity chef“ who flat-out charmed me into making him my famous calas rice balls. Why, that man went and figured out the secret ingredient in my recipe so he could serve my calas in his fancy new Pelican restaurant, Chanson’s Cajun Kitchen! I swear, I could kick myself for falling for his act. But who on earth steals a recipe from a fellow chef? A lot of big-time chefs, I’ve learned, because most recipes aren’t legally protected from theft, don’t ask me why.

All I ever needed in life was a loving husband and daughter, a respectable home and business… and my recipes.There’s an old saying – I’m so mad I could chew nails and spit spikes. That’s how I feel about the lack of respect that Mister Big Shot Chef Phillipe Chanson has showed me and my family. That man better watch his back! I know how to work a knife.

Oh, dear. I better calm down before I get myself into trouble.

About Ellen Byron

                                                                

Ellen’s Cajun Country Mysteries have won the Agatha award for Best Contemporary Novel and multiple Lefty awards for Best Humorous Mystery. She writes the Catering Hall Mystery series, which are inspired by her real-life, under the name Maria DiRico. Ellen is an award-winning playwright, and non-award-winning TV writer of comedies like WINGS, JUST SHOOT ME, and FAIRLY ODD PARENTS. She has written over two hundred articles for national magazines but considers her most impressive credit working as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart.

Author Links:

Newsletter: https://www.ellenbyron.com/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellenbyronauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/CateringHallMysteries/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellenbyronmariadirico/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/ellen-byron

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maria-dirico  

Goodreads: 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23234.Ellen_Byron 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19130966.Maria_DiRico  

Purchase Links - PenguinRandomHouse - Amazon - B&N

Kobo - IndieBound 

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:
August 16 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST  
August 16 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW  
August 16 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT  
August 17 – The Book's the Thing – SPOTLIGHT  
August 17 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT  
August 18 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW  
August 18 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW  
August 19 – Mysteries with Character – REVIEW  
August 19 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW  
August 20 – The Book Diva's Reads – SPOTLIGHT  
August 20 – Laura's Interests – REVIEW  
August 21 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT  
August 21 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT  
August 22 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW  
August 22 – Author Elena Taylor's Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW  
August 23 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW  
August 23 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT  
August 24 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW  
August 24 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW  
August 25 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT  
August 25 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW  
August 26 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
August 26 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – CHARACTER GUEST POST  
August 27 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT  
August 27 – Reading Is My SuperPower – RECIPE  
August 28 – ThisIsMyTruthNow – REVIEW  
August 28 – I Read What You Write – SPOTLIGHT  
August 29 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT  
August 29 – Dear Reader – REVIEW  
 
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~ NEW SEWING PATTERN FABRIC FLOWER TOWELS ~

~ NEW SEWING PATTERN FABRIC FLOWER TOWELS ~