COVER REVEAL: One Last Adirondack Summer By Heidi Sprouse

One Last Adirondack Summer

By Heidi Sprouse

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

What do you do when your brother asks for one last Adirondack summer?

John Taylor and Tommy Jackman have been best friends since age eight, the day they made a blood brother pact to stick together through thick and thin. Every year since, they’ve spent their summers at John’s Adirondack camp, and gotten together whenever they can during the year.

Their pact will be put to the ultimate test when Tommy asks John to take him back to the lake to die. Without hesitation, John packs up Tommy and his beloved dog, Jasper, and drives his blood brother from Colorado to the Adirondack Mountains of New York.

It is the hardest thing John has ever done.

But the friends give each other a precious gift, the chance to share their lives one last time before Tommy no longer has a future. They remember all the firsts they shared: the first drink, the first smoke, the first night with a girl.

As Tommy’s life winds down, John holds on, blood brother scar against blood brother scar, until he realizes it’s not their last Adirondack summer. In this place, where they crossed the bridge from childhood to adulthood together, Thomas Michael Jackman will always be with him.

Take the journey with John and Tommy as they learn the grim lesson of how letting go can sometimes be the best way to hold on.

Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heidi.sprouse.1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/heidi_sprouse

Website: http://saltrunpub.com/heidi-sprouse/

BOOK BLITZ: Dark Harvest By Chris Patchell

Dark Harvest
By Chris Patchell

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

Becky Kincaid ventures out in the middle of a snowstorm to buy a car seat for her unborn baby and never makes it home. When a second pregnant woman disappears, Marissa Rooney and the team at the Holt Foundation fear a sinister motive lurks behind the crimes.

Lead investigator, Seth Crawford, desperately searches for the thread that binds the two cases together, knowing that if he fails, another woman will soon be gone. While Seth searches for clues, a madman has Marissa in his sights and she carries a secret that could tear her whole world apart.

Can Seth stop the killer before he reaps his… Dark Harvest

About the Author

Chris Patchell is the bestselling author of In the Dark and the Indie Reader Discovery Award winning novel Deadly Lies. Having recently given up her career in tech to pursue her passion for writing full-time, Chris resides in the Pacific Northwest with her family and two neurotic Yorkies. To learn more about Chris and her book, visit www.chrispatchell.com/. Join her on Facebook for book giveaways and more fun murder mysteries at www.facebook.com/authorchrispatchell.

TO PURCHASE ON AMAZON: 

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Harvest-Holt-Foundation-Story-ebook/dp/B06XK11GY4/

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree By Michael McLellan

In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree

By Michael McLellan
Genre: Historical Fiction

Henry was born into slavery; his young life spent working in tobacco drying sheds on Missouri plantations. Freed at the onset of the Civil War, he’s alone, starving, and on the run from Confederate militiamen.

Five years later, Clara Hanfield, the daughter of a powerful New York shipping magnate, escapes her tyrannical father and travels west in pursuit of John Elliot, the man she loves. John, a U.S. Army lieutenant, was sent to the Dakota Territory where he discovers a government conspiracy to incite an all-out war with the Indians; a war meant to finally eliminate them as an obstacle to the westward expansion.

Henry finds himself caught in the middle.

Aided by Clara, John, and his native ally, Standing Elk, Henry must battle hatred, greed, and the ghosts of his past during this turbulent and troubling time in American history. 

My Review:

I've had the pleasure of reading one of Michael McLellan's previous novels entitled American Flowers so knew something about how incredible a writer he is, but was wholly unprepared for the stunning impact of reading his newest novel In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree. This a powerful, dark, arresting, and at times, terrible historical fiction story of the newly emancipated slave Henry. He finds himself freed by his 'owner' after the end of the Civil War in Missouri. It then chronicles his plight in trying to traverse an entirely hostile environment, where there are no friends and absolutely no one he can trust. Rich in historical accuracy, complex and brutal in prose, and beautifully penned, McLellan captures a time and place and brings it into stark, uncompromising, and rigid tintype focus. A breathtaking and thought-provoking novel from start to finish, wonderfully packaged! I am proud to own a print copy of this fine book and encourage others to get one, as well. You will want this in your collection. A very strong five stars!

About the Author

Michael’s love of books began with Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle when he was seven-years-old. Later influenced by the works of John Steinbeck, Harper Lee, Stephen King, and Cormac McCarthy, Michael developed his style of storytelling. A self-proclaimed blue-collar writer, he draws on his experiences and observations to bring relevant and compelling topics to life. 

Michael lives in Northern California, and when he’s not writing, he can usually be found wandering around the Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges. 

His body of work includes the 2014 novel After and Again, the 2015 novel American Flowers, and the shorts Joe Price and Anywhere But Here. 

Links:

Author’s Website: http://michaelamclellan.com/
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelAMcLellanOfficial
On Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9802085.Michael_A_McLellan
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2qbjDYa

Publisher: Sweet Candy Press http://www.sweetcandydistro.com/sweet-candy-press-books.html

The author is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card! Enter below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Excerpt

“Of course it’s murder, you pampered little pup,” Picton hissed, his face only inches from John’s. “You’re even more naive than I first thought you to be. Did you really believe the seventy of us were going to roam the countryside engaging Indian war parties? Frank Picton’s seventy defeats five thousand bloodthirsty braves! How poetic. You are right about one thing: we’re not fighting a war, we are inciting one. Tell me something; do you have the slightest notion of how many Washington fortunes are invested in the western expansion?
In railroads and gold mines, and telegraphs, and cattle, and other ventures beyond counting?…No? Of course you don’t. We are going to finish what Colonel Chivington so ungracefully began. After we resupply we’re riding north into Sioux country to inflame the filthy savages even further. Then, soon, perhaps by this fall, when the heathens have lashed out sufficiently against more innocents, the public outrage will be such that they will be unable to decry the army for finally crushing the red vermin once and for all.”

He sighed and released John’s arm.

“The Indian and the white man will never be able to coexist. It’s been proven, time and again. Treaties fail and only delay the inevitable outcome. This land is ours now. It was ordained by God. Mark my words, John, ten years from now the Indian warrior will be nothing more than a fireside story told to frighten disobedient children.”



Praise for In the Shadow of the Hanging Tree

“The book uniquely conveys a story about the time in history; and at the same time, it feels like it is of the time in history. Imbued with plain, straightforward language, the writing cuts to the bones of the plot. It is a pleasure to read clean prose such as McLellan’s.” - Sarah Margolis Pearce, author of The Promise of Fate

“The author sends out a strong reminder of our past. “ – Chitra Iyer

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: On the Beach By Steve Schmale

On the Beach

By Steve Schmale

Genre: Literary Fiction

Lenny Decker is fleeing the American Dream while trying to comprehend its reasons and rules after being rattled from an exposure to its possibilities. Set in the mid-1990’s in a quiet California beach town, populated with a cast of unforgettable characters, and replete with examples of some of life’s crueler—yet hilarious—ironies, ‘On the Beach’ is story of what happens when one young man’s dreams bump up against reality.

About the Author

Steve Schmale is the author of the book of stories ‘Nobody Bats a Thousand’ and the novel ‘On the Beach’. He is a native of California where he still resides.

Links:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onthebeachanovel/

On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2p2BCyt

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2p2Ahr2

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: Snap to Grid By DK Reed

Snap to Grid

By DK Reed

Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy

Sixteen-year-old Red identifies with legendary warrioress, Red Sonja, as a coping mechanism for the difficulties of teen life with ADHD. But even her inner warrioress is a little nervous about moving into Uncle Alistair’s old mansion after seeing an eerily beautiful “Viking ghost” in an upstairs window shortly after his disappearance. And, she soon notices a crow acting strangely and feels like she is being watched. 

Uncle Alistair’s graduate student, Erik, trapped in a ghost-like state by means of one of the stones, can only watch her.  Unable to be seen or heard, he’s now more like an essence or spirit.  Though Red has never been popular, her heroic goodness lends to the beauty of her essence and Erik is quickly smitten.  He uses the limited tools available to try and reach her, including his crow friend, Moon.  But, will he get to her before the cult?  Can she solve the mystery and save him?

My Review:

Snap to Grid is the first book in the Stones of Bothynus series. Reed shows us that there are good stories to be found in the young adult genre. She brings mysteries and science to life in her debut novel. An interesting set of characters and a plot that keeps moving! Five stars!

About the Author

Reed grew up on a farm in the misty Clinch River valley of the Smoky Mountains. She now lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters (when they aren’t away at college), two dogs and two cats and loves to hike near the Potomac River. 

Reed loves the natural world both as a hiker and scientist and this figures heavily in her books.  She loves exploring the “what ifs” of science and tries to make the science fiction in her novels plausible and logical.  She has a doctorate in biology and has taught students from middle school to college.  She is an award-winning technical writer/editor and has co-authored/edited dozens of ecological risk assessments and other scientific books and articles.  While she views her work as an applied scientist as problem-solving fun, what she really loves is to explore imaginary worlds and share her intriguing stories. 

A few years ago, a serious illness caused her to look at her life afresh.  She decided to focus her time and attention more on spiritual growth and joyful living.  This led her to return to an earlier love, fiction writing—having fun with science. She spent the next few years honing her fiction writing skills and transitioning into her new career as a sci-fi-fantasy/supernatural romance writer.

"Life is better if you do what you love and share your joy with others.”

Links: 

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dkreedauthor/

Website: www.dkreed.com

On B&N: http://bit.ly/2nrHyl4
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nxi6MZ
On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2nrujRF

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: One Man's Spiritual Journey to Healing with Color Energy By Lee Hillberg

One Man's Spiritual Journey to Healing with Color Energy

By Lee Hillberg

Genre: Spiritual, Inspirational, Self-Help

Book Description

In this world, color is all around us, and it has the power to change our lives. Author Lee Hillberg has been using the healing properties of color to make a difference not only in his own life, but also in the lives of others. In this book, he shares some of his most moving and spiritual experiences. Readers will learn:

• How color affects their everyday lives

• How listening and paying attention to nature provides insight on the future

• How the application of color can be used to lift depression, shrink tumors, provide pain relief, and more

The techniques and advice given in this book have been frequently utilized by the author and could make a difference in readers’ lives as well. Hillberg is an ordained minister, has been a student of metaphysics and spirituality for many years, and is eager to help people using everything he has learned in any way he can. He is a self-professed naturalist, Native American historian, and lover of all parts of nature. Most importantly, he is passionate about harnessing the power of God’s creation to effect serious change in the world.

My Review:

Lee Hillberg's book One Man's Spiritual Journey to Healing with Color Energy was not only an inspirational self-exploration and self-help book, but also a wonderfully intriguing and solidly penned memoir of Lee's upbringing and path to enlightenment. This book also transcended conventional ideas of God-thought put into practice, and entered an arena of concept, focus, and application of a new interpretation and techniques that I had never even considered before. All to the good! I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this fine book, and it will be referred to again as I follow my own spiritual path. Highly recommended reading on a number of levels. Five stars.

About the Author

Lee Hillberg was born and raised in the Black Hills of South Dakota. After high school, he attended advanced-study programs at Dakota Wesleyan University, University of Chicago, and Duke University.

He spent four years in the US Air Force in national defense. Later, he established himself in the corporate world with a Fortune 500 company specializing in national security and commercial electronics. He travelled worldwide in this position and retired as a vice president in 1996.

Lee has always had a keen interest in nature, Native Americans, and spirituality. As a naturalist, he has a strong love for all of nature. As a Native American historian, he occasionally gives lectures on their culture at local venues. He has been a student of metaphysics and spirituality for a number of years and is now an ordained minister. He lectures and conducts energy healing and spirituality workshops. Lee now lives in a rural area of Georgia, enjoying his daily nature walks.

Links:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lee.hillberg

Website: leehillberg.com

On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nuEEyL

BookLogix Book Store: http://bit.ly/2nuQ45l

Excerpt

How do we interpret signs, omens, and messages? There have been many types, forms, and expressions dating back to the biblical era. There is one we can all use. It is the art of naturespeak.

We all have gifts. We do not all have the same gifts. But, we all receive messages from nature because we are a part of nature. Learning to read the signs and messages from nature is easy and rewarding. Let’s examine intuition first. You must be relaxed and in a spiritual state, quiet and observant. Meditation and prayer are excellent for receiving intuitive messages. When you receive an intuitive message, it is critical to not question it. Just receive and believe. You should also be aware that Spirit will give us information in more than one form and usually more than one time. I believe we are given messages at least three times and in different forms or methods. So, when receiving intuitive messages, be conscious of what else you receive: a color, fragrance, sound, vision, etc. With practice, receiving intuitive messages will become easier and you will have no question as to what you are receiving. Other related help or assistance can come from totems, animals, and birds. Intuitive messages and divine guidance in other forms are helpful and supportive in our daily lives.

Connecting with Spirit is easier while being one with nature. Being calm, relaxed, peaceful, and open to what may present itself is the ideal mindset. Feel the power of nature. Be reverent and respectful of it. Remain positive and be patient. Remember, nature has tremendous healing powers and wants to share all of it with you.