Tag: #foamonthecrestofwaves

***INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY (6 Winners)*** Foam on the Crest of Waves {Silke Stein}

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments and messages from my last post.  I so appreciate all of you!  Xo!

I have a great book to review for you today and I HAVE 6 COPIES of it to give away!

Full disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book to read and review for my blog.  All opinions are my own.

Giveaway details will be given at the bottom of this post!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In a small fishing town on the Mendocino coast, the tides of time have washed over rumors and suspicions, yet the members of a maimed family still struggle to cope with their memories.

A broken woman, refusing to let go of her vanished husband.
Her widowed brother, clinging to the shatters of the life he loved.
His delusional daughter, planning to turn mermaid on her fifteenth birthday.

But when a young man realizes he made a mistake, secrets start emerging from the deep. Will they bring further grief, or possibly redemption?

My Thoughts:

This is a lovely, beautiful, thought provoking book.

The book design itself is simply gorgeous. The cover, the chapter pages with their images, all of it.

At the very beginning of this book, I found myself googling the history and pictures of sea glass.  Fascinating!  I can only imagine the beauty of this beach with these little colorful bits of glass everywhere. Such a beautiful setting for such a beautifully complicated and intriguing story.

This book paints such a descriptive picture of this town and it’s residences.  The characters and stories were so interesting (especially Abalone’s) and I love how the characters were all connected to each other.

I’ve never read a story quite like this before.  The topics discussed are not ones I would usually gravitate to but I’m so glad that I allowed myself the opportunity.  This book is a wonderful example of why sometimes reading a book outside of your comfort zone is so important.  I believe that in doing this, you learn to become a deeper reader, broaden your literary understandings, and learn/appreciate new topics.

This book made me both smile and cry.  These characters were not easy to say good bye to and have stuck with me since I turned the last page.

This is such a beautiful book.

A Conversation with Silke Stein, in her Own Words:

How did you create the idea for your book?

The story ides was sparked by my obsession with sea glass. Early in 2014, I became a member of ‘SeaglassLovers’, a Facebook group comprised of people from all over the world who show each other their fabulous finds and daydream of being mermaids. There I learned about the place every sea glass aficionado has on her bucket list: Fort Bragg in Northern California ― home of the legendary ‘Glass Beach’, which became the enchanting setting of Foam On The Crest Of Waves.

What audience would be most interested in your book?

Anybody who loves the sea, mermaids, and a good dose of mystery.

Where can your book be purchased?

The ebook is available for Kindle. The paperback can be ordered from all major online retailers and in every brick-and-mortar book shop.

Use 3 adjectives to describe your book:

Poignant, captivating, beautiful

Any additional information that you would like to provide about you or your book:

More info: www.silkestein.jimdo.com

***GIVEAWAY DETAILS***

There will be 6 WINNERS!  I have 6 copies of Foam on the Crest of Waves to give away!! 
I have 1 hard copy and 5 e-books (A chance to win the hard copy is open to US readers only.  A chance to win one the 5 e-books are open to both US and International readers)! 

To be entered, please complete these 4 simple steps:

1. Follow and/or subscribe to my blog

2. Leave a comment below describing your favorite beach!

3. Mention in your comment if you are located within the US or if you are located internationally.

4. Mention in your comment if you would like to be entered to win the hard copy of this book, an electronic copy of this book, or either 🙂 

**You must complete ALL 4 of these steps to be eligible for the giveaway and you must complete them here on my blog (not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)**

Giveaway will close tomorrow (Thursday) at 4:00 pm CDT and the 6 winners will be randomly chosen and announced in Friday’s blog post (5/17/19).

Make sure you check the blog on Friday to see if you’ve won (you will have 48 hours from the time I post the winner to email me your mailing address.  If I don’t hear from you within 48 hours, I will pick a new winner).

If you already follow and/or subscribe to my blog, you are still eligible…just leave a comment below to be entered 🙂

Good luck!  Can’t wait to read your comments!

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Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo

***INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY*** Still Breathing {E.A. Fourier}

I am writing from the peace and quiet of my dining room.  I’m ALONE.  I haven’t been alone in a week and a half!  My daughter was on Spring Break and we had the best time.  We spent an entire day downtown, we watched movies, we ate ice cream, we got manicures, we did art projects, we shopped, we played outside, and so much more.  I’m EXHAUSTED but it was so worth it.  I now have a solid 2.5 hour chunk of time while both of my kids are in school and I can relish the sound of nothing except for Michael Buble’s voice from the Pandora station on my phone.  I even have a candle lit as I’m typing this!  Glorious.

In book news…I did somehow manage to read this entire book (full blog review and giveaway coming soon) over Spring Break.   I just started reading this book a few nights ago and I’m LOVING it!

I have a wonderful giveaway for you today!  Have you read this book?

Full disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book to read and review for my blog.  All opinions are my own.

Giveaway details will be given at the bottom of this post!

stillbreathing

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Newly widowed and on the threshold of seventy, Lizzie Warton questions the value of her remaining years. Uncharacteristically, she decides for the first time in her life to do what she wants, instead of what everyone expects.

Against the wishes of family and friends, she sets out for Africa to work at a Ugandan middle school. When she lands at night in the Entebbe airport, her hosts are not there to meet her. Near panic, she hires a local taxi. The driver drugs her, steals everything, and dumps her limp body in a slum. Waking in the dark, she feels someone tugging off her shoes.

Without money, a passport, clothes, or medications, Lizzie is forced to start over and find a way to survive.

Soon she learns that nothing in Africa is as it appears. The grind of daily life in the third-world is beyond anything Lizzie imagined. Nevertheless, encouraged by budding friendships in surprising places, and against every sensible instinct she’s ever developed, Lizzie’s own personal search for meaning becomes the grand adventure of a lifetime.

My Thoughts:

I’ve always been drawn to books which take place in different cultures. I find learning about other cultures and places fascinating and as soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I immediately knew that it was one I needed to read.

I found myself learning and researching a great deal while reading this book which is always such a bonus for me. I love when a book is so well written that it makes me want to learn more about the subject and/or place, and this book is a perfect example.

There were many different characters and storylines and all were interesting. I found myself being able to connect to many of these intriguing characters and truly became immersed into their lives.

My favorite parts of the book took place in Owino Market…what a fascinating place that must be! The descriptions of the market were so rich and colorful that I felt like I was there!

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with E.A. Fournier through social media and email quite a bit and he truly is such a kind person. Always such a bonus to learn that the person behind the words is as lovely as the words  are themselves.

I loved this wonderful book and the ending made me cry. Such a special story which begs for a sequel!

A Conversation with E.A. Fournier, in his own words:

How did you create the idea for your book?
 
I carried the beginnings of Lizzie’s story in my head for years. At one point, I wrote it out as the opening for a screenplay. An older woman sits alone at the bedside of her comatose husband. He comes conscious long enough to apologize for not sharing the major decisions in their life. It’s his biggest regret. He asks her to choose to do something, after he’s gone, that she’s always wanted to do. He slips back into the coma and a few days later he’s dead. I could never quite resolve what the wife would choose to do, so I put it aside.
 
Years later, I challenged myself to write women’s fiction. It seemed to me that the leads in most of that genre were young, smart and lovely. I wanted to feature someone significantly older: a woman with wide hips and grey hair, someone sensitive but not sappy, big-hearted but seasoned. I considered revisiting Lizzie’s story. Since I’m the wrong gender, I wondered if I could pull it off and make her character ring true. I decided I was willing to try. The question that remained was what Lizzie wanted to do. 
 
It turned out that the answer was right in front of me. My small church funded an orphan home in Kampala for street boys. The young founders were my friends. My son traveled there to teach art and make a film. His efforts not only helped the orphans, but won him a lovely Ugandan bride. It seemed clear to me that Lizzie had finally found her unlikely destination.  
 
What audience would be most interested in your book?
 
The special audience I had in mind when I first created Still Breathing was women over forty. At this point in their lives many of them question their own significance. I felt that this group would uniquely appreciate a determined main character like my 69-year-old Lizzie.
 
However, I’ve discovered that the power of the book’s characters reaches far outside my demographics. At one end, my granddaughter, a sophomore in high school, loved Lizzie and her journey. She posted a very perceptive review on Goodreads and promotes the novel to her YA friends. At the other end, my 70-year-old male acquaintance, John, begrudgingly agreed to give my book a chance. He only reads non-fiction. John called me a week later to say he’d finished. He would have called sooner, he admitted, but was crying so much that he didn’t know if he could talk on the phone. I reminded him that it was only fiction. He replied that it sure didn’t feel like fiction to him. 
 
So, the novel seems to be seeking out its own wider audience, despite what I think.
 
Where can your book be purchased?
 
The book’s available in digital, paperback or hardback from Amazon or Barnes & Noble
 
It’s also available in digital-only formats from Apple, Google Play, or Scribd
 
In addition, you can find it internationally at these sites: Thalia, bol.de, Angus & Robertson, or the Mandadori Store.
 
 
Use 3 adjectives to describe your book:
 
Fresh
Real
Hopeful
 
Any additional information that you would like to provide about you or your book:
 
Most of the situations and events in the story come directly out of my research and from interviews with former Ugandan street boys, teachers and house fathers. For example, the plight of boys on the street, the scarcity of copper, the way boarding schools work, the corruption of customs officials, the perils of marriage for women, the new method to send money from the U.S.—these all came out of the research. 
 
I peppered the book with accurate local language and flavored it with open markets, tribal clothes and native foods. Many of these elements came directly from my Ugandan daughter-in-law, Diana. Luganda, the language used in the book, is the main dialect spoken in Kampala. Fortunately, most Ugandans also speak English.
 
I tend to write by the seat of my pants and let my characters tell me what comes next, but I’m enough of a plot and outline guy to limit their scope. People don’t understand that there are times when characters talk back, or refuse to say lines, or do the opposite of what you ask. Really. It’s why I laugh when people say a writer’s life is lonely. No, it’s not! It’s stuffed with noisy imaginary people who interrupt each other, argue and laugh and cry, and are certain of their own opinions—just like people in the everyday world.

***GIVEAWAY DETAILS***

I have 1 autographed copy of to give away (the autographed copy will be mailed to you if you live in the US or you will receive an electronic copy if you are located internationally)! 

To be entered, please complete these 3 simple steps:

1. Follow and/or subscribe to my blog

2. Leave a comment below telling me one place in the world where you would love to visit.

3. Tell me in your comment if you are located within the US or if you are located internationally.

**You must complete ALL 3 of these steps to be eligible for the giveaway and you must complete them here on my blog (not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)**

Giveaway will close Sunday (4/7/19) morning at 6:00 CDT and the winner will be randomly chosen and announced in Monday’s blog post (4/8/19).

Make sure you check the blog on Monday to see if you’ve won (you will have 48 hours from the time I post the winner to email me your mailing address.  If I don’t hear from you within 48 hours, I will pick a new winner).

If you already follow and/or subscribe to my blog, you are still eligible…just leave a comment below to be entered 🙂

Good luck!  Can’t wait to read your comments!

It would really help me if you could follow/subscribe to my blog.  Also, please “like” my Facebook page ,  follow me on Twitter, and follow me on Instagram!

Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo

11 Books I Want to Read in 2019

Thank you all SO MUCH for your kind and encouraging words from this post.

I’m doing ok!  Each day my elbow seems to be feeling a little bit better.  It’s still very sore but nothing compared to last week.

My sling is now officially stained with ice cream, teriyaki sauce, and smells like a mixture of Japanese steakhouse and Clinique Happy (which is the perfume I doused it in hoping to eliminate the Japanese steakhouse smell).  I’m scared to witness what this poor sling will look and smell like by the end of our time together, lol.

Happy 2019!  New month, new year, new goals.  I have personal goals that I’ve set for myself in the new year, blog goals, and of course…reading goals 🙂

There are SO MANY amazing books out there to read and I can’t wait to tackle many of them in this new year!

*This post contains affiliate links. Click each image and link below to read the synopsis and order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  When you order through this link, I receive a tiny commission. Thank you for your support, Xo*

I finished this book 2 days ago (LOVED IT) and started reading this book last night!

Here is a very small sample of the books that I’m excited to read in 2019 (in no particular order):










Have you read any of these?  If so, NO SPOILERS PLEASE!

What’s on your 2019 To Read List?

Xo,

Jenny

It would really help me if you could follow/subscribe to my blog.  Also, please “like” my Facebook page ,  follow me on Twitter, and follow me on Instagram!