Blog Tour/Review: Begin Again by Brittney Mulliner

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Begin Again, by Brittney Mulliner
254p, 2014, YA Contemporary Romance
My Rating=3 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the tour host for an honest review



Escaping her past, Aubrey Tate moves to Southern California for a fresh start with her older brother, Brandon. Starting over at a new school seems easy with her cousin, Mckayla, and her two best friends at her side, but handling the new guys is another matter. Aubrey ends up in the middle of three rivals that each want her to themselves. Mike claims her first and declare himself her friend and protector. Luke is the school heartthrob that stops Aubrey in her tracks, speechless. Gage is the mysterious, dark outsider that Aubrey can be herself around. How will she navigate her new life while she’s still haunted by her past?

This is one of those books that I'm mixed on. It was full of drama, which I like in a book, but I had a hard time connecting with it. Aubrey has a traumatic experience and needs to start over. She moves in with her brother Brandon and goes to school with her cousin Mckayla. She meets several guys who attract her attention for different reasons. I think it's great that she has plenty of options but I didn't feel like I got to know the guys well enough to root for anyone in particular. There was a lot of hot and cold between her and them as well. I'm not holding this against her, though, since she's a teenager and, of course, I don't feel like she needs to choose her soul mate right now. However, I like to have a relationship to cheer on and don't feel it with any of them. There is one guy she seems to be leaning toward and, I don't want to spoil it, but their relationship is weird to me.

Aubrey is finding herself and I didn't feel like I got a good handle on who she is. There are issues with her mom and step dad which made it easier for her to leave home. She gets along with her Aunt Diane and cousin Mckayla and feels close to them, even though it's been a while since she's seen them in person. She also feels close to her brother Brandon and they have a great relationship. She makes friends easily and gets along with almost everyone. I did enjoy the friendships she formed with Mckayla and her friends and they had some dramatic, fun scenes to read.

The writing held my interest enough to keep reading but I felt like I was waiting for something to happen through most of the book. Something big does happen at the very end. I'm interested in reading more of the series since I want to know what will happen next and what Aubrey's life will look like in the end. I hope to see growth in her as the series progresses.

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Author Brittney Mulliner

Brittney had been an avid reader since she can remember. Her parents’ form of punishment for her growing up was taking away her books and making her go outside to play. She was born and raised in Southern California, with a brief hiatus in Arizona. She loves the beach, exercising, sleeping in, and cookies. She is an obsessive dog lover, although her affection currently has no outlet. Something that she is planning on remedying soon. She currently lives in Utah while she and her husband finish college.

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Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/29/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blast: The Last Enchantress by Scott & Judith Powell

The Last Enchantress by Scott & Judith Powell

Being nineteen for over three hundred years bites, and being single in New York with magical powers isn’t much better.

Eva is trying to live an everyday life in New York. When this fails, she takes a seemingly unmagical job as a translator for a wealthy American family in Spain. Eva cannot stay out of trouble for long as she runs into a friendly but hungry vampire named Louis. Eva feels drawn to this handsome, dangerous stranger who has problems of his own.

Louis’s life was just fine until Eva walked into his church. She smells like heaven. Or is it hell, always smelling but never partaking? Surely she is the devil coming to collect on his lost soul.

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Available December 15th to 17th

Author Biography

Scott Powell was born in Burlington, Vermont, to a father who was a police officer and a mother who emigrated from South Korea. He received a degree in marketing from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada, and a master’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Scott served a two-year Spanish-speaking mission for his church. He is a mixed martial artist who continues to train with his father, a second-degree black belt in tae kwon do and a kick boxer.

Besides being married to Scott for almost seventeen years, Judith Powell is a stay-at-home mom whose whole life has been full of stories. Being raised by an Irish storytelling father and a Native American mother, stories have filled her life and her head until they finally had no choice but to flow out through her fingertips.

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Praise for the Book

What fun, and new perspective on vampires. And the intro of new specie, Enchantress, gives this novel a wonderful and imaginative take.

It gives us another take on Vampires and the only Enchantress left in the world. The story flows smoothly and the characters are developed well.

Let me just start by saying for the record I am not a huge fan of Vampires or flying humans, but this book has led me away from that concept with a fantastic storyline that focused on a man and woman who were meant to be. The fighting scenes were very detailed and visual as you can tell the authors made this a point of emphasis in preparing this book.



Excerpt

The sun was just starting to rise, and I knew that her disturbing dream would not lead to sleeping late. I could hear her heart beating faster as she began to wake up. Wrapping myself in my cloak to protect my skin from the dawn’s light (the sun’s rays felt like hundreds of tiny needles on my flesh), I departed the room. Closing the French doors behind me, I waited on the roof for her to appear. I planned to spy on her until she exposed herself as the typical mortal that I knew she must be.

A few moments later, she walked out through the same doors I had just used, dressed only in a cream translucent nightgown. Her ankles were bare and slight, and I could just see the outline of her slim legs beneath her nightdress as the sunlight began to touch her skin. She walked purposely to a small stone bench under a tree that had not yet awoken this year and most likely never would. Just as quickly as she had come, she stood and began to walk back toward her room. I was feeling playful. What did it really matter if I revealed myself? I jumped down without a sound and sat on the bench that she had just occupied. Even though she had only been here but a moment, I could still feel her warmth lingering on the surface. Somehow, she sensed I was there, and she began to run, which was not surprising. I was sure fear motivated her movement. There was no need to pursue. I could catch her easily. But then she did something that put all my old questions to rest and created new ones. She jumped up and grabbed the edge of the roof. Using it as leverage, she flipped her body up into the arch, doing more moves than a gymnast at the Olympics, and landed, facing me, on the roof.

Blog Tour Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blast: Apple Pie for You and I Written by Denise Mistich, Illustrated by Daniel Buleri

You can purchase an electronic copy of this book for only $1.00 from Amazon until December 31, 2014 (details below).

About the Book

Title: Apple Pie for You and I | Author: Denise Mistich | Illustrator: Daniel Bulleri | Publication Date: November 13, 2013 | Publisher: Apple Pie Books | Pages: 32 | Recommended Ages: 3 to 8

Book Description: Apple Pie for You and I is one fantastically colorful and happy little children's book! Kids love to count the pieces of the pie as these hilarious critters gobble them down. They also get a little lesson in grammar and find out what happens when they eat too many slices!

Message from the Author: This project was a lot of fun and I know your children are going to love it. I simply wrote a poem about raccoons eating an apple pie. Illustrator Daniel Bulleri brought the story to life. Grab a copy and enjoy it with your little ones. The book is available as a Kindle e-book and the paperback is coming soon!

Purchase the Kindle for Just $1.00 through Dec. 31, 2014

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About the Author: Denise Mistich

Author Denise Davidson Mistich, co-founder of Apple Pie Books, writes poems and stories that inspire children to think. She is also a minister and host of The Healing Room, Christian Radio for the Whole Woman.

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About the Illustrator: Daniel Bulleri

The Illustrator, Daniel Bulleri, is a graphic designer and graduate of Chico State University. Other published work includes Your Magical Laugh, written, illustrated and published for the most important people in his life...his own children.

* $25 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash (winner's choice)

Contest closes: December 31, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open to: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author, Denise Mistich and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

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Blog Tour/Review: Meow it it's Murder by T.C. LoTempio

Tour Schedule

Meow if it's Murder, by T.C. LoTempio
2014, 304p, Cozy Mystery
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the tour host for an honest review



Nora Charles doesn’t believe in fate, even if she is a crime reporter who shares a name with a character from The Thin Man. In fact, she’s moving back to Cruz, California, to have a quieter life. But after finding an online magazine eager for material, and a stray cat named Nick with a talent for detection, Nora’s not just reporting crimes again. She’s uncovering them…

Back in her hometown, Nora reconnects with old friends and makes some new ones, like Nick, the charming feline who seems determined to be her cat. But not everything about Cruz is friendly. Writing for a local online magazine, Nora investigates the curious death of socialite Lola Grainger. Though it was deemed an accident, Nora suspects foul play. And it seems that her cat does too.

Apparently, Nick used to belong to a P.I. who disappeared while investigating Lola Grainger’s death. The coincidence is spooky, but not as spooky as the clues Nick spells out for her with Scrabble letters—clues that lead her down an increasingly dangerous path. Whether fate put her on this case or not, solving it will take all of Nora’s wits, and maybe a few of Nick’s nine lives.

I love cozy mysteries and this was a fun one to read! Nora Charles was an investigative reporter in Chicago and now that her mother has died, she has moved back to California to take over her mother's sandwich shop. Lola Grainger, a friend of her mother's, dies and it's ruled an accident but Nora doesn't agree and starts an investigation to find the murderer. 

There were some great characters in this book: She has a quirky friend Chantal who is a dreamer and working on her psychic abilities. I loved the scenes with her in them. A cat adopted Nora and she decided to name him Nick after his missing owner. I'm not always a fan of animals in stories but Nick is a great character and I fell in love with him. He's very smart and I loved the different ways he found to communicate with her. It will be fun to learn more about him as the series progresses. She later meets handsome Detective Daniel Corleone, who's in town temporarily, and they are mutually attracted to each other. Because of that, she sometimes feels flustered around him. I enjoyed their banter and chemistry. I also hope he is included in future installments.

Nora is an easy character to like. She's smart, funny and hard working. Of course, she took chances I would never take, but that's the type of person she is. She still has the investigative reporter in her that is willing to do what she needs to in order to find the truth.

I thought this was well-written and easy to read. There were plenty of suspects and it was hard for me to figure out whodunit. There is quite a bit of swearing, but since she uses the milder words, I didn't find it too distracting. As a fun bonus, there are a couple of sandwich recipes at the end. This book was highly entertaining and I look forward to reading more of Nick and Nora!

Excerpt:

I felt a tug on my skirt and looked down to see Nick regarding me with a steady, golden stare. I bent down and gently disengaged his claw. He turned around twice, and motioned with his paw toward the back table. I saw Scrabble tiles lying on the floor and let out a little cry.

“How did you get those? I could have sworn I had them in the pouch in the drawer!”

I bent over to scoop them up and noticed they were an F, an I and a B. I chuckled.

“Fib. Very appropriate. Of course, I wouldn’t come out and call Daniel Corleone a liar, but I just get a strange vibe from him. Like he’s hiding something. Oh, I don’t know.” I made a motion with my hand, swept the tiles up and deposited them back in the drawer. I looked at Nick.

“Like I was saying, I doubt Detective Corleone is going to be of much help. If I’m going to get to the bottom of all this and find out what happened to Adrienne and your owner, I’m going to have to do some digging on my own. Besides interviewing the Captain, I need to know more about the other people who were on the yacht that night. If I can figure out who had the most to gain from Lola’s death, I can narrow down the field.”

I leaned down and gave Nick a quick pat on the head. “I picked up something on the way home that should prove extremely helpful. Come on. We’re going to do something I haven’t done in quite a while - make a murder board.”

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Author Toni LoTempio

While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic. She lists among her favorite mystery/suspense writers Erle Stanley Gardner, Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson, as well as EJ Copperman, Steve Hockensmith, Victoria Laurie, Ali Brandon, Rita Mae Brown, Miranda James and Sofie Kelly to name only a few! Toni is also passionate about her love for animals, as demonstrated with her four cats: Trixie, Princess, Maxx and, of course, ROCCO, who not only provided the inspiration for the character of Nick the cat in the Nick and Nora mystery series, but who also writes his own blog and does charity work for Nathan Fillion’s charity, Kids Need to Read! Toni’s also devoted to miniseries like The Thorn Birds, Dancing with the Stars, reruns of Murder She Wrote and Castle (of course!). She (and ROCCO, albeit he’s uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime – the first volume, MEOW IF ITS MURDER, debuts Dec. 2, 2014. She, Rocco and company make their home in Clifton, New Jersey, just twenty minutes from the Big Apple – New York.

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Praise for the Book

“Meow if it’s Murder is an absolute delight and Nick and Nora make a purr-fect mystery-solving team. ! I couldn’t put it down!” –Michelle Rowen, national bestselling author

“Meow If It’s Murder is delightful! Readers will love the mystery and charming cat. You don’t want to miss this new series” –Rose Pressey, USA Today Bestselling Author

“Nick and Nora are a winning team. The crafty feline manages to stay one paw ahead of his new owner – and the criminals in Cruz, California.” –Rebecca Hale, NY Times Bestselling Author

“Namesakes Nick the cat and Nora the deli owner can teach Hammett’s amateur detective duo a thing or two. Meow if It’s Murder is a fast-paced cozy mystery spiced with a dash of romance and topped with a big slice of “cat-itude.” Enjoy!” ~Ali Brandon, NY Times Bestselling author of the Black Cat Bookshop Mysteries

“Nick and Nora are the purrfect sleuthy duo!” – Victoria Laurie, NY Times Bestselling author of the Psychic Eye Mystery Series

$25 Blog Tour Giveaway

Enter to win an Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/29/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by readinglight.com. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blast: A Moat is Not a Goat: Poems for Clever Little Girls by Elsa Takaoka

About the Book

Title: A Moat is Not a Goat: Poems for Clever Little Girls * Author: Elsa Takaoka * Illustrator: Fanny Liem * Publication Date: November 27, 2014 * Publisher: Independent * Pages: 32 * Recommended Age: 4 to 8

Summary (Amazon): This is a collection on 16 beautifully illustrated poems about sweet and charming everyday experiences, especially written for little girls. This book will teach, inspire and empower little precocious lassies, opening their hearts and minds to the delightful world of imagination.

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*** FREE DOWNLOAD OF PAPER DOLLS! ***

You can download three adorable pdfs of paper dolls created by illustrator Fanny Liem based on A Moat is Not a Goat. Just click on the thumbnail below to take you to the author's site!

The Buzz About the Book

"A Moat is not a Goat - Poems for Clever Little Girls" follows Elsa's interesting writing style of letting the reader have loads of fun, solving fiendish clues and reading aloud rhymes that trip off the tongue with ease." ~ Read it Daddy!

"Each story is told as a poem and takes the reader on a magical journey through a pony car wash, a snow scene, and a strange world deep under the ocean. There’s a visit to the home of the five sisters, a chance to meet a pink-gowned female pirate, and find out how Miss Wafer saves her pie and tea from a snake. Learn about happiness and making up after a squabble, and how losing a tooth isn’t a disaster. What happens when you snip a lock of hair, and how a day in bed with a cold isn’t all it was planned to be." ~ Reviewed by Jane Finch for Readers' Favorite

"Cute rhyming book with beautiful illustrations. I recommend it for bedtime stories. Definitely worth it." ~ 5 Star Review, celestial, Amazon

"This book is full of clever poems that little girls will love. Everything from dreaming about becoming a pirate or a princess to fighting with your siblings is in here. Little girls will be able to relate to every page. The illustrations by Fanny Liem are SUPER adorable to boot!" ~ 5 Star Review, Teddy O., Amazon

"I am a preschool teacher and I am always looking for books that will amaze and excite my students. I think they will love this book." ~ 5 Star Review, Darla W., Amazon

Message From The Author: Elsa Takaoka

On the first day of National Poetry Month in April of 2014, I set the goal of writing a poem a day. My little girls and I would sit at the kitchen table - my five year-old doodled and my one year-old scribbled while Mommy wrote. As I struggled to find inspiration, I would occasionally glance at my eldest girl, who has been a doodling machine since the age of two and will often draw pictures for hours. Her doodles contained many of her favorite things: twins and mermaids, princesses and pets. But on closer inspection, they also contained stories of brave and bold little girls -girls with real feelings who fought, made-up, cried and got angry. These girls sailed ships, fought beasts and were pirates. These girls were tender and caring, who doodled and read. Her art contained REAL little girls- imaginative, clever and able to do anything they set their minds to. My hope is that I was able to crawl into the mind of a child and bottle up even a bit of the innocent yet powerful confidence of clever little girls everywhere.

Book Website Author Website

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About the Illustrator: Fanny Liem

Fanny Liem is a freelance artist from Jakarta, Indonesia who became captivated with art at a very young age. She credits her talented father for passing on the love of artistic creation. Driven by grit and passion, Fanny learned about digital art on her own, redefining her hobby of drawing to budding career in children’s illustrations. Fanny also taps her feet while enjoying American Country music.

For more information, please visit https://www.behance.net/fannywen

* Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card or PayPal cash prize (winner's choice)

Contest ends: December 30, 11:59 pm, 2014

Open: Internationally

How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below.

Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by the author Elsa Takaoka and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send an email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com.

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Blog Tour/Spotlight: Real Santa by William Hazelgrove

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Real Santa by William Hazelgrove

George Kronenfeldt is an unemployed engineer with one shot to keep his daughters belief in Santa intact. When Megan tells him the only way she will believe in Santa is if she can videotape him and then tells her fourth grade class she will prove the existence of Santa Claus by posting her video to YouTube, George realizes he must become the Real Santa. He devises a plan to land nine reindeer on his roof and go down his chimmney, hiring a broken down movie director who eventually has him funding a full scale production that bankrupts him and and threatens his marriage. When George goes to find the Real Santa to help him, the line between what is real and magic is crossed. Real Santa is a funny heartwarming story of parenthood gone wrong and illuminates what lengths parents will go to keep their children happy.

 Amazon

Excerpt - Real Santa | Chapter 1

The Question

“SO, IF ALL the icecaps are melting, where will Santa Claus go to build his toys?”

Barbara Worthington frowned at the boy in the back row. Leave it to Josh Pataki to throw the class into a tailspin. The fourth graders had been sedate, even bored; now their little hands were shooting up all over the classroom.

“Well, Josh, think about it. How cold do you think it is in the North Pole? Those are incredibly hostile conditions. How long do you think a man with a beard and a red suit could survive up there?”

Mrs. Worthington looked at her class, and Josh Pataki in particular.

She was at the long end of her tether. Next year she would retire after forty years of teaching. Forty years. And for forty years she had been fielding questions about Santa Claus.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” Josh said through his coke-bottle glasses and stoppered nose. He had been a walking plague all year, and now he was doing the wrist roll with his nose.

Mrs. Worthington handed him a Kleenex, walking in front of the twenty-five sets of eyes of Ridgeland Elementary.

“Well, Josh, Santa Claus supposedly lives in the North Pole in brutal subzero temperatures with an ice pack surrounding the pole and unbelievable snowstorms. Not much lives up in the North Pole
even with global warming, which by the way has not been proven. So my question is simply, how would Santa Claus survive up there?”

Josh rolled his shoulders. “He would live in his complex built by elves like in Santa Clause 2.”

“Hmm … and how do these elves build this complex up there? Where do they get their funding? Where do they get their skill set to create this mythical complex? Where would they get building materials, electricity?”

More hands shot up.

“Children, we are not going to stop our science hour to talk about Santa Claus.”

The hands started to fall until there was only one arm still up in the back. Mrs. Worthington motioned her hand down, but the kid’s hand stayed up there anyway. This was all Megan Kronenfeldt. The girl was bright, independent, and as literal as an accountant. She had a habit of calling out points that contradicted what Mrs. Worthington had mentioned a week before. She was almost a savant.

“Yes, Megan,” Mrs. Worthington said wearily.

“Then what I understand you to be saying, Mrs. Worthington, is there is no Santa Claus in the North Pole because no one could survive without a facility and you don’t believe there are the elves or anybody else to build that facility.”

Mrs. Worthington stood with a faint blush coming to her cheeks.

She saw the e-mails raining down from above. Parents would crash the school server with their onslaught of indignation that she dared to destroy the myth of Santa Claus. Deloris Ketchum had been forced into early retirement for saying that Santa Claus was a myth. The parents had e-mailed the district, the superintendent, even the mayor. Deloris retired five years early with just half of her pension.

And now Mrs. Worthington was standing in the same crosshairs. “Well, Megan, I’m just saying that weather conditions are harsh in the North Pole and that people must be prepared to meet those conditions … including Santa Claus.”

Megan stared at her, and Mrs. Worthington had a sudden image of Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street staring down her mother and saying, “He’s just a nice old man with whiskers, but he’s not really Santa Claus.” Megan’s eyes stared at her in the same disbelief as that young child star.

“That is not what you said, Mrs. Worthington,” she countered, shaking her head. “You told us to think about it and inferred it was too cold for Santa Claus to survive and that elves could not really build a facility for him to build his toys, therefore, ergo, there is no Santa Claus.”

Ergo! Ergo! Where do these children get their words? Maybe it was better she was retiring. These were not the same children she started with in 1975. These children surfed, texted, tweeted, Skyped, downloaded, and used words like ergo.

“Now, Megan, I did not say that,” she replied, smiling icily. ”Let’s not put words in my mouth.”

“Yes you did. You said that, Mrs. Worthington,” Josh chimed in. She glared at Josh Pataki, and he slumped down in his chair. She turned to Megan sitting at her desk with her hands clasped and her two pigtails sprouting like antenna. “Now, Megan, of course there is a Santa Claus. I was just pointing out that there are certain conditions we must be cognizant of and with global warming—”

“You didn’t say that, Mrs. Worthington. You said that elves couldn’t build the type of facility that Santa Claus required. I think what you are really saying is that you believe there is no Santa Claus.”

Mrs. Worthington stared at the child. This was the same one who corrected her explanation of the Internet, saying the Department of Defense had this capability much longer than people knew and the network had been in place for a long time except they didn’t want to release the technology to the general public. This walking science book was now boring down with her hard twenty-first century logic.

“Megan, that is not what I said.”

“Mrs. Worthington, you said, think about it, there are very hostile conditions in the North Pole and that a man in a red suit and a beard really couldn’t survive—”

“Megan, that is not what I said! There is a Santa Claus! He lives in the North Pole with his elves in a facility built by elves! I am retiring at the end of this year! There is a Santa Claus, and he will give me my pension and I WILL RETIRE!”

The fourth grade of Ridgeland Elementary stared at her. Megan tilted her head and squinted.

“I didn’t think Santa Claus gave financial products, Mrs. Worthington. Mrs. Worthington stared at Megan as the bell rang. She sat down behind her desk while the children put on their hats and gloves. She closed her eyes and felt the stare. Megan Kronenfeldt stood by her desk.

“Yes, Megan.”

“Mrs. Worthington, I thought pensions were regulated by the state. I’m not sure Santa Claus could provide you with one of those.”

“Believe me, Megan,” she said wearily, “he’s bringing me a pension.”

Megan rolled her small shoulders fitted to her purple backpack.

“Oh, well. He must have filed an exception then to state laws.”

Praise for Real Santa

STARRED REVIEW BOOKLIST

“If somebody doesn’t make a movie out of this book, there’s something wrong with the world. This could have been played as an out-and-out slapstick comedy, but instead the author approaches the story like a character study: a portrait of a man with the best intentions in the world watching those intentions collide with reality. It’s a steamroller of a story, starting small, with George’s idea, and getting bigger and bigger as George tries to put the elements together, as his obsession takes him further and further away from reality. Beautifully done.”
~David Pitts Booklist

“The author marries the everyday dramas found in the novels of Tom Perrotta and Nick Hornby to the high camp of Carl Hiaasen or Dave Barry. Adults looking for a funny holiday-themed tale that doesn’t lose its sense of wonder in the face of realism will find a treat here. A lovingly crafted comedy about the madness that fatherhood inspires.”
~Kirkus Reviews

Best-selling author Hazelgrove (e.g., Ripples; Tobacco Sticks) captures the human need to believe in something good. This book will satisfy readers looking for a happy Christmas story.
~Library Journal

“Hazelgrove’s lively improbable narrative will appeal to the readers in the mood for holiday fiction.”
~Publishers Weekly

Author William Hazelgrove

William Elliott Hazelgrove is the best-selling author of eight novels, Ripples, Tobacco Sticks, Mica Highways, Rocket Man, The Pitcher, Real Santa and the forthcoming Jackpine and The Pitcher 2. His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly,Kirkus and have been selected as Book of the Month Selections, Junior Library Guild Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications. He has been the subject of interviews in NPR’s All Things Considered along with features in The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Richmond Times Dispatch, USA Today, People, Channel 11, NBC, WBEZ, WGN. His most recent novel, The Pitcher is a Junior Library Guild Selection and was chosen Book of the Year by Books and Authors. net. His next book Jackpine will be out Spring 2014 with Koehler Books. A follow up novel Real Santa will be out fall of 2014.

He runs a political cultural blog, The View From Hemingway’s Attic.

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Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/29/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blast: Tears for a World by Alexander Fernandez

Tears for a World by Alexander Fernandez

The holy artifact bonded around Marisylia Malludar’s neck gives her incredible physical and magical powers—at a price. The bloody piece of vein is consuming Marisylia’s body inch by inch, her skeletal hands and feet only the beginning of a slow death. A cruel sorceress and her assassins are on the hunt for Marisylia to steal the artifact. Religious fanatics, volatile and unstable in their blind faith, also seek her to exploit the vein’s most dangerous purpose—liberating the erratic Creator of the World, Lysielle, from her 1,000 year incarceration. With the vein the key to Lysielle’s freedom, Marisylia must use her abilities to survive long enough to find Lysielle first. Then her most grim challenge awaits—deciding if the Creator has truly repented for attempting to destroy all life. To achieve global peace, Marisylia must discover faith in the unpredictable Lysielle or rely on her own instincts to set the world’s fate.

 Amazon

Excerpt:

Marisylia blinked and rubbed milk out of her eyes, but the mob wasn’t finished. A stiff hand shoved her from behind and she stumbled against the table. Unfinished slices of pie and rolls of bread pelted her.

With nowhere to hide, she dove into the horde and tried to shove her way out. Most of the people only yelled insults as they let her pass. Others bumped her roughly with their shoulders, tried to trip her, or pushed her around so she bounced back and forth between pairs of hands.

One woman caught Marisylia and carefully steadied her. She peered into the woman’s eyes, one friendly person amid the riled swarm. The lady smiled softly, then suddenly spit into Marisylia’s face.

When the saliva splattered her cheek, Marisylia stopped caring why the citizens acted like this. Whether due to fear of the religious power, worry that it would infest Three Fingers, or simply senseless anger, none of it mattered anymore since the time to quit had arrived.

All of her determination to succeed had been ripped to shreds by the crowd. Each hand that shoved, every object that struck, drained her enthusiasm. Her devotion to the religion had drowned in the woman’s spit. It was all too much. Marisylia didn’t have Milick’s iron skin or Shri Lilyn’s boldness.

She had nothing, only the desire to run away and forget everything.

Praise:

“This is a fantastic story, and the various characters will blow you away. It’s one of the best reads I’ve had in a long while.” ~ Author Trana M. Simmons

Author Alexander Fernandez

Alexander Fernandez was born in Santa Monica, CA and grew up in Rancho Cucamonga. Currently serving over 20 years in the United States Air Force, he lives with his wife Helem in Rocklin, CA.

Alex has been writing fantasy stories since early childhood for both school and for pleasure. He hopes to make a lasting emotional impact in his readers. He thrives in the exhilaration of creating memorable characters and adventures that become a part of the reader’s life.

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Book Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 12/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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