~ BLOG TOUR THE SPINSTER AND I ~

~ BLOG TOUR STOP ~

--  'THE SPINSTER AND I'  --

AUTHOR REBECCA CONNOLLY

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight,

Author Bio & Giveaway~

About the Book

 

Series: The Spinster Chronicles
Genre: Adult, New Adult, Romance
Publisher: Phase Publishing
Publication date: November 1, 2018
 

Poor, unfortunate Spinster…
Prudence Westfall, spinster, has unexpectedly had the greatest misfortune of all: she has inherited a fortune, and is now an heiress. But as a Spinster, and a stammering, shy one, nothing could be worse than having a bevy of suitors pay her attention. Opportunity strikes at a house party when the most unlikely person offers the perfect solution.

Camden Vale is no gentleman, and he’s not prone to saving anyone, but something about Prue changes all that. When his offer to befriend her extends beyond the house party, and his feelings extend beyond expectation, no one is more surprised than he. Except, perhaps, for the other Spinsters, and they have much to say on the subject.

GOODREADS| AMAZON

About the Author 

 
Rebecca Connolly writes romances, both period and contemporary, because she absolutely loves a good love story. She has been creating stories since childhood, and there are home videos to prove it! She started writing them down in elementary school and has never looked back. She currently lives in the Midwest, spends every spare moment away from her day job absorbed in her writing, and is a hot cocoa addict.

FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE  

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When asked, "What did you, as an author, take away from writing 'The Spinster and I'?", Rebecca Connolly responded:

 "I think the biggest thing I took away was that we need to look beneath the surface in everyone. There is so much more to a person than what we can see."

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Giveaway

Enter the giveaway HERE.
​
Giveaway is subject to policies HERE.

Tour Schedule

November 5
Encouraging Words from the Tea Queen
Remembrancy
Blooming with Books (book 1)

November 6
Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic
Jorie Loves A Story

November 7
Life Is What It’s Called
Emily Yager
Wishful Endings

November 8
Singing Librarian Books
Heidi Reads…
Katie’s Clean Book Collection

November 9
Pause for Tales
My Book a Day
Blooming with Books (book 2)

November 10
Bookworm Lisa
Edits and Reviews by Leslie
Red Headed Book Lady

  

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~ MMGM THE POPPY LADY WWI BIOGRAPHY ~

~ MARVELOUS MIDDLE-GRADE

MONDAY BIOGRAPHY FEATURE ~

--  'THE POPPY LADY:  MOINA BELLE MICHAEL

AND HER TRIBUTE TO VETERANS'  --

AUTHOR BARBARA ELIZABETH WALSH

PAINTINGS BY LAYNE JOHNSON

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, 

Author Bio & Review~

LEARN MORE ON GOODREADS

ABOUT THE BOOK {from Goodreads}:
Moina Belle Michael, a schoolteacher from Georgia, successfully established the Flanders Field Memorial Poppy as a universal symbol of tribute and support for veterans and their families during World War I and II. Known as the Poppy Lady, Michael dedicated her life to servicemen and women, buying and placing fresh flowers in rooms where they would gather before heading overseas.

Author Barbara Elizabeth Walsh and artist Layne Johnson worked with experts and primary documents, as well as Moina's great-nieces to better understand Moina's determination to honor the war veterans.

A portion of the book’s proceeds will support the National Military Family Association’s Operation Purple®, which benefits children of the U.S. military.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR {from Goodreads}:

Barbara Elizabeth Walsh has fond memories of poppies and parades honoring her father and other veterans. During World War II her father knew Moina Michael, the Poppy Lady. A former elementary-school teacher, Barbara has written articles for Highlights for Children and Cricket. The Poppy Lady is her first children's book. She and her husband live in Mantoloking, New Jersey, and Key Largo, Florida. For more information, visit barbaraelizabethwalsh.com.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR {from the publisher's website}:

Layne Johnson has illustrated more than twenty books for children, including the Western Heritage Award--winning Off Like the Wind!: The First Ride of the Pony Express by Michael P. Spradlin. Mr. Johnson speaks frequently in schools and libraries. He lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife.

MY THOUGHTS:

With the centennial of the World War I armistice approaching on November 11th, 2018, I decided I wanted to feature books about 'The Great War' or World War II each Monday of this month for my Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday posts.

A couple of months ago I began searching the local library's online catalog for appropriate titles, and I was thrilled to find this gem in the collection!

Moina Belle Michael was raised in the small community of Good Hope, Georgia, after the Civil War. Families had lost everything in 'The Surrender' and could not afford to hire a teacher for the local children. Moina's mother was determined to help her daughter become educated so Moina could teach her younger siblings and the neighbor's children.

After three years of boarding school fifteen-year old Moina cleaned out an abandoned slaves' cabin on the plantation and opened a school for her siblings and a few local children.

In the summer of 1914, Miss Michael had been traveling in Europe when World War I broke out. When the Germans sank an American ship in March, 1917, she prayed the United States would not enter the war.

At this time, she was a teacher and dorm mother at the University of Georgia's Normal School. She dreaded the U.S. Congress's vote on whether the nation would enter the war. When it was announced that the United States was joining in the war in Europe, Moina vowed to do whatever she could to help the soldiers. She wanted them to be remembered for their service and sacrifice.

She knitted sock and rolled bandages with other local women. She delivered treats to the nearby military camp and invited soldiers to share a meal at her home.

In the autumn of 1918, she completed the training presented by the YMCA and held at Columbia University in New York City so she could become a canteen worker. She applied to go overseas but was denied due to the fact that she was too old. {She was forty-nine years old at the time.}

She wanted to help out somehow. She reflected upon what she could do to help the war effort. She decided it would be worthwhile to help the soldiers before they left for their assignments overseas, so she opened a reading/meeting room in the basement of a hall on Columbia's campus.

Men and women in the military along with university secretaries visited the room each day to read, sing, and visit with others. Miss Michael used her own meager salary to buy flowers to brighten up the dreary basement. She felt called to do more to ease the stress of these soldiers who were serving or had served their country in war.

By chance, Moina read a poem in a magazine written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae who was a Canadian physician. The poem, 'In Flanders Fields', was a tribute to the soldiers who perished on the battlefields of Flanders. In the poem, the battlefield was covered with white crosses and bright red poppies.

Then and there Moina Belle Michael vowed to buy red poppies to give out to others and to always wear a red poppy herself in honor of the poppies of Flanders Fields.

She went out shopping in New York City to purchase red poppies. She found one large and twenty-four small silk poppies in a single department store. She pinned one poppy to her collar and hurried back to the basement room. She placed the large poppy in a vase and handed out the twenty-three smaller ones to the men and women leaving for France.

It is striking that two days after she purchased the twenty-five poppies, World War I ended. She was not ready to rest. She saw how difficult it was for the returning troops to find jobs and get the medical care they needed.

She decided to help out by trying to get various organizations to honor and support the veterans by adopting the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy. People around the world began to donate money to the funds to help veterans, war widows, and orphans.

Many unemployed and disabled veterans made and distributed poppies. Moina was named the 'Poppy Lady'. 

Moina Belle Michael died at the age of seventy-four and was honored with a military funeral in her honor in Athens, Georgia.

The 'Author's Note' tells the touching story of how her own father had met Miss Michael when he was a soldier in World War II. The soldier, Pat, told his author daughter about how nice Miss Michael was. This prompted Barbara Elizabeth Walsh to research and write this compelling biography.

The 'Legacy' section tells how the Flanders Poppy is still recognized as a symbol of remembrance. These poppies are still distributed by several veterans groups in America.

A 'Selected Biography' is included.

The original paintings by artist Layne Johnson are beautiful and contribute greatly to this amazing woman's biography.

If you would like to read the touching poem which began this red poppy tradition, you will find the text of 'In Flanders Fields' and a brief biography of the poet who wrote it at the following link:  

'In Flanders Fields' Poem 

This biography is highly recommended to parents/grandparents, librarians, teachers, and fans of American history/World War I history/military history/twentieth century history. It is inspiring and engaging and will show a true-life example of a woman who dedicated her life to serving others.

I borrowed this book from the local public library.

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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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~ WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ME? ~

~ SPECIAL FEATURE 
HONORING 'NATIONAL
ADOPTION MONTH' ~

--  'WHY DID YOU CHOOSE ME?'  --

AUTHOR KATIE CRUICE SMITH &
ILLUSTRATOR SARAH STRICKLING JONES

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Author and

Illustrator Bios, Guest Post by Author
 & Giveaway~

November is National Adoption Month, and we're celebrating with the Why Did You Choose Me? Saturday Hop and giveaway, hosted by JustRead Tours and Ambassador International! Every Saturday in November, hop along to the different host blogs and enter the great giveaway!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Why Did You Choose Me?  
Author: Katie Cruice Smith 
Illustrator: Sarah Strickling Jones 
Publisher: Ambassador International 
Release Date: November 12, 2017 
Genre: Children's Picture Book, Adoption

Most adoptive and foster children struggle at some point in their life with knowing who they are and where they belong. They want to ask questions, and parents need to be prepared with an answer that helps their child feel loved and secure.

After searching for adoption storybooks to read to her own adopted children, Katie Cruice Smith decided that there was a need for more books that parents could read at bedtime to connect with their adopted and fostered children.

In Why Did You Choose Me?, Katie Cruice Smith answers that question in a way that young children can understand. Drawing from her own experience as an adoptive mom to three children, Katie uses the questions her own children have asked to help them see there never really was a choice she knew right away that they were hers.

With beautiful illustrations by artist Sarah Strickling Jones, Why Did You Choose Me? lovingly demonstrates the uniqueness that each child brings to a family.  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Ambassador International


GUEST POST BY AUTHOR:  
FIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES FACTS:

1. The idea for this book actually came from an adoption grant I was trying to win for our third adoption. Applicants were required to submit an essay based on the question, "If your child comes to you one day and asks, 'Why did you choose me?' what would you say?" I won the grant, and the idea for a book began to take shape.

2. My illustrator, Sarah Strickling Jones, was the one who thought this should be a book. We were already very good friends, and I was venting to her one day as we were working in her garden. She had the idea that she would illustrate the poem, and then we could try to sell it to raise money for the adoption. It didn't quite work out that way, but that's how we got started.

3. It took four years to get this book published, so it has changed a lot since its beginning stages. But all of the scenarios are based on life with my own three wonderful, adopted children.

4. Sarah spent hours upon hours pouring over different children's books to come up with just the right style for the book. She looked at bright colors and pastels, water colors and markers. She drew and painted, tossed and recycled, and then came to me with several samples before we even began to coordinate the art and the text. Did I mention that she is amazing?!

5. My hope for this book is to help parents start the conversation with their little ones about adoption. Many young children have questions and uncertainties regarding their place in their adoptive family, but they don't have the words to express themselves. I hope that this book spurs that conversation and opens the doors for families to come together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Cruice Smith is a freelance writer, journalist, and editor, and she resides in the Upstate of South Carolina with her husband and three adopted children. Katie is an adoption and foster care advocate, and she and husband are licensed foster parents and the founders of their church’s orphan ministry. She is currently working on a devotional book to accompany Why Did You Choose Me?

CONNECT WITH KATIE: website | Facebook | Twitter
 

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Sarah Strickling Jones enjoys working with oils, acrylics, ceramics, and printmaking. She creates her artwork and teaches students of all ages from her country home. She lives in Greer, South Carolina, with her husband Darren and four children: Trevor, Peyton, Blake, and Renea. Why Did You Choose Me? is Sarah Strickling Jones’ first illustrated children’s book in watercolor.

CONNECT WITH SARAH: Facebook

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive

• a print copy of Why Did You Choose Me?
• "For This Child I Prayed" ornament (more info HERE)

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight November 3, 2018 and last through 11:59pm December 1, 2018. US only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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Follow along at JustRead for a full list of stops/dates!

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~ BLOG TOUR STOP A SOUTHERN SEASON ~

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

--BLOG TOUR STOP--

--  'A SOUTHERN SEASON'  --

A COLLECTION BY FOUR AUTHORS

~Post Includes:  Book Spotlight, Author

Bios, Excerpt & Giveaway~

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for A Southern Season: Four Stories From a Front Porch Swing by Eva Marie Everson, Claire Fullerton, Linda W. Yezak, and Ane Mulligan, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours! Pull up a front porch swing and enjoy learning more about this collection from four great authors.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: A Southern Season: Four Stories From a Front Porch Swing
Authors: Eva Marie Everson, Claire Fullerton, Linda W. Yezak, Ane Mulligan 
Publisher: Firefly Southern Fiction 
Release Date: November 1, 2018 
Genre: Inspirational Southern/Women's Fiction Four seasons. 

Four stories. Each one set in the enchanting world of the South. These are the kinds of stories your grandmother told you from a front porch swing.  

Ice Melts in Spring by Linda W. Yezak
When Kerry Graham's boss forces her to return to the Gulf of Mexico where her husband drowned years ago, she feels only spring's chill and not the warmth of the Texas sun. Can the joy of a reclusive author and the compassion of a shrimp-boat preacher thaw Kerry's frigid heart?  

Lillie Beth in Summer by Eva Marie Everson
With the untimely death of his wife, Dr. James Gillespie believes God has abandoned him. He also believes he's never met anyone like the young widow Lillie Beth, whose beloved Granny lies dying at home, and who sees a God who sweeps hope through a farmhouse window. Can a young woman whose husband died in Vietnam restore a faith that is all but dead. 

Through an Autumn Window by Claire Fullerton
Because her larger than life mother Daphne Goodwyn is dead, forty-year-old Cate returns to Memphis with one thought in mind: something always goes wrong at a Southern funeral. But surrounded by the well-mannered society that raised her, the nostalgic rites of a three-day, autumn mourning bring the unexpected gift of the end of sibling rivalry.

A Magnolia Blooms in Winter by Ane Mulligan
With Broadway stardom within her reach, Morgan James returns home in winter to help an old friend. Maybe it s just nostalgia, but when she sees him again, an old flame rekindles. When she's called back to NYC to take the lead in a new musical, will fame be worth losing the man she loves?

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

EXCERPT:
From: A Magnolia Blooms in Winter by Ane Mulligan

Andy’s face glowed with welcome. But was it for Vanessa or me? I gave myself a mental shake. It didn’t matter. I was here on business.

If only my heart would listen.

He reached out and squeezed my hand. “Thanks for coming. I’m so over my head directing a play. There’s a notebook on the hearth for you.” He gestured to a large binder by the fireplace. “It’s got the script and my pathetic blocking notes, plus the tech designs. We’ve been in rehearsals for three weeks already.”

Only three? Why did amateur groups always cut short rehearsal time when they needed more than professionals?

He withdrew his arm from Vanessa’s clasp. “We can go through it now if you like.”

Okay, he was all business too. My heart did a nosedive, but I told it this was for the best. I sat on the hearth and opened his production book.

Vanessa glared. “I still don’t know why we need her. I directed the children’s Christmas play last year.”

A muscle near Andy’s eye twitched. It always did when he tried not to laugh. What happened during that play that tickled his funny bone?

“Morgan is a Broadway professional, Vanessa. She has experience in every aspect of a production. Besides, she wrote the script. No one knows it better than she does.”

“Well, I have my own ideas about—wait a minute.” She snapped her attention directly to me. “Really? You’ve acted on Broadway?” She jumped up and joined me on the hearth.

I wasn’t sure how it happened, but I went from persona non grata to potatoes au gratin.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Eva Marie Everson (Lillie Beth in Summer) is a multiple award-winning author and speaker. She is the president of Word Weavers International and the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference & North Georgia Christian Writers Conference.  

CONNECT WITH EVA: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Claire Fullerton (Through an Autumn Window) is the author of Mourning Dove, Dancing to an Irish Reel, and A Portal in Time. She is a transplanted Southerner from Memphis now living in Malibu, California.

CONNECT WITH CLAIRE: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Ane Mulligan (A Magnolia Blooms in Winter) writes Southern-fried fiction served with a tall, sweet iced tea. She's an award-winning, multi-published novelist and playwright, who believes chocolate and coffee are two of the four major food groups.

 CONNECT WITH ANE: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
 

Linda W. Yezak (Ice Melts in Spring) lives with her husband and PB, the original scaredy cat, in a forest in Deep East Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. Author of several novels, novellas, and short stories, she is best known for her award-winning Circle Bar Ranch series.  

CONNECT WITH LINDA: website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a print copy of A Southern Season, signed by all 4 authors! (US only)  

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight October 30, 2018 and last through 11:59pm November 5, 2018. US only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead for a full list of stops!

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