Sunday, December 20, 2015

25 Days of Christmas Blog Tour







Blurb: New Edition of “Collection of 25 Days of Christmas Poetry” A family book of poems with a special touch of Christmas joy, cheer and Christ.




















Review
This is a must read for the Holiday season! I enjoy all the different kinds of Christmas point of views. There's poems about family, snow, music, gifts, God, fun, food, toys, Christmas Tress, Winter, and just all around the Holiday times itself. I enjoy the lightness of this book. This book would make great gift to all reads. A great way to kick of the Christmas time of year! So get yourself some hot coco, cookies and get ready for a sweet holiday poetry! 




Excerpt:
Winter
Quiet, soft tender sounds
Crackling fireplaces
Warm blankets
Sleepy afternoons
Snow falling so peaceful
Winter is here

Homemade soups
Fill the tummies
Sweet smell of yummy desserts
Christmas in the air
Lights of sorted colors

Family, friends and loved ones
Hugs and kisses
Laughter and love
Smiling faces
Pretty wrapped presents
Underneath the Christmas tree

Baby Jesus
Shepherds travel
Near and far
North Star lighting
The nightly sky
Remember

Christ this season!

Bio
Jeniann Bowers was born in Whitefish, Montana in 1972. She was raised in Eureka, Montana most of her younger years. She was the youngest of four children and is the only surviving girl. Jeniann attended Rexford Elementary School her kindergarten year and the following year she transferred to Eureka Elementary School where she graduated from the eighth grade in 1987. She attended Lincoln County High School until her junior year when she moved from Eureka to Medford, Oregon with her mother and stepfather. Her mother passed away in January 1991, and Jeniann soon got married and started a family. She was married for 21 years and had five children. She lost a daughter to SIDS in March 1994. Jeniann has recently become divorced and is raising her two boys with her daughter's help. Jeniann's youngest son suffers from Autism. J. also suffers from her own disabilities of Fibromyalgia, physical chronic pain, neuropathy, chronic depression and anxiety.
Jeniann attended college at Capella University throughout most of her writing career. She made both the President's and Dean's list for outstanding academic achievements.
Jeniann is published poetess. Her books have been in the top ten bestselling list on Amazon in the past and her current ratings stand at 4.5. She has published the following books: Expressions on Life Book One, Expressions and Letters, Phraseology and Letters, Collection of 25 Days of Christmas Poetry, Poems, Dreams & More, Poetry Is...???, Poetry: The Lighter Side of Silliness, The Sound of Nature: Collected Poems & Other Writings and soon to be released Fragments, and the re-release of Expressions, and Phraseology of Love, 25 Days of Christmas Poetry.
Jeniann is the owner of Poetry is...which is a blogging business of her own personal poetry, teachings of poetry, journals and other writings. Jeniann is a firm advocate for poetry publishing and writing poetry.
Email Address: poetryis@hotmail.com
Poetry is... - Blogger
Poet J. Bowers - Facebook
Poet J. Bowers -Twitter
@_JBowers
Poet J. Bowers - Goodreads Author




Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Expressions & Phraseology of Love Book Blog Tour


Blurb: My poetry has been an escape from the harsh reality of tragedy, loneliness, dark and scary times in my life. My thoughts, feelings and emotions that are expressed through my poems speak of who I am and where I came from being a young girl growing up in the mountains of Montana to facing death in the face for the first time when I was 10. My losses have been great, my sorrow has been huge, loneliness has been my friend and lover, but in the end I have conquered and survived. I stand tall, proud and happy today.







Excerpt:
A child’s touch
A child’s hand,
Inside of his mother’s hand,
Sweet kisses,
Upon the cheek,

God’s garden,
Full of love,
Jesus’ strength,
To save thee little one

Mother’s glory,
Her child’s smile,
To hear the laughter,
To wipe away the tears,

God’s garden,
Full of love,
Jesus’ strength,
To save thee little one



Blurb:
Live simply
                                          Dream big
                                                            Be grateful
                                          Give love
                                                            Laugh lots
Live as easy as possible,
         Less worries,
Dream and dream BIG,   
                                   Jump for the stars and never stop


Gratefulness is the gift Jesus gave us on the cross, and for us to be grateful for Him and everything we have in life….

LOVE is the mystery of the world,
                   Nobody has the correct answers
                               So stop searching for them


Excerpt:
Live, laugh, love
  Life is for you
Live it well
     Laugh with friends
Love is in your palm
Love, grasp it and never let it go









Bio:  J. Bowers was born in Whitefish, Montana in 1972. She was raised in Eureka, Montana most of her younger years. She was the youngest of four children and is the only surviving girl. J. attended Rexford Elementary School her kindergarten year and the following year she transferred to Eureka Elementary School where she graduated from the eighth grade in 1987. She attended Lincoln County High School until her junior year when she moved from Eureka to Medford, Oregon with her mother and stepfather. Her mother passed away in January 1991, and J. soon got married and started a family. She was married for 21 years and had five children. She lost a daughter to SIDS in March 1994. J. has recently become divorced and is raising her two boys with her daughter's help. J.'s youngest son suffers from Autism. J. also suffers from her own disabilities of Fibromyalgia, physical chronic pain, neuropathy, chronic depression and anxiety.
J. was a student at Capella University throughout her writing career when her health permitted her too. She made both the President's and Dean's list for outstanding academic achievements.
J. is published poetess. Her books have been in the top ten bestselling list on Amazon in the past and her current ratings stand at 4.5. She has published the following books: Expressions on Life Book One, Expressions and Letters, Phraseology and Letters, Collection of 25 Days of Christmas Poetry, Poems, Dreams & More, Poetry Is...???, Poetry: The Lighter Side of Silliness, The Sound of Nature: Collected Poems & Other Writings and soon to be released Fragments, and the re-release of Expressions, and Phraseology of Love, 25 Days of Christmas Poetry.
J. is the owner of Poetry is...which is a blogging business of her own personal poetry, teachings of poetry, journals and other writings. J. is a firm advocate for poetry publishing and writing poetry.

J.'s Contact Information:
Email Address: poetryis@hotmail.com
Poetry is... - Blogger
Poet J. Bowers - Facebook
Poet J. Bowers -Twitter
@_JBowers
Poet J. Bowers - Goodreads Author

Sunday, December 13, 2015

The Black Eagles Blog Tour






 

The rise of the Black Eagles was meteoric, from band practice in the garage to global stars almost overnight. And Melissa Webb, the beautiful girlfriend of the front man, appeared to have it all. But when Luke Black disappears without a trace and Melissa wakes up in a hospital bed after a savage attack, her perfect world is shattered and their lives are plunged into a potentially deadly crisis. Where is Luke, and can he be found before it is too late?





 


The Black Eagles and their loved ones try to recover from the traumatic events that have beset the band, starting to piece together their lives while trying to make sense of everything that happened to them. How can they trust again, after so much betrayal? As they begin a collective healing process, they find that the future has more demons in store for them. 
At the centre of it all are Luke and Melissa, only just starting to put their lives back together. As they embark on new adventures, old enemies may not be ready to let them forget.



Kat Green was born Nov 1979 into a military family and moved around a lot during her childhood. This shaped her into the person she is today. She is at ease with meeting new people and adapting to new surroundings. Her family roots are from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. Kat now lives with her husband and son on the south coast of England, Portsmouth. She doesn't pretend to be the best and is still growing as a writer and having fun along the way. She loves books and has a busy imagination. Her love for music plays a big part in her first novel called Strings. Kat loves to watch live bands and can usually be found at gigs around the UK. In 2010 she lost her mother to blood cancer and it was time to put her words on a page and stop worrying about what people might say 'Life is too short and precious to waste' is her motto. Writing is her passion and her escape.





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Character Interview



Q1: How old were you when you started playing guitar?
LB: I was Twelve.  My mum gave me Chloe my acoustic guitar on my twelve birthday. That guitar is like another best friend, if anything ever happened to her it would be tragic.  I would sulk for weeks.  I have poured my heart out with her, wrote many a song with that guitar. It’s like a limb that is a part of me. It would hurt to lose her.

Q2: What was the first song that you wrote? And, Why?
LB: Pink Ribbons was my first song. It was written about a girl called Chloe who was my first real friend. We meet when we were 5; even then I had an eye for the girls. (Luke laughs, but then frowns.)  She died in a house fire on her seventh birthday, her death impacted on me so much. I was 7 years old and I didn’t understand it. How could she be gone? I had all these things I wanted to say and I didn’t know how to. So I didn’t and I locked her away, buried the pain. The guitar came along and suddenly I found an outlet. Turns out, I’m pretty good at it. It was the only way I could move on and accept it. Writing songs is how I cope with bad things in a positive way.  Hence naming my Guitar. That is my way of saying that I have never forgotten her and I never will.

Q3: If you were not in a band or doing anything music related. What job would you be doing?
LB: I would still be working in a petrol station, dying of boredom. I try not to think about it. I’m doing the only thing I want to do and have any skill in and it’s the best thing in the world. I’m the happiest person in the world when I’m on stage.

Q4: What was it like to go from playing to 20 people in a pub to what you’re doing now?
LB: Mind blowing, insane and I am still in shock. Everyone dreams of it but not everyone gets it. I am so thankful for every fan we have, we have some incredible fans. Some have been with us from the very start. Some have become friends. It’s nice and I will never take them for granted.

Q5: What song is your favourite to perform?
LB:  That’s easy ‘Weekend High’ I wrote that when I was twenty after a really bad relationship. It wasn’t really a relationship but at the time I didn’t see it.  It was just convenience and there was no love there we argued more than anything else.  I love the fact the fans go insane to it. My work is done and it’s what I set out to achieve.

Q6: Which song don’t you like?
LB: Hmmm.. I don’t really dislike any but I guess ‘Just another day wishing’ I think it’s quite slow for us and I sound like such a moaning old git. I was quite down when I wrote that. I don’t mind it but none of us really get excited about playing it. We drop it from sets sometimes, if I’m in a bad mood and I don’t want to do it, I won’t. Not a good song for me if I’m in a strop already. We get away with it as it isn’t a fan fave, some seemed to like it but not everyone. My mum loves it.

Q7: Which gig has been your favorite so far?
LB: That is harder to answer because every gig is amazing for all kinds of reasons. I don’t think it would be fair to choose one. That is like saying to one set of fans ‘Oh you were great’ and make other fans feel like you didn’t enjoy their show.  For sentimental reasons our third gig at Ruby’s back home will always be special. I meet my girlfriend there and it was what changed everything for me and us as a band.

Q9: There is story at the moment saying you proposed to Melissa? True or False?
LB: What? News to me. No, not true. She’s amazing though, one day, maybe. Right now I’m concentrating on my career and she is so supportive.

Q8: It’s a Saturday night and you’re not on tour. What would you be doing?
LB: I don’t see my girlfriend very much so we would either be catching up at home. (Luke winks and laughs) or I would be writing new material. I don’t really have spare time. I feel like I always have something to work on, or prepare for. When I’m on tour that is my party time, and when I’m home I calm it down a bit.

Q9: Who is your best friend?
LB: My band are my best mates but the ultimate title goes to Dale. He’s always there for me even when I’m being a dick, we’ve know each other for about 100 years. He’s a fucking ace best friend and he’s not a bad guitarist either.

Q10: What would you like to say to your fans about the gossip that surrounds you?
LB: That most of it is complete and utter Bollocks. If you haven’t heard it from me the chances are it isn’t true.  Just to clarify the latest story. The band is not splitting up. My girlfriend isn’t sleeping with my drummer, doesn’t have a drink problem and isn’t pregnant. and I haven’t proposed. Amazes me how many lies fly around.  I don’t care what they write about me as I’m really not that bothered by it.  I do care when my girlfriend is sobbing because people are calling her all kinds of things in the street or online over lies.

Q11: What annoys you about being in the limelight?
LB:  Just people’s need to lie. Write the truth or don’t bother. If people want to know something just ask me. I’ve no problem with having a chat but don’t make stuff up or I will pull you on it. I’m not scared of standing up for myself. Be warned.

Q12: Do you have any regrets?
LB: Yes. I would rather not say as it’s something that is causing me issues currently and I wish I could turn the clocks back so I never meet this person.  That’s all I’m willing to say.

Q13: What would you say annoys others about you?
LB: I’m a perfectionist. I drive everyone mad at times. We could have completely nailed a song but I will be thinking about making it better. I worry about things more than the others. There have been times where I’m trying to change a set list minutes before a show and that winds people up.

Q14: Would you change anything about the band?
LB: Hell no! We’re in a good place and there’s nobody else I would consider doing this with. They are my best mates and we have a laugh and without them I would be nowhere. Anyway, I don’t think anyone else would put up with me.

Q15: You have 48 hours to live. What would you do?
LB: I would put on the biggest show and say goodbye to my fans before spending whatever time I have left with the people I love. Hopefully write a song that will go down in history so I live on forever. Have a massive party and go out with a smile on face.



Teaser 1


She felt as though they were never going to let her recover in private – the vultures were already circling, and picking for information as to what had happened. Jean had dodged two of them as she’d come into the hospital and that wasn’t even the beginning. There would be more – lots more. She wanted to scream at them to leave her daughter alone, but what would be the point? She was an intelligent woman and she knew that the lifestyle Melissa and Luke had chosen came at a price. But surely there had to be a limit? Apparently, her broken and terrified daughter was even more exciting to them than she was before. It was just another scoop for them to sell their trash, she thought. They didn’t care that two families and their friends were going through a terrible time, which would only get worse if he didn’t return. Millions of fans around the world waited to discover the fate of their idol. But to Melissa he was her boyfriend, her soul mate, her world.




Melissa went deathly white and the sound that came from within her made her parents jump; it was like an animal being tortured. She was hysterical, and had to be restrained as she threw herself on the floor screaming for Luke. Her parents struggled with her, begging her to calm down but she had snapped. Everything she had been subjected to rushed to the surface and boiled over. She was unable to control herself any more.

Her medical team rushed in and quickly assessed the situation. Due to her state of mind, they decided that sedation was the only way to calm her down and prevent her from causing herself harm.

‘Do it, doctor – now!’ Jean yelled as she struggled to hold her broken daughter.



Teaser 2

‘You look beautiful, as always.’ She barely had to try, he thought.

He was in his usual dark blue jeans and black hoody.

‘Do I look fat?’ she asked.

‘Shut up and stop fishing for compliments!’ he joked, but she pulled a sad face.

‘Of course you don’t!’

‘That’s the right answer.’

‘I’ve something for you too, to bring you luck today.’ She opened her travel bag and pulled out a small package.

‘You didn’t have to. It’s your birthday, not mine!’

She waved his protest away; it was a big day for him, and she felt that it would be right to give him a gift too. It was a brown leather cuff which she’d seen in a music shop. She’d thought it would suit him and look good while he played. She placed it on his wrist carefully, winding the strap around several times so there were three layers, then fastened the small silver buckle at the side to secure it.

‘It’s great – thanks, babe,’ he said gratefully as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Even though he tried to hide it, she could tell he was nervous.

‘Play for me – don’t worry about anyone else,’ she whispered. The next few words came out of her mouth without her even thinking, ‘I love you ...’ She immediately realised that this was a big moment because they hadn’t said it to each other before, even though everyone else could see they were head over heels in love. She held her breath, waiting for him to react, hoping he felt the same. It hadn’t been planned, and she’d surprised herself as well as him, but desperately hoped she hadn’t picked the wrong moment or said it too soon and scared him off.


Teaser 3

The shouting had stopped, and Ray was relieved. He stood outside the door, ready to go in if he had to. The others were either in their rooms or in the bar, keeping well out of the way. As Ray heard their angry shouts die down and then turn into passionate moans, he realised that all was well again in Paradise, and he quickly scuttled off before he heard something that might give him nightmares.

Toby was just heading back from the bar and raised an eyebrow at his manager. ‘Ah, the making-up stage. That took longer than I thought. Damn, I owe Tom a tenner now,’ he laughed then banged on Luke’s door.

‘You owe me a tenner, Black, you slag,’ then headed back to the bar, laughing loudly and knowing they had plenty of time to chill out. Those two weren’t going anywhere for a while.














Saturday, December 12, 2015

Blog Tour Next Door To A Star


NEXT DOOR TO A STAR by Krysten Lindsay Hager
Genre: Young Adult
SYNOPSIS
Hadley Daniels is tired of feeling invisible.
After Hadley’s best friend moves away and she gets on the bad side of some girls at school, she goes to spend the summer with her grandparents in the Lake Michigan resort town of Grand Haven. Her next door neighbor is none other than teen TV star Simone Hendrickson, who is everything Hadley longs to be—pretty, popular, and famous—and she’s thrilled when Simone treats her like a friend.
Being popular is a lot harder than it looks.
It’s fun and flattering when Simone includes her in her circle, though Hadley is puzzled about why her new friend refuses to discuss her former Hollywood life. Caught up with Simone, Hadley finds herself ignoring her quiet, steadfast friend, Charlotte.
To make things even more complicated, along comes Nick Jenkins…
He’s sweet, good-looking, and Hadley can be herself around him without all the fake drama. However, the mean girls have other ideas and they fill Nick’s head with lies about Hadley, sending him running back to his ex-girlfriend and leaving Hadley heartbroken.
So when her parents decide to relocate to Grand Haven, Hadley hopes things will change when school starts…only to be disappointed once again.
Cliques. Back-stabbing. Love gone bad.
Is this really what it’s like to live…Next Door To A Star?

Links




Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnLXsu2c43k
 Bio: Krysten Lindsay Hager is an obsessive reader and has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and humor essayist, and writes for teens, tweens, and adults. She is the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series and the new Star Series and her work has been featured in USA Today and named as Amazon’s #1 Hot New Releases in Teen & Young Adult Values and Virtues Fiction and Amazon’s #1 Hot New Releases in Children’s Books on Values. Krysten writes about  friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image in True Colors and Best Friends…Forever? as well as in, Next Door to a Star. The sequel to Next Door to a Star (Competing with the Star: Star Series: Book 2) will be out March 22nd and the 3rd book in the Landry’s True Colors Series (Landry in Like: Book 3) will be out January 12th.
She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in southwestern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint.


Top Ten Favorite Songs:
10. I Don’t Care by Cheryl Cole: It’s the song I put on when someone or something has upset me and I have to take a moment to step back and realize I don’t care about what anyone else thinks and how they react to me or my life. It’s a very freeing and liberating song.
9. Feelin’ So Good by Jennifer Lopez: This video for this song represents a time in my life when I was in grad school and I love watching the video and reminiscing. This is probably why I’m having trouble cleaning out my closet with all the J.Lo clothes from back then in it!
8. Fight Song by Rachel Platten: This song represents every moment where I had to keep pushing and keep going when other people thought I should just stay with a “safe job.” I had a lot of people who thought I was crazy to keep pursuing a writing career because it’s such a shot in the dark. I look back at old journals of mine and can see who had no faith in me. It’s sobering.
7. I Look to You by Whitney Houston: I started listening to this one a few years ago when I lost a friend and a cousin around the same time. This is also a song I would play during the time my dad was going through an illness. I actually played it for him in the hospital and it was so weird—the lyrics which had always made me think it was a narrative for me, suddenly sounded like what my dad was going through himself. It’s one of those songs where you have nothing left and you turn to God for strength.
6. Change Your Mind by Boyce Avenue: I swear this song is my soundtrack for so many of the breakup/love-gone-bad bad relationships scenes I write.
5. Healer by Kari Jobe: If I’m upset or not feeling well, I play this one on repeat and it always calms me down. My friend Melissa sent me the video for it when I was having a hard time years ago and it was the perfect song at just the right moment.
4. Mama Do by Pixie Lott: They used to play this video all the time when I lived in Portugal and I loved it then and love it now.
3. I Need You Tonight by Professor Green featuring Ed Drewett : Take the INXS song and add an English rapper to it. Magic.  
2. That’s Life by Frank Sinatra: This one felt like my theme song when I lived overseas. It’s funny because there’s a line in the song that basically says if nothing happens by July, you’re going roll up and die, and I kept saying, watch me find out something major in July. Sure enough, July  that year I found out I was moving back to the U.S.
1. Breathe (2 AM) Anna Nalick: it just sums up how you feel in those early morning hours when you’re writing in your journal uninhibited.
Facts About Next Door to a Star
The idea for the book came from situations I observed back in my school days. I couldn’t understand why some girls let their “friends” treat them the way they did. Hadley isn’t based on me, but rather on a lot of things I witnessed that made an impression on me.
The Pilar character is a mix of both a mean girl and a victim of a mean girl. In the next book, Competing with the Star, you’ll learn more about Pilar and why she acts the way she does.
The first time I saw the show, “Girl Meets World,” I thought that Lucas (Peyton Meyer) looked exactly like how I pictured Nick Jenkins in my mind.
When I saw my cover, I just gasped because the cover model is the perfect Hadley. Hats off to Ashley Byland of Redbird Designs for getting that so right.
I went to Grand Haven almost every summer as a kid and teen and made several research trips, too. There’s nothing like walking the pier imagining the characters with you. I have tons of pictures—I even have the picture of the alley where Asia and Hadley see their rock star crush, Jack Brogger.
There’s a scene where Nick walks Hadley and her friends home early from a party even though it means he has to leave himself. It’s based on something that happened when I was in high school and a guy left a football game early to walk me and my friend to her brother’s car which was parked far away. I thought it was the sweetest thing and never forgot that.
When I was writing the book, I pictured Grace Kelly as Aunt Faith.
People ask me who Charlotte’s grandpa was based on and honestly I imagine a comic book strip character when I write his scenes—he looks like Ralph from Crankshaft. Oddly, I got to meet the creator of Crankshaft last spring at a writing event. I hadn’t signed the contract for Next Door to a Star at that point though, but we did talk about Ralph because I liked the storyline he did with Ralph and his wife’s dementia.
The idea for Hadley’s rock star crush came from my decades long crush on George Michael. I used the last name “Brogger” for him because that was a nickname my grandpa’s coworkers gave him.
Simone and Hadley do movie marathons of Josh Haven, but who was my Josh Haven? Well, when I was in grade school it was…Charlie Sheen. Yup, my cousin Anne and I did a movie marathon of Charlie Sheen films. Her mom even rented, “Heidi,” for us and we fast-forwarded through every scene Charlie wasn’t in. You might be thinking about the “Two and a Half Men” show right now, but let me just say, “Wall Street.” Google it, see Charlie’s beauty, and then ask yourself why my uncle would think that was an appropriate movie for a 10 year old to watch.