~ BLOG TOUR FOR 'SEASONS' SERIES ~

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

-- BLOG TOUR STOP FOR 

AUTHOR ROBIN E. MASON'S

HISTORICAL FICTION

'SEASONS' SERIES -- 
~Post Includes:  Book Blurbs,
Author Bio, Excerpt & Giveaway~
 

Welcome to the Seasons series (by Robin E. Mason) Blog Tour and giveaway, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

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About the 'Seasons' series
Goodreads | Amazon

The southern town of Saisons lies at the crossroads between North and South, progressive and genteel antebellum life. Between East and West, between history and heritage, and new frontiers. Downton Abbey meets Gone With the Wind. 

It’s 1912, in a world where slavery is dying and women’s rights are rising, and four young women who once shared a bond—and experienced a tragedy—question their own truths.

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Title: The Long Shadows of Summer  
Author: Robin E. Mason
Publisher: Bird's Nest Books  
Release Date: August 31, 2017  
Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction/Southern Fiction

Mercedes has always been an avid reader and devours each new Sherlock Holmes mystery as soon as she gets her hands on them. When one of her friends comes to her, Mercedes vows to keep Simone’s secrets and uncover the truth.

But as Mercedes plays detective to her friends’ questions, she discovers something far more shocking—she herself is not who she thought she was.
  
Purchase Links:  Goodreads | Amazon

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Title: The Tilting Leaves of Autumn
Author: Robin E. Mason
Publisher: Bird's Nest Books  
Release Date: November 22, 2017
Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction/Southern Fiction

Scarlett was the shrinking violet in the group. Faithful to her friends, and hiding secrets of her own. When Mercedes steps in to rescue her, she unknowingly plucks the thread that unravels Scarlett’s whole world.

But as Scarlett strives to hold fast to what is familiar the fabric of her life continues to come undone and secrets that are best kept hidden are exposed. 

EXCERPT FROM THIS BOOK:  
We went for a drive, uncertainty clouding the sunny day. The road took us south, along the shoreline, and I could hear the waves dancing on the sand through the palmetto trees.

We hadn’t driven an hour even when we came upon a heron perched in the narrow road. I was sure the rumble of the motor would frighten him away but he remained firm. He didn’t appear to be wounded; rather, he seemed curious of the beast that hummed just a few short yards from him.

My eyes locked with those of the bird, and he strutted toward me. He hesitated at the gentle click of the door, and I paused.

His eyes still drawing me, I moved as slowly as a morning mist hovering over the ground. Heron stood yet firm, his head tilted as in curiosity. My skirts whispered as I stepped closer, my shoes silent on the soft sand.

At my approach, he bobbed his head as though nodding to me. My eyes never left his, and after short moments stretched long, I was standing next to him. Standing on a fallen branch, he stretched the graceful S-curve of his neck, and he was eye level to me.

I reached out my hand. The sand colored feathers were downy soft as I stroked his neck. He quivered at my touch, and leaned in to me. A tremor emitted a purr-like sound, and though his face beheld a beak, it seemed as though he smiled at me.

Then with a grand flourish, he stretched out his wings and he lifted into the air. He circled around, lifted higher, till he was gone from view.

Purchase Links:  Goodreads | Amazon

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Title: The Silent Song of Winter

Author: Robin E. Mason  

Publisher: Bird's Nest Books  

Release Date: February 20, 2018  

Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction/Southern Fiction

When all the noise has gone silent, all that is left is her song.

Pearl had lived under the impossible taskmaster of perfection. Nothing she does or ever did pleased her mother. And nothing she ever did could disappoint her father.

Caught up in the mystery of her friend’s curious—and secretive—return, Pearl wrestles with her own decisions, and flees lest her own secrets are exposed.  

Purchase Links:  Goodreads | Amazon

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Title: The Whispering Winds of Spring
Author: Robin E. Mason
Publisher: Bird's Nest Books
Release Date: May 17, 2018
Genre: Inspirational Historical Fiction/Southern Fiction  

Amidst the clamor of confusion, can she hear the whisper of her memories? 

Simone Dubois’ life was unraveling. All she had known and held dear was gone from her. At ten, all she wanted was to escape beneath the black waters of the Edisto River. She couldn’t know her whole life would be stolen from her.

When she returns to Saisons sixteen years later, she has no memory of ever having been there. Not even that it was her birthplace. Enlisting the help of her childhood friend, Mercedes—whose name stayed with her, if in shadowy dreams only—Simone encounters misty memories, and stirs up more mystery than she started with.  

Purchase Links:  Goodreads | Amazon

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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!

I have been writing since 1995, and began working in earnest on my debut novel, Tessa in 2013. Meanwhile, I cranked out a few dozen poems, made countless notes for story ideas, and earned my BFA in Interior Design. I lived with depression for many years, and the inherent feelings of worthlessness and invisibility; I didn’t want to be who I was and struggled with my own identity for many years. My characters face many of these same demons.

I write stories of identity conflict. My characters encounter situations that force the question, “Who am I really?” For all who have ever wondered who you are or why you’re here, my stories will touch you in a very real—maybe too real—and a very deep way. I know, I write from experience. 

CONNECT WITH ROBIN: website | blog | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram

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Robin E. Mason is offering a Seasons series prize pack for her tour! ONE winner (US only) will receive:

• a packette of Saisons Plantation tea
• a Seasons series mug
• a Seasons bookmark (handmade by the author)
• Seasons notecards (also handmade by the author)
• 4 pairs of earrings (one pair to represent each book)
• AND winner's choice of (1) signed print copy of Seasons book of choice OR kindle copies of all 4 books!

Giveaway will run from midnight June 11, 2018 through 11:59pm June 18, 2018. It is subject to the policies found here.  

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below.
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Click on the banner below for a full tour schedule & more chances to win!

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COMING UP SOON ON 'READING, WRITING & STITCH-METIC':

--  Monday, June 18th:  My Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday feature will be a historical novel entitled, 'Paper Wishes', by debut author Lois Sepahban. This touching novel is set in the Manzanar Japanese Relocation Camp during World War II.

--  Tuesday, June 19th:  Historical Fiction Feature for 'Miss Wilton's Waltz' by author Josi Kilpack. Post includes a book spotlight, author bio, excerpt, and giveaway. Tour hosted by I Am A Reader.

--  Wednesday, June 20th:  Blog Tour stop for two children's books, 'Daughter of Jerusalem' {a middle-grade novel} -and-  'The You Song' {a juvenile non-fiction book}. Tour hosted by Write Now Literary.

--  Friday, June 22nd:  Blog Tour stop for 'A Vast and Gracious Tide'.  Post includes:  Book spotlight, excerpt, and giveaway. Tour hosted by JustRead Publicity.

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~ MMGM 'STITCH CAMP' ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE
MONDAY NON-FICTION FEATURE ~

-- 'STITCH CAMP'  --

Written by:  Nicole Blum & Catherine Newman

~Post Includes: Book Spotlight, Author Bios,

Link to Book Preview, Review & Print Copy

Giveaway {One copy/US Only}~

LINK TO PREVIEW ON GOODREADS

 

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:

Written with a little bit of sass that will appeal to 9- to 14-year-olds, Stitch Camp introduces kids to fiber crafts in a way that not only promises success in the present, but opens the potential for a passion for creating that will last a lifetime. Each of the six chapters focuses on a different fiber craft (sewing, embroidery, crochet, felting, knitting, and weaving), opening with a step-by-step introduction to the basic tools and techniques needed to get started. The basics are then supported by three specific projects, graded from total beginner to something a bit more sophisticated. Techniques will be illustrated, and the projects themselves will be created by the intended audience and photographed with kids wearing or using the items. Kids will learn how to sew bean bags (and what games to play with them), create a T-shirt dress, embroider their own "scout" badges, make toasty felted mittens and fingerless gloves, create a funky "monster" zippered change purse, knit a padded cover for their phone or table, crochet an elegant beaded bracelet or necklace, make and play with hacky sacks, and weave decorative patches on their jeans or jackets.

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Storey Publishing's website}:  In today’s thriving maker culture, kids are hungry for hands-on guidance in creating stylish wearables and practical objects, or hacking and customizing existing ones. Authors Nicole Blum and Catherine Newman get them started with complete instructions for mastering six favorite fiber crafts. Step-by-step photos teach kids ages 9–14 the basics of how to sew, knit, crochet, felt, embroider, and weave, plus how to make three projects for each craft. From woven patches and a knitted backpack to embroidered merit badges and a crocheted bracelet, the fresh, kid-approved projects encourage creative variations and build confidence along with valuable life skills.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS {from Storey Publishing's Website}:

Nicole Blum is a coauthor of Ciderhouse Cookbook, Stitch Camp, and Improv Sewing. She runs Carr’s Ciderhouse in Hadley, Massachusetts, with her husband, Jonathan Carr. Blum is an artist and crafter whose work has been featured in FamilyFun and Parents magazines.

Catherine Newman is the coauthor of Stitch Camp, and the author of Waiting for Birdy, Catastrophic Happiness, and One Mixed-Up Night. She is the etiquette columnist for Real Simple magazine, a regular contributor to the New York Times Motherlode blog, and editor-in-chief of the James Beard Award-winning kids cooking magazine ChopChop. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with her family. Visit her at www.catherinenewmanwriter.com.
 

ARTICLE BY CATHERINE NEWMAN: 'THE CASE FOR ENCOURAGING KIDS TO CRAFT'

MY REVIEW:

Before I begin my review, I would like to disclose that I have had three of my original sewing designs published in two different 'One Yard Wonders' sewing books which were both published by Storey Publishing. When I borrowed this book, 'Stitch Camp', from the local public library last December I knew I wanted to feature it on my upcoming blog because it was just perfect for middle-graders, tweens, and teens! 

I subsequently contacted the publicist at Storey with whom I had worked on promoting the two above-mentioned books in which my projects appear. I asked if Storey would be willing to sponsor a giveaway of one print copy for a US winner when I posted my feature on 'Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic'. She agreed, and here we are. Now, on with my review:

The first thing I noticed about this book as I flipped through it were the colorful, close-up photos of the projects and makers working on their projects. The second thing I noticed was the casual, conversational tone the authors' used throughout the text. There is a good amount of wit along with some puns to make things fun for the readers. I felt the authors were encouraging in the way they prompted makers to work through difficulties without worrying about perfection. All these components work together to make this book very appealing for middle-grade/tween/teen readers!

I thought the book was user-friendly in the manner in which it is organized. There are six skills taught in the book:  Sewing, knitting, crochet, felting, embroidery, and weaving. Each skill has its own chapter dedicated to introducing the particular skill, teaching basic techniques needed to learn/practice the skill, and instructing readers how to make several projects independently.

I found the stepped-out project instructions to be excellent. The written text is accompanied by many colorful, up-close photos of the projects and their makers. 

The back matter includes a glossary, an additional reading list, metric conversion and standard equivalent charts, and an index. As a bonus, there are two pages of colorful punch-out cardstock gift tags for makers to use when giving their creations to others.

Here's a list of my favorite projects in the book. I'll limit myself to one from each chapter:

--SEW:  Beanbag that is also a Hand Warmer;

--EMBROIDER:  Scout Badges {three of these are shown on the cover};

--FELT:  Cut-and-Sew Mittens;

--KNIT:  Cord-Slung Backpack; 

--CROCHET:  Hacked Sack {shown on cover in model's hand}; and

--WEAVE:  Beaded Necklace.

***Highly-recommended for middle-graders, teens, tweens, and adults! This would be a great resource for teachers, youth leaders, scout and camp leaders, parents/grandparents, and anyone who works with this age group. Happy Stitching!
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Blogger Disclosure:  As mentioned above, I borrowed this book from the local public library's children's section. I am not being compensated by the publisher or anyone else to post this review here or on any other site.
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 GIVEAWAY: Storey Publishing has graciously agreed to give away one print copy of this book to a lucky US resident. To enter, complete the Rafflecopter form below. 
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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~ BLOG TOUR 'WHISPERING WINDS OF SPRING' ~

~ BLOG TOUR STOP ~

-- 'WHISPERING WINDS OF SPRING' --

BY AUTHOR ROBIN E. MASON

~POST INCLUDES: BOOK SPOTLIGHT,

AUTHOR BIO, SNIPPET,

TEN BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS

& GIVEAWAY~

ABOUT THE BOOK:
Series: Seasons
Genre: Historical, Romance
Publisher: Bird’s Nest Books
Publication date: May 31, 2018

Amidst the clamor of confusion, can she hear the whisper of her memories?

The southern town of Saisons lies at the crossroads between North and South, progressive and genteel antebellum life. Between East and West, between history and heritage, and new frontiers. Downton Abbey meets Gone With the Wind.

It’s 1912, in a world where slavery is dying and women’s rights are rising, and four young women who once shared a bond—and experienced a tragedy—question their own truths.

Simone Dubois’ life was unraveling. All she had known and held dear was gone from her. At ten, all she wanted was to escape beneath the black waters of the Edisto River. She couldn’t know her whole life would be stolen from her.

When she returns to Saisons sixteen years later, she has no memory of ever having been there. Not even that it was her birthplace. Enlisting the help of her childhood friend, Mercedes—whose name stayed with her, if in shadowy dreams only—Simone encounters misty memories, and stirs up more mystery than she started with.

AMAZON

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!

I have been writing since 1995, and began working in earnest on my debut novel, Tessa in 2013. Meanwhile, I cranked out a few dozen poems, made countless notes for story ideas, and earned my BFA in Interior Design. I lived with depression for many years, and the inherent feelings of worthlessness and invisibility; I didn’t want to be who I was and struggled with my own identity for many years. My characters face many of these same demons.

I write stories of identity conflict. My characters encounter situations that force the question, “Who am I really?” For all who have ever wondered who you are or why you’re here, my stories will touch you in a very real—maybe too real—and a very deep way. I know, I write from experience.

​GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | 

 PINTEREST | INSTAGRAM
​GOOGLE+ | AMAZON | BLOG | WEBSITE

10 BEHIND THE SCENES FACTS ABOUT THE BOOK:

1.)  Because of a time crunch, and said time running short, I all but suspended my blog for the month of April. (paid off, too!)

2.)  I mostly 'meet' my characters much as my readers do. When I get to the point in the story that they make their entrance, I see the visual image of them, and usually know their name (unless it’s a minor character, in which I’ll find a name that suits.) I write / include their quirks and characteristics pretty much as I learn them.

3.)  There were two topics in this series that I tried (unsuccessfully) to talk with a live person for more info—midwifery and the Catawba / Chicora Indian Nation. Not sure why I couldn’t get a response on either, but Google sufficed and/or I wrote the bare minimum.

4.)  Tag to #4, and part of why it wasn’t so critical to have exact information on the Indian heritage—the small village in this series, Quexo, it a band of people who separated from their ancestors for a couple of reasons: a) they were acting as guardians to a white man and his family, and when they fled, so, too did the Indians; and b) they further split when missionaries converted some of the tribe to Christian faith.

5.)  The location is a mash-up of geography and topography. I’m not really sure there is so much coastal marshland as far inland as I placed my town. But it’s fictional AND I never specified exactly where it’s located… That’s okay, right???

6.)  ALL | THE | NOTES!!! Because the series tells one overarching story and because Whispering Winds is the final story, I had to answer or address all the lingering bits from the first three! Which meant reading (skimming) through all of them to find the loose ends I needed to tie up. Which meant ALL | THE | NOTES!!! There were pages and pages of notes, which I culled through, separating out those on like topics i.e. Lissette, the Colonel, previous conversations, etc. As I pared the list down, I rewrote it til it was down to a single page.

7.)  Early in the series, it was revealed that Simone was a) kidnapped; and b) that she had suffered amnesia. It wasn’t until February that I knew what caused the amnesia!

8.)  I didn’t know who the villain was for the series until 20 April!!! I mean, seriously!! I was within the last 10K of the end when I made this discovery!!!

9.)  When Simone was kidnapped, her captor didn’t call her by her true name—got a little dicey there keeping track of that a few times.

10.)  Whispering Winds has three different time lines that show up—when she was kidnapped, current story year, and before she was kidnapped!

SNIPPET:

I had heard, of course, rumors and scuttlebutt of Monsieur Fontaine as I scuttled about town. And as I knew him to be significant somehow to Lissette’s manipulations, I paid special attention whenever I heard his name mentioned.

He gambles, and evidently not very well; he loses more than he wins.

He has lost nearly everything he owned, and has suffered beatings and worse when he had nothing to offer as payment. How he came away with his life—on more than one occasion apparently—was a mystery and a miracle.

But the curiouser bits I heard were of days when he’d not been such the tyrant. When he had been an upstanding person in the community.

The vineyards had thrived then, producing a fine and abundant crop, and LeNuit wine, a wine I had had the pleasure of tasting on many occasions.

I heard the rumors of a ghost in the house, Bastille, and howling in the night. A woman traipsing about in her nightclothes, a woman who drove the horses in the ditch and burned the vineyards.

And I heard of a fire in the house, also at the hand of the woman.

But I never heard the name of the woman—and wondered had it been Lissette.

Was Fontaine the A.F. of her letters? Was he her brother? And what had happened to turn him from a happy man to the monster I now heard tell of?

More importantly, had it been from some deed at Lissette’s hand?

GIVEAWAY:

Prize package will include the following:

-China cup and saucer

-Sampler of Saisons Plantation Tea

-Journal, hand made (not pictured)

-Earrings (not pictured)

-Candy (not pictured)

-Book mark

-Signed copy of Whispering Winds

**Enter the giveaway HERE.

Giveaway is subject to policies HERE.

Tour Schedule

Tour Landing Page

June 4-Heidi Reads…
June 5-ReadingIsMySuperPower |  Paulette’s Papers
June 6-Singing Librarian Books
June 7-Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations
June 8-Broken and Reclaimed
June 9-Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic

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COMING UP SOON ON 'READING, WRITING & STITCH-METIC':

--  Monday, June 11th:  Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday Non-Fiction Sewing Feature! I'm featuring one of my favorite new sewing/crafting books for middle-graders and teens, 'Stitch Camp'. Post includes book spotlight, author bios, my review, and a print copy giveaway (US only, one copy) sponsored by the publisher, Storey Publishing.

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