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I do not read every book/author I spotlight or book tour I host!
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Monday, January 14, 2013

VBT - David LeRoy & The Siren of Paris!

Good Morning Friends,

It is my pleasure to bring to you a virtual book tour from Nikki Leigh Promo 101 Promotional Services!

Please join me in welcoming David LeRoy with his debut novel, The Siren of Paris!


About David LeRoy:
A Native of California, David received a BA in Philosophy and Religion at Point Loma Nazarene College in San Diego. The degree served him well while selling women’s shoes, waiting tables, or working odd jobs after college until settling in the field of telecommunications, where he has worked for the past 18 years. Early on, he demonstrated artistic abilities. For many years, David marketed a line of fine art photographic prints through various galleries and retail outlets.
In the past few years, his focus has shifted to painting and drawing, which included the development of a children’s e-book in the Apple Itunes store under “David Tribble” title “Lord of the Scribes.”
After returning from a European arts study program, he became interested in the history behind the French Resistance during World War Two. Writing fiction has become his latest way to explore philosophical, moral and emotional issues of life.The Siren of Paris is his first novel.

Upon Marc’s death, he finds himself in the company of ghosts trapped in limbo, reliving his experiences in World War II. He must revisit his past and answer one question successfully before passing into eternal peace. The reader is transported to World War II-era France. In 1939, 20-year-old Marc Tolbert has reached a turning point in his life. He abandons his plans of going to medical school to study art in Paris, which is the place of his birth. As he boards a ship and heads to France, he chooses to ignore signs that Europe -- along with the rest of the world -- is on the brink of an especially devastating war.

When he arrives at l'École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, more ominous signs surface. There are windows covered with tape, sandbags shielding the fronts of important buildings, whispers of Parisian children leaving the city, and gas masks being distributed. Marc has a long journey ahead of him. He witnesses, first-hand, the fall of Paris and the departure of the French government. Employed by an ambassador Bullitt, a friend of his family, he visits heads of state, including the horribly obese gray-haired Mussolini and the charismatic Hitler. He witnesses the effects of the tightening vise of occupation, first-hand, as he tries to escape the country. He also participates in the French resistance, betrayed, spends time in prison camps, and sees the liberation of the concentration camps.

This is a blend of carefully researched historical fiction and a spiritual journey inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead. It includes many actual historical figures and events, including Ambassador Bullitt, Sumner Wells, Sylvia Beach, Jacques Lusseyran, and Joan Rodes, known as the Angel of Saint-Nazaire. It is both a realistic novel of a civilian caught in a brutal war, and working with the French resistance, and a story of a man seeking release from a past that never goes away.

Excerpt: 

      Marc lay in the back of the truck with the others from the YMCA, along with some British soldiers and a few employees of a Belgian aircraft company. It was about 1 a.m. and though they had been traveling for hours, they were not yet ready to bed for the night. And they were not alone. All along the valley road were others still on the move. Everyone seemed to be going someplace, anyplace, wherever they could get in a hurry, with a great determination. “I am really looking forward to getting out of France. When I get home, I am going to go straight to Elizabeth’s house and spend the night. I have not been able to write her for two weeks. She probably thinks I am dead,” Allen said to Marc. Marc stirred from his self-loathing mood. He played over and over in his head the number of times he could’ve left France. He resented himself for staying too long, just for Marie. He even doubted the sincerity of the promise of engagement. 
     “How long have you been together?” Marc asked.
     “Two years now,” Allen said, looking up at the stars. Marc could see his mother, father and sister in his mind’s eye. Sadness washed over him as he remembered how Marie had promised to make him dinner this night. 
     “I am twenty-one, now,” Marc said, more as an afterthought. 
     “Really? Well, cheers to that, my friend. Bet you will never forget this birthday, will you?” Allen said. 
     “No, I don’t believe I will,” Marc said as they drove toward Saint-Nazaire. “Marie and I are engaged,” he then said. 
     “What? When? You never said anything,” Allen said, looking directly at Marc. 
     “I know. It is just a promise for after the war. We were not going to tell anyone,” Marc said next. “It probably means nothing.” 
     The truck then pulled off the road and the officer driving it said, “Let’s sack down for the night, but someplace off the road away from the truck just in case.” 
     “Marc, don’t say that,” Allen said, surprised by his friend’s attitude. “You’ve been in a mood for a while now. Are you stewing?”     
     “What do you mean?” Marc said as he climbed from the truck. He and Allen began walking away from the road with the others. 
     “You’ve been in a mood since the bear hit you,” Allen said cautiously. “You think too much.”
     “What does that mean? The little shit knocked the wind out of me, Allen.” 
     “That little shit rides a motorcycle, Marc.” Marc turned toward Allen. “While you were analyzing the entire situation, trying to make the best decision, that bear knew it needed to run for its life.” Marc sat on the ground with the others gathering to bed down for the night. Allen looked closely at Marc. “Are you feeling okay?” 
     Marc looked up, tears in his eyes. He laughed to himself and said, “I can’t even ride a motorcycle. You’re right, Allen,” he continued laughing while others looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “The bear did put me in a bad mood.” 
     “He needs some rest,” Sister Clayton said as she passed with the little Belgian boy and his sister and their two dogs. “He is going slaphappy from the strain.

Watch the book video HERE!
You can purchase The Siren of Paris from Amazon -- http://www.amazon.com/The-Siren-Paris-David-LeRoy/dp/0983966710/ref=tmm_pap_title_0 

For more information about this virtual book tour, please visit -- http://bookpromotionservices.com/2012/05/22/siren-of-paris-tour/

Well folks, I hope you've enjoyed this VBT- stay tuned for more great things to come in 2013!
PamT

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

KCW Blog Tour - Anita Highman's Texas Wildflowers


Texas Wildflowers

"A romance assortment of petits fours, and as dreamy sweet."
—Harold Wolf






Author: Anita Higman
Retail: $7.99
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Barbour Pub.
Release: November 1, 2012
ISBN-10: 1616265957
ISBN-13: 978-1616265953

Chapter One:
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/137142510/TexasWildflowers_ChapterOne


From the Back of the Book:
The four McBride sisters risk their hearts for love in the islands, canyons, mountains and bayous of Texas.

Deserted at the altar, a devastated Rosy McBride heads back to Galveston Island and begins working at her mother’s scrapbooking business. Will spending time with Larson Brookfield help mend her broken heart, or will she merely wind up pasting away?

Christian counselor Lily McBride relies on her quirky common sense and God’s wisdom to help her clients. Will she be successful at her new career or break the most solemn of counselor/patient vows by falling for the handsome, eccentric, and impossibly irresistible Rubin McCall while hiking the Palo Dura Canyon?

In the mountain town of Alpine, Violet McBride owns Romantic Images, a business that teaches people how to live romantically. Will Morgan Jones, a geek she meets online, show her the real meaning of romance and the art of love?

Heather McBride’s picture-perfect life has unraveled in the bayou. Will the free-spirited Evan Finch not only reawaken her artistic passion but also give her the courage to fall in love—without her day-planner?

Will God help give these women the pluck to love the least likely of soul mates?



An Interview with Anita:

Tell us a bit about Texas Wildflowers.
Texas Wildflowers is a 4-in-1 novella collection through Barbour Publishing. Each novella is set in an exotic location in Texas. They are lighthearted romances, and they’re all tied together with the four McBride sisters.

Which of the four novellas was the most fun to write?
They were each fun to write in their own way, but my favorite character was Lily, the counselor, in Forget Me Not Lily. She was quirky and fun, relatable and loveable. At least that’s what I hope readers will feel.

All these novellas are set in Texas. Are the towns and parks real?
Yes, in fact one of the novellas is set in Big Bend National Park, where my husband and I went on vacation. So, when you read about the characters on certain trails, they’re real, and we hiked them!

Did you have a favorite book when you were a child?I loved fairytales. Cinderella was my favorite.

Do you have a vacation spot you’d love to visit?
I’m dreaming of Ireland. My husband and I plan to travel there next summer. Can’t wait! Then I’m going to use the emerald isle as a setting in one of my novels.

What are 5 things that your readers might not know about you?

  1. While I was in college I tried working in a pillow factory. I was terrible at it. I got so weary with the repetition I started yakking with the woman next to me. We got reprimanded over and over until I quit. I discovered one thing from that college job—talking is something I excel at.
  2. I once won a hog-calling contest at a banquet. I was not embarrassed, but I should have been.
  3. I have a bird phobia, and yet I love birds! (That is, from a distance.) My house is filled with the fake kind—prints on the walls, statues, and general bird doodads. Go figure.
  4. I keep some interesting treasures near me when I write—a wooden jewelry box my son made me when he was in school, a candle from the 1960s, a hat once owned by a famous mystery writer, the inner parts of a music box, a birthday card that plays The Twilight Zone theme song, and an old family toy helicopter that says, “Going up.”
  5. Thirty-four years ago I rappelled off a cliff alongside the man I was dating. We kissed in mid-air while dangling off that cliff. I ended up marrying that man, and we've celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary!

What awards have you won?
I’ve won two book awards. One of my co-authored books entitled, A Tribute to Early Texas, won a San Antonio Conservation Society Citation as well as a Westerners International Book Award. Also, I was given three honors by readers: I was a Favorite New Author in the 15th Annual Heartsong Presents Awards, and my co-authored novel, Castles in the Air, was a Favorite Contemporary Romance in the 16th Annual Heartsong Presents Awards. My most recent award is a 2011 RWA Readers Choice Award (first place) for my novella, Once Upon a Christmas Eve.

When readers finish the last page of Texas Wildflowers, what do you want them to come away with?
I would love for them to be inspired, challenged, and entertained. If I accomplished even one of those things I would feel my writing time wasn’t wasted.

Where can your readers connect with you online?
Please drop by my website at www.anitahigman.com, or visit my Reader Page on Facebook and chat with me there at http://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorAnitaHigman.


About the Author:
Bestselling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has thirty-two books published (several coauthored) for adults and children. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA degree, combining speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, exotic teas, and brunch with her friends. Please visit her online at www.anitahigman.com.

Giveaway:
Every blog that gets comments from at least 10 different commenters (besides the author and the blog tour host) will offer a free book to one of the commenters. Be sure to tell your friends to come read this blog and leave a comment! Share on facebook, twitter, linked-in or wherever you hang out!