Self-published Spotlight, my new feature, is booming! This is my effort to help self-published/indie authors share their books with others. Next in the spotlight, Sue Clancy! Check out cover art, descriptions, and more for her children’s books “How the Cow Went Over the Moon and “Tiny Notes to the Sun.”
ABOUT THE BOOK
A cow goes around the moon in a self-produced bubble of gas and somehow comes back to Earth in this wordless fable.
Also, a farsighted bird forgets the morning sun song and in this wordless poem finds a way to read sheet music and welcome the day.
It could be said that this book fits into the educational literary genre of “mirrors for princes” with its sage advice to not take bubbles of gas very seriously along with its suggestion to learn to sing, or at least read sheet music and pretend to sing outdoors now and then.
There aren’t many words in this book. It’s mostly artwork. So, who knows if this is advice literature after all. It’s probably just meant to be funny.
HOW TO PURCHASE
You can purchase the books from Sue’s website by clicking the photo above or at this link here.
You can also read the ebook versions separately on Storyberries for How The Cow Went Over the Moon and Tiny Notes to the Sun. The ebooks on Storyberries are free, but there is an option to support the author if you wish to do so.
Be sure and peruse Sue’s website while you are there. She has a lot of other books and wonderful artwork!
Self-published spotlight is my effort to highlight indie authors and share their work with you. Next, Brett Salter is in the Spotlight. He has just released the fifth book in his Talisman series entitled Desperate Tides, Desperate Measures. The Talisman Series is a young adult contemporary fantasy series with dragons! Dragons walk amongst us, though you might not be able to tell. See the description and links to buy below.
Looks like our heroes can finally put an end to the nightmare that was Scarabadon, The Juggernaut. And it seems everyone’s favorite Synergist Knight and Master Dragon have fixed their Talisman issue too. Having thwarted every attack The Tyrant King has thrown at them to this point, The Alliance believes that they can endure any challenge as long as they remain together. Now, having the upper hand seems like the perfect opportunity to seek out more allies and even more of the realm’s mystical Talismans. Could this be a “happily ever after” for our ensemble of motley heroes? Or is this peace just a fool’s hope and just as temporary as the changing tides?
BUY LINKS
Below is the link to all five books. Kindle Unlimited subscribers can also read them for free. Just click on the cover art.
Self-published spotlight is my attempt to help bring attention to great self-published/indie books. Today, Claire Conroy is in the Spotlight! Read below about her poetry book, Listen.
ABOUT THE BOOK
“Claire Conroy is a spellbinding sorceress of words who can magically transport you mentally, emotionally and spiritually to the brief glimpses of time she captures and puts down on paper.” -Joia DaVida, Entertainment Journalist
A Sample of Claire’s Work
HOW TO PURCHASE
In order to purchase the book, message Claire on her Facebook page, Poetry by Claire Conroy. Claire also invites everyone to like and follow her Facebook page.
You can also order Listen by emailing Claire at Claire_Conroy73@yahoo.com.
We have our first spotlight! See below for a book description and links to pick up a great Christian self-help book, which is absolutely free right now!
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Want to become a better leader?
Increase Your Leadership Impact is a short, easy-to-read book that walks you through simple tips to help you feel closer to God and grow in your ability to lead those around you.
If you’re a Christian professional, leader, pastor, or anyone who loves to serve and inspire others—and you’re willing to start by first improving yourself—this book is for you.
Drawing on life lessons learned while attending Oxford and Harvard, author John Christopher Frame, PhD, shares easy-to-implement strategies to help you develop your leadership capacity.
In this quick read, you’ll discover:
What to emphasize to encourage people to follow you
How to make tough decisions with more confidence
A way to easily complete large tasks so you can fight overwhelm
One thing to avoid to come across more professionally
How you can tell your story to touch people’s lives
Inspiring prayers and practical action steps make this a power-packed read.
Unlock your potential and grab Increase Your Leadership Impact today!
Click the photo below and get your free ebook on Amazon. (Free as of this posting. Grab your copy while you can.
Attention self-published/indie authors: I have a new feature I want to try called Self-Published Spotlight. This is a place, not for reviews, but to highlight your book, give a description, and include buy links. If your book is on sale, newly published, or you want a cover reveal, or for pretty much any reason, contact me and send me the book description, cover art, sale information, or anything else you want included. Self-Published Spotlight can be any day of the week, and the frequency I publish it will depend on how many requests I get. These do not include a review.
Email me at bonniereadsandwrites@gmail.com if you want to be in the spotlight! And share this with any authors you know. Please make the title of your email Self-Published Spotlight.
“[A] shining rendition of Swift and Gershwin’s star-crossed love.” —Therese Anne Fowler, New York Times bestselling author
In the vein of the New York Times bestseller Loving Frank, this fascinating and compelling novel “will have you humming, toe-tapping, and singing along with every turn of the page” (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author) as it explores the decade-long relationship between the celebrated composer George Gershwin and gifted musician Katharine “Kay” Swift.
When Katharine “Kay” Swift—the restless but loyal society wife of wealthy banker James Warburg and a serious pianist who longs for recognition—attends a performance of Rhapsody in Blue by a brilliant, elusive young musical genius named George Gershwin, her world is turned upside down. Transfixed, she’s helpless to resist the magnetic pull of George’s talent, charm, and swagger. Their ten-year love affair, complicated by her conflicted loyalty to her husband and the twists and turns of her own musical career, ends only with George’s death from a brain tumor at the age of thirty-eight.
Set in Jazz Age New York City, this stunning work of fiction explores the timeless bond between two brilliant, strong-willed artists. George Gershwin left behind not just a body of work unmatched in popular musical history, but a woman who loved him with all her heart, knowing all the while that he belonged not to her, but to the world.
“Kaplan (By Fire, by Water) builds an enchanting world featuring musical giants George Gershwin and Kay Swift… This spellbinding and luminous tale will linger in readers’ minds long after the final page is turned.” – Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“Snappy dialogue and lush prose bring the Jazz Age to life as Kaplan takes readers from Harlem rent parties to the stage lights of Broadway… A sumptuous fictional account of a complex real-life romance, this book will stick in readers’ heads like the melody of a favorite ballad.”– Booklist
“RHAPSODY does it all. The novel flows as lyrically through Kaplan’s prose as the wail of the saxophones and crescendos of Gershwin’s keyboards. You can almost hear the taxi horns and clopping hooves of carriage horses in Central Park through his words as you imagine riding down Park Avenue past the towering edifices of lush mansions. As Kay becomes so absorbed in her performing as to be swept away from her audience, I read this book under that same captivation as minutes flowed into hours. Only my noisy team of hungry terriers could break my concentration.”– Bookreporter.com
“Kaplan’s sweeping novel, spanning the years 1917 to 1937, portrays the life of Kay Swift, one of Broadway’s first female composers, extracting her from the shadow of her colleague and lover, George Gershwin… The history is engrossing… Kaplan’s propulsive style imparts a momentum of its own…The many disquisitions, on topics as varied as the underpinnings of American anti-Semitism to the misappropriation of Black culture by well-intentioned Whites, are interesting and important… Our verdict: Get it.”- Kirkus
“A complex and involving story… It is difficult to imagine living a more incredible first half of a life than Swift’s, and Mitchell James Kaplan’s prose luxuriates in depicting her surprising and wildly artistic world.” – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Kaplan’s well-researched and well-crafted historical novel recreates the 1920s and ’30s, telling a mesmerizing story that examines their individual and intersecting lives. He explores why, for Gershwin and Swift, ‘ordinary results’ were not enough.” – Yale Alumni Magazine
“Kaplan’s vivid prose and empathetic characterization shines a spotlight on this remarkable woman who contributed so much to American music.”—Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and Mistress of the Ritz
“A luminous journey through the jazz age in fast-paced New York City… I was utterly swept away.”—Stephanie Cowell, American Book Award–winning author of Claude and Camille and The Physician of London
“We all know Gershwin, but how many know he was ‘the man behind the woman,’ the conflicted, extraordinary Katharine ‘Kay’ Swift? Mitchell James Kaplan illuminates her in Rhapsody, bringing his impressive knowledge of history, composition, and the heart’s whims to bear on this shining rendition of Swift and Gershwin’s star-crossed love.”—Therese Anne Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of Z and A Good Neighborhood
“Mitchell James Kaplan’s Rhapsody shines a blazing light on the celebrated George Gershwin, uncovering the man behind the legend through the story of the woman he loved, Kay Swift, a brilliant musician caught in the swiftly moving mores of New York’s Jazz Age. Rich with history and packed with intricate detail, Rhapsody soars.”—Randy Susan Meyers, bestselling author of The Widow of Wall Street and Waisted
“Mitchell James Kaplan pens a lilting, jazzy ballad as catchy as a Gershwin tune, bringing to vibrant life the complicated relationship between classically trained composer Kay Swift and freewheeling star George Gershwin. Their musical bond is as powerful as their passion, and jazz-soaked, gin-drenched Broadway is their playground through the tumultuous years of the Great War and Prohibition. Rhapsody will have you humming, toe-tapping, and singing along with every turn of the page.”—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Huntress
About the Author
Mitchell James Kaplan graduated with honors from Yale University, where he won the Paine Memorial Prize for Best Long-Form Senior Essay submitted to the English Department. His first mentor was the author William Styron.
After college, Kaplan lived in Paris, France, where he worked as a translator, then in Southern California, where he worked as a screenwriter and in film production.
He lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with his family and two cats.
What an absolutely gorgeous cover! The pops of blue, the colorful jewelry, and the sheet music all stand out. This cover will definitely catch the eye of potential readers as they are scrolling through books on Amazon and other sites. What do you think?
To celebrate the blog tour for Gail Meath’s Songbird, we sat down and talked about the book, the series to come, and the editing process, because I was fortunate enough to get to edit this book. And of course, we discuss Ace, the star German Shepherd. See our interview below.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Meet Jax Diamond, a sharp, sophisticated, skilled, no-nonsense private detective. Or is he? Glued to his side is his canine partner, Ace, a fierce and unrelenting German Shepherd whose mere presence terrorizes criminals into submission. Well, maybe not.
But the two of them are a whole lot smarter than they look. And they have their hands full when a playwright’s death is declared natural causes, and his new manuscript worth a million bucks is missing.
Laura Graystone, a beautiful rising Broadway star, is dragged into the heart of their investigation, and she’s none too happy about it. Especially when danger first strikes, and she needs to rely on her own ingenuity to save their hides.
Join Jax, Laura and Ace on a fun yet deadly ride during the Roaring Twenties that takes twists and turns, and a race against time to find the real murderer before he/she/they stop them permanently.
INTERVIEW WITH GAIL MEATH
Gail Meath
What is unique about this stop on the book tour is that you and I know each other. We became friends online, and then you gave me the opportunity to edit Songbird. I thought the readers might want to know a little bit about what that was like.
I had done reviews of your books, and we became friends. I had nonfiction editing experience, but was looking for some experience editing fiction. I asked you if I could do some editing for you in order to get that experience, and you agreed. I had the privilege of editing Songbird. It has been so enjoyable. You definitely make the process easier because the copy you give me is very clean and I’m able to do more content editing. You send me little research gems as well, which is very fun. I truly enjoy working with you.
Tell me how you feel about the editing process so far?
A good editor is worth their weight in gold to an author, and you have been a blessing to me, Bonnie. Since we became friends first, working with you is so comfortable and fun! From finding missed words to run-on or unclear sentences to overall content and help with research, especially, you make sure the manuscript isn’t just clean, it’s polished. It never occurred to me that hamburgers weren’t a household staple in 1920s!
Tell us about this series, the Jax Diamond series, and where you see it going?
Well, the first book, Songbird, was released this November. It is set in 1923 in New York City on Broadway. Jax Diamond is a private investigator and Ace is his German Shepherd sidekick. The other main character, Laura, is a Broadway actress and singer. I am working on the second book, Framed, right now, and it is also set in New York City. I have an idea for a third book that will take the characters to a small town temporarily. There is also a prequel in the works that I will release at some point. It is about how Jax and Ace met.
In the first book, we are of course introduced to Jax, Laura, and Ace. You have told me that Ace was inspired by your own dog, who has since passed away. Tell me about her.
Her name was Gretchen and she was the most amazing German Shepherd. She actually belonged to someone else, and when I met her, we just hit it off right away. She began to follow me as I was leaving and I just decided to buy her from her previous owners. They were well paid, and I was rewarded even more by having this amazing friend in my life. She is truly missed.
Ace, though inspired by Gretchen, is a male shepherd. Why did you make him a male instead of a female like Gretchen?
I had already decided on the name Jax Diamond for the lead character in the book, and I wanted his dog to follow the playing card theme and be named Ace. Ace sounded more like a male name to me at the time, so Ace is a boy. But Gretchen is definitely the inspiration, and Ace has many of Gretchen’s unique traits.
Tell me about the writing process. You were sending me chapters to edit very quickly. I couldn’t believe how fast Songbird was coming out. From my perspective, you had it written in no time. Is this faster than normal for you?
Songbird is my first cozy mystery, and while it definitely needed research, I did not have to do as much as I have for my more in-depth historical fiction, such as Agustina De Aragon and Countess Jacqueline. That did make the process go faster.
Your books are so well researched. Is research your favorite part of the process?
Yes. I love learning about different people, places, and events in history that I never knew about before. That’s why I love writing about lesser-known heroines such as the heroine in Agustina de Aragon.
Longer version: I nearly failed history in high school, and I was a good student! I started researching on my own and found history so fascinating! I determined it was the way the teacher taught it that didn’t hold my interest. I’ve been researching ever since, just on my own.
Do you know how many books you want to write in the Jax Diamond series?
I am not sure right now. As I mentioned, in addition to Songbird, I have three more planned out, including the prequel novella, and the we’ll see what happens.
Do you know when the second book in the series, Framed, will be published?
I have the book release date as April 1 (April Fool’s Day), but I will probably release it sooner, in March of 2022.
Thanks so much, Gail, for taking the time out for this interview.
This beautiful book of poetry accompanied by photographs of God’s creation is available on Booksirens at this link: https://booksirens.com/book/E7BGDOY
If you are not yet a Booksirens reviewer, you can sign up here. It is a great way to get free ARCs and support indie authors.
It is also a “Read Now” on Netgalley and can be downloaded here.
You can sign up to be a Netgalley reviewer Here. To review on Netgalley, you have to be a bookseller, educator, librarian, media, or reviewer. However, they accept social media reviewers and accepted me when I was only reviewing on Goodreads.
If you are an indie/self-published author reading this and want me to share the link to your book on Netgalley or Booksirens, let me know.
Get this great 5-star dystopian read on Amazon for the next four days. Be sure and pick this up and share it with your social media followers. A great deal!
ELEONORA AND JOSEPH: PASSION, TRAGEDY, AND REVOLUTION IN THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT BY JULIETA ALMEIDA RODRIGUES
Publication Date: July 21, 2020 New Academia Publishing/The Spring Paperback & eBook; 198 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction/Biographical
The novel opens with aristocratic Eleonora Fonseca Pimentel pleading with the High Court of Naples to be beheaded instead of hanged like a criminal. One of the leading revolutionaries of her time, Eleonora contributed to the establishment of the Neapolitan Republic, based on the ideals of the French Revolution. Imprisoned in 1799 after the return of the Bourbon Monarchy – due to her work as editor-in-chief of Il Monitore Napoletano – and while waiting to be sentenced, she writes a memoir. Here, she discusses not only her revolutionary enthusiasm, but also the adolescent lover who abandoned her, Joseph Correia da Serra.
While visiting Monticello many years later, Joseph discovers Eleonora’s manuscript in Thomas Jefferson’s library. Now retired, Jefferson is committed to founding the University of Virginia and entices Correia with a position in the institution, once it opens. As the two philosophes explore Eleonora’s writing through the lens of their own lives, achievements, and follies, they share many intimate secrets.
Told from Eleonora and Joseph’s alternating points of view, the interwoven first-person narratives follow the characters from the elegant salons of Naples to the halls of Monticello, from the streets of European capitals such as Lisbon, London, and Paris to the cultured new world of Philadelphia and the chic soirées in Washington. Eleonora and Joseph were both prominent figures of the Southern European Enlightenment. Together with Thomas Jefferson, they formed part of The Republic of Letters, a formidable network of thinkers who radically influenced the intellectual world in which they lived – and which we still inhabit today.
“Rodrigues’ writing is beautiful, and she brings the historical characters to life. The novel is told in alternating chapters, interspersing the conversations between Joseph and Jefferson at Monticello with Eleonora’s memoir, which Joseph is reading. The scenes at Monticello are fascinating, with Joseph and Jefferson discussing a wide range of topics, including slavery, revolution, and science. Rodrigues makes the reader sympathize with the protagonists, and the book left me wanting to read more, especially about Eleonora.” – HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY REVIEW
“Eleonora and Joseph is a passionate novel of love and revolution. In 1799, Eleonora Pimentel stands before the High Court of the Kingdom of Naples. She has been accused of treason. During her trial, Eleonora pens a memoir, giving details of the life events that led up to her arrest. Eleonora’s life was revolutionary in thought, word, and deed.Julieta Almeida Rodrigues’ Portuguese roots shine brightly in this romantic historical novel. The narrative is fictional, yet full of historical accuracy.” – READERS’ FAVORITE REVIEW
“The complex, contradictory characterizations and historical details of the Enlightenment era are skillfully handled and clarified in straightforward but descriptive prose that will satisfy both academic and non-academic readers. The most interesting player of all is Eleonora, a “martyr of liberty” whose illustrious life ends tragically at the gallows in 1799 with some of her fellow revolutionaries in Naples.” – THE US REVIEW OF BOOKS REVIEW
“Julieta Almeida Rodrigues brings these colorful historical figures to life and marries their worlds in a narrative that is vividly written, capturing not just their lives, but an era on the cusp of unprecedented social, political, and cultural change. As Thomas Jefferson plays a key role in creating the circumstances which bring Eleonora’s journal – and its revelations – to new life years after its creation, readers receive a satisfying contrast of European and American environments that embraces and explores moral, ethical, and social conundrums alike.” – MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW, Donovan’s Literary Services
“Brimming with pathos and rich in character, this is a knockout… Lush and electrifying, Rodrigues’s vibrant tale about love, morality, and duty is a searing depiction of the Enlightenment. Rodrigues’s intelligent writing brings the era alive while revealing the complexity of her vividly drawn characters. By turns luminous and tragic, the novel will ensnare readers from the first few lines and lingers in the memory long after they turn the last page.” – THE PRAIRIES BOOK REVIEW
“Eleonora and Joseph is my best read of the year so far. It’s rich in history, character, and flair. The story is told with a genuineness that prods the heart. It evokes profound questions that linger behind long after you turn the last page. Considering these factors and the impeccable editing, I rate it four out of four stars. Julieta’s work holds so much history, passion and utter brilliance within its pages that I would recommend it to anyone interested in history.” – ONLINEBOOKCLUB REVIEW
“This book allows the reader into the inner workings of this radical time where many opposing ideals were fought and died for. It is refreshing as a lover of historical fiction to read an original story like Eleonora and Joseph that brings to life important historical characters and events from a fresh new angle and lens.” – NEW PAGES, Stephanie Renee dos Santos
About the Author
Julieta Almeida Rodrigues
Julieta Almeida Rodrigues is a writer, professor, scholar, and interpreter. Born and raised in Portugal, she earned a Ph.D. at Columbia University. She is the author of two collections of short fiction, The Rogue and Other Portuguese Stories and On the Way to Red Square. The latter is a fictionalized account of her life in the diplomatic circles of Moscow in the 1980s (New Academia Publishing, Washington DC). She published a narrative work about Sintra, Portugal, entitled Hora Crepuscular/Drawing Dusk/La Hora Crepuscular (Agir, Execução Gráfica). She is a member of the Pen Club of Portugal, the Fulbright Commission Team of Evaluators in Portugal (2014 Prize for International Cooperation, the Prince of Asturias Foundation), and of CLEPUL, Center for Lusophone and European Literatures and Cultures, Faculty of Humanities, the University of Lisbon. She has taught at the University of Lisbon and at Georgetown University, and has been a Visiting Scholar at the New School (twice). She has spoken at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Department of State, The Chawton House Library in the United Kingdom, The International Conference on the Short Story, The American Portuguese Studies Association, and the Historical Writers of America, among other locations. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Historical Novel Society New York City Chapter and runs, with a colleague, its Guest Speaker Program at the Jefferson Market Library. She divides her time between Manhattan and Sintra, Portugal.
For more information, visit Julieta Almeida Rodrigues’ website.
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