Author & Sewing Designer June McCrary Jacobs

Thursday, June 5, 2025

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE SURPRISE NEXT DOOR ~

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~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

-- 'THE SURPRISE NEXT DOOR' --

AUTHOR TARA RANDEL

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The Surprise Next Door JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Surprise Next Door by Tara Randel,

hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

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About the Book

Title: The Surprise Next Door
Series: A Golden, Georgia Romance #1
Author: Tara Randel
Publisher: Harlequin Heartwarming
Release Date: May 27, 2025
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Should they take a chance…

On unexpected love?

Chasing her escape-artist rescue dog, Gus, into the neighbor’s yard wasn’t on Nicole Connelly’s agenda for her first day back in her hometown. Especially when Gus’s antics bring her under the suspicious gaze of the gorgeous single dad next door. Staying on the move has kept her heart safe for twelve years. But veterinarian Ethan Price and his adorable daughter make Nicole wonder if staying in Golden might be worth the risk. Is she ready to overcome the past and find her forever home with a loving instant family?

USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

From Harlequin Heartwarming: Wholesome stories of love, compassion and belonging.

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EXCERPT:

With a chuckle, Ethan placed his phone on the counter and returned to the glasses in the sink,then out of the corner of his eye he noticed a streak go by. From his view, he saw Gus galloping toward the swing set, his leash dragging in the grass behind him. Then Nicole came into view, chasing after her wayward dog, who had a significant lead.

He couldn’t tear his gaze from her, dressed in a floral sundress, the jaunty elf hat half-hanging off her head. Her outfit elicited a laugh. Nicole’s antics made his heart light, and he couldn’t recall when he’d been so charmed. A welcome reprieve after the stress that had ushered in the end of his marriage.

Finally, she stopped chasing the energetic dog. Placing her hands on her hips, she stared him down. Gus came back to sit in front of her, meeting her gaze without flinching. He wondered how long the standoff would last. When they didn’t move, he dried his hands again, then walked out the back door and onto the wooden porch, stopping at the railing to rest his palms on the rough, flat surface.

Neither of his new neighbors twitched.

He decided action was needed and let out a low whistle. Gus jerked and then bounded over to him, rushing up the steps for a brisk rubdown.

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MY REVIEW:

One clever 5-year-old girl plus one mischievous golden retriever equals lots of whimsy and fun in this enjoyable contemporary romance . . .

Nicole Connelly has moved back to Golden temporarily while she is completing a project for her employer, Sanders Entertainment. She loves her job, but she is hesitant about living back in Golden for a month after leaving her hometown and family several years ago.

Her recently-adopted golden retriever, Gus, is a bundle of affectionate fluff that is an expert escape-artist. He makes friends easily, but he needs some training to break his bad habits and become a well-behaved canine.

Dr. Ethan Price, the town's veterinarian who lives in the house next door to Nicole's rental, is intense and serious. His irritation when he finds his five-year-old daughter, Holly, playing with Gus out in their front yard comes across loud and clear in his initial meeting with Nicole.

The core wound for both of the adults is a lack of trust in others because of major traumas they survived in the past. Both Ethan and Nicole are hesitant to open up and share their past experiences with the other. Holly's warm and welcoming spirit toward Nicole and Gus provides the perfect catalyst to jumpstart Ethan's acceptance of Nicole.

Things don’t always go smoothly as Nicole attempts to heal her relationships with her Mother, two sisters, and one half-sister, but the kind community of Golden helps out by giving support and encouragement whenever needed.

I enjoyed reading about Nicole's job and the creative ideas she came up with for the town's seasonal promotions to increase tourism in the area. As an animal lover, I enjoyed Dr. Price's care and kindness toward animals and their owners. Holly has a joyful spirit which is hard to ignore. Last but not least, Gus was a valuable addition to the plot in many ways.

This book is completely clean in language and content. I received a copy of this book from the author through JustRead Publicity Tours. All of my thoughts and opinions shared here are solely my own.

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Also Available

About the Author

Tara Randel is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. Family values, a bit of mystery and of course, love and romance are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Tara lives on the West Coast of Florida, where gorgeous sunsets and beautiful weather inspire the creation of heartwarming stories. Tara has received the Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award and the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award.

Connect with Tara by visiting tararandel.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card, a bookish tote bag, 2 autographed books by Tara Randel, and a bookmark!

(1) additional winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 3, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 10, 2025. Winners 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 JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

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Tuesday, June 3, 2025

~ WEDNESDAY COZY FEATURE CAMPFIRES & CORPSES ~

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~ WEDNESDAY COZY MYSTERY FEATURE ~

-- 'CAMPFIRES & CORPSES' --

AUTHOR NIKKI WEBER

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Campfires & Corpses: A Maine Campground Cozy Mystery by Nikki Weber

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About Campfires & Corpses

Campfires & Corpses: A Maine Campground Cozy Mystery

Cozy Mystery/ Cozy Animal Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Maine

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (February 24, 2025)

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 282 pages ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8311619622

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DS6KRK16

When the campground becomes the scene of the crime, will Noelle's peaceful summer go up in flames?

Down on her luck event planner Noelle Cooper is returning to rural Maine to do the one thing she swore she would never do: run her family’s campground. But it’s only for the summer, and the timing couldn’t be better–she’s lost her job and has nowhere to live. She hopes that a change of scenery will be the thing she needs to regroup and reinvent herself.

But Noelle’s plans go up in smoke on her first morning back when she stumbles upon the body of her high school rival. She barely has time to process this before she comes face-to-face with her ex-boyfriend, meets the handsome county sheriff, and is questioned by an intimidating state trooper who gives her the creeps.

While she’s busy dealing with a group of pushy campers who insist that the murder means she must cancel the annual bonfire, Noelle becomes the prime suspect in the murder investigation. She’s convinced that someone is feeding false information to the police and is determined to clear her name.

With the help of her podcast-obsessed cousin, her anxious rescue beagle, and a few eccentric campers, Noelle compiles a list of other suspects and pokes around to uncover the real killer.

Can Noelle prove her innocence before getting tossed in jail? Or is she playing with fire? Read Campfires & Corpses now to find out.

*** This clean, contemporary cozy mystery is set in a small town with quirky characters and lovable dogs. Cozy mystery fans will enjoy dissecting the suspects’ alibis and following the clues along with Noelle and her gang. ***

Here's what you'll LOVE about this series!

These are just a few of the reasons you'll love Campfires & Corpses:

The story is set in Maine
During a summer heatwave
There's a rescue beagle (and other great dog-themed references)
It all takes place in a campground that's in a tiny town
There's a fast-paced, page-turning ending

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~AUTHOR GUEST POST~

'Creating Corny the Beagle'

“Is the character of Corny based on a real dog?”

This is a question that I get asked a lot. Maybe that’s true of all writers who feature pets in their stories, but I also read a lot of this in online comments and book reviews:

“I fell in love with Noelle’s rescue beagle, Corny.”

“The dog on the cover is so cute!”

“Corny, Noelle's rescue beagle, is probably my favorite.”

That last comment (pulled straight from an Amazon review of my new book, Campfires & Corpses) comes as no surprise to me. The book has been out in the world for a couple of months now, and Corny is—hands down—a reader favorite.

To say that this makes me smile is an understatement. Creating Corny the beagle was one of the best parts of writing Campfires & Corpses. As a life-long lover of dogs, I am tickled pink to learn that readers connect with this fictional pup.

And he is mostly fictional. Corny is not based on any one dog; he’s a combination of dogs.

I did have a beagle-mix growing up. His name was Max, and he went camping with us every summer. I have many fond memories of him sniffing every campsite on our walks and basking in the hot July sun.

Max made me partial to beagles, and over the years, I have become a fan and supporter of an organization called Beagle Freedom Project. BFP is a California-based non-profit that rescues and rehabilitates animals (mostly beagles) that come from research testing facilities.

Beagle Freedom Project advocates for the release of the animals and also for legislation to end animal testing and the practices that come with animal testing. One of those practices is to euthanize the animals once the researchers feel that the animal has outlived its testing usefulness. BFP has proven that these animals can live full, happy lives after the laboratory, and works to save them from being euthanized.

So, when I decided to start writing my Maine Campground Cozy Mystery series, I knew that I wanted to include a beagle, and I really wanted to shed lighton animals who are research survivors. It’s a fine line to walk—cozies are supposed to be feel-good books—but it was really important to me to at least try.

Corny—like a lot of beagles who are born and bred in a research facility—is a pure-bred beagle who lived in an indoor cage twenty-four hours per day. He’s like a puppy in some ways, even though he’s three years old. He didn’t grow up playing with toys or getting loving pets. He also didn’t encounter many people or other dogs.

For these reasons, Corny is timid and has some anxiety. In Campfires & Corpses, you find Corny hiding in corners and being choosey about the people he approaches. By the end of the book, he has started to come out of his shell, but still has a long road ahead of him.

That long road is by design. I wanted to stay true to the slow, real-life experiences of animals who come from such traumatic backgrounds. I have watched dozens of videos online that show research beagles taking months to learn how to simply play or roll in the grass. Some can never walk down a sidewalk in public due to their high anxiety.

I think it’s this vulnerability that my readers especially love. And it came easily to me when writing Corny into scenes. I could imagine how Corny would react when someone started shouting or banging on a door.

But don’t get me wrong: Corny is also learning to enjoy the finer points of beagle life—mostly sleep and food. He groans and sighs with displeasure when his sleep is interrupted, and he learns quickly that humans drop crumbs (all beagles—even those from a laboratory—have a propensity towards food). These are very typical beagle behaviors that I wanted him to have.

Corny will continue to be a major side character in the rest of the Maine Campground Cozy Mystery series. He gets a lot of time on the pages in the next book, Whoopie Pies & Alibis. And just as his owner, Noelle, will grow and develop throughout the series, so will Corny.

If you’re interested in learning more about Corny and Noelle—how they met, and where the name Corny (short for Cornflake) comes from—I recommend reading my short story called Freedom & Fosters: A Beagle Rescue Short Story.

If you want to learn more about Beagle Freedom Project, you can visit their website at https://bfp.org/

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About Nikki Weber

Nikki Weber was born and raised in Maine, and spent her childhood summers camping with her family and their beagle. She loves to read, listen to podcasts, travel, and play tennis. Campfires & Corpses: A Maine Campground Cozy Mystery is her first book, and there are many more in the pipeline.

Author Links:

Website:https://nikkiweberbooks.com/

Sign Up for Nikki's Newsletter: Join the Cozy Book Club! | Nikki Weber

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/nikkiweber

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/nikkiweberbooks

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

Purchase Links: Universal Book Link - Amazon - B&N - Bookshop.org - Kobo -

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

May 28 – Jody's Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT

May 29 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

May 29 – Frugal Freelancer – SPOTLIGHT

May 30 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – AUTHOR INTERVIEW May 30 – View from the Birdhouse – REVIEW

May 31 – Reading Is My SuperPower - REVIEW

May 31 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT June 1 – Rebecca M. Douglass, Author - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

June 1 – Infinite House of Books – SPOTLIGHT

June 2 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT

June 2 – Sarah Can't Stop Reading Books – REVIEW

June 3 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

June 3 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 4 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic - AUTHOR GUEST POST, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

June 4 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

June 5 – Boys' Mom Reads! – REVIEW

June 5 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

June 6 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

June 6 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

June 7 – Maureen's Musings - SPOTLIGHT

June 7 – Escape With Dollycas IntoA Good Book – SPOTLIGHT

June 8 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT

June 9 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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INDIVIDUAL BLOG GIVEAWAY:

One Winner will Win an E-Book

Copy of 'Campfires & Corpses'

from the author!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!

Want to Book a Tour? ClickHere

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Thursday, May 29, 2025

~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE A SUMMER TO TREASURE ~

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~ FRIDAY FICTION FEATURE ~

-- 'A SUMMER TO TREASURE' --

AUTHOR LESLEA WAHL

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A Summer to Treasure JustRead Blog Tour

Welcome to the Blog Tour for A Summer to Treasure

by Leslea Wahl, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

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About the Book

    Title: A Summer to Treasure
   Author: Leslea Wahl
   Publisher: Perpetual Light Publishing
   Release Date: May 27, 2025
   Genre: MG/YA Adventure Mystery

Teenage siblings Luke, Celia, and Austin are dreading their summer vacation. A month cooped up in an RV, touring around the Southwest, with their parents, grandmother, and each other? Pure torture.

But when Grandma reveals the real reason for the trip, the journey becomes an unexpected adventure. As they travel through breathtaking canyons, the teens develop new friendships, deepen their faith, and join together to solve a decades-old mystery.

And if the siblings can put down their phones long enough to enjoy the incredible journey, they might just discover that their relationships with each other are truly the greatest treasure.

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EXCERPT:

Luke squeezed his eyes shut. Now what? His life seemed to be unraveling before his eyes. Gone were his girlfriend and football season. Undoubtably losing both would affect his standing in their friend group. His whole high school identity had been dismantled as he’d hit rock bottom—literally. He opened his eyes; thousands of stars came into focus. Maybe it was time to follow Grandma’s advice and trust in God.

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PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

Also Available:

About the Author

Leslea Wahl is an award-winning author of adventurous teen mysteries. She not only writes for teens but is an avid reviewer of Christian fiction and a founding member of Catholic Teen Books. Her journey to become an author came through a search for value-based fiction for her own children. Leslea now strives to be an advocate for other families battling against society’s secular messages through her faith-based writing and reviews.

Connect with Leslea by visiting lesleawahl.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

Tour Giveaway

(3) winners will each receive a signed copy of A Summer to Treasure, a book-themed Glass Tumbler with Lid and Straw, and a magnetic bookmark!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight May 27, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 3, 2025. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US/CAN only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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

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Wednesday, May 28, 2025

~ NEW AUDIOBOOK RELEASE -- 'RES-Q TYLER STOP' ~

NEW AUDIOBOOK RELEASE OF
'RES-Q TYLER STOP' !

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Hello, Book Friends!

I'm thrilled to announce that my middle-grade historical adventure for children ages 8-12 is now available as an audiobook!

BOOK BLURB:

It's the summer of 1968 in Sonoma County, California, and eleven-year-old Weston Gregg and his nine-year-old sister, Wendy, are looking for fun things to do during their summer break from school. When they discover some abandoned rabbits, they hatch an idea to make a positive difference for animals and people in their small town of Tyler Stop. They decide to form 'Rescue Each Species-Quickly', or RES-Q Tyler Stop. There are challenges to face as they move forward into their new venture, including standing up to someone who is targeting Weston's friends for being different and dealing with the consequences of a painfully bad decision.

Will Weston have to handle these issues on his own or will he learn to accept the advice and wisdom shared by some important people in his life? Join Weston and his family and friends as they share some adventures and learn and grow together in RES-Q Tyler Stop.

This book is completely clean in language and content.

This story will be a great family 'listen' for summer reading time!