Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Blog Tour: HOW TO REACT WHEN WOKEN AT 3 A.M. BY DRUNK ARGENTINIAN BACKPACKERS WHILE STAYING IN A YOUTH HOSTEL AND OTHER LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TIPS by Simon Yeats

 

How to React When Woken at 3am by Drunk Argentinian Backpackers While Staying in a Youth Hostel and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips

Simon Yeats

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 


GENRE
:  

Non-Fiction Humorous Memoir

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

Book 4 of the hilarious book series that those in the know will want to read when arriving at Paris airport so they laugh so freaking hard that it will intimidate any suspicious characters looking to abduct them and sell them into the human trafficking game.

 

Life was not meant to be easy, Simon Yeats’ father used to tell him. Well, it sure as hell was not meant to be this bizarre and witty. Australian ex-pat Simon Yeats shares his stories of travel misadventures and dubious personal introspection with comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of living his life abroad. All while having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive as Mongol hordes in the 12th century.

 

From how to negotiate getting abused in Los Angeles when you will only drive at 5 miles/hr., to what to do when locked out of your hotel room in your underwear, to the emotions of attempting the world’s second highest bungee when you have a pathological fear of heights, to how to deal with the trials and tribulations of staying in a youth hostel with travelers who have no respect for the other guests.

 

Simon Yeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinary moments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to empty your bank account, get squeezed sitting in a middle airline seat, or deal with border security at the Ukraine/Russia boundary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Excerpt Three:

 

That was not one of my three options.

 

Although, if this is Jack the Ripper, he seems to have gotten well ahead of himself with his raping technique.

 

It is Con’s work mate.

 

“What the hell happened?” I stammer.

 

The guy is barely holding himself upright as he sways in front of me. “I am locked out of my room.”

 

Well, that would only be a minor inconvenience to anyone if they then hadn’t gone to the trouble of disrobing themselves. But there are no clothes in the hallway. It seems Con’s mate had just walked out of his room naked.

 

“Where are your clothes?” I ask.

 

“I had a shower, and I opened the door to get out of the bathroom and it led me to the hallway.”

 

“You didn’t wrap yourself in a towel?”

 

“I was looking for the towel,” he indignantly responds. “Let me show you,” and he forcefully grabs my arm and pulls me down the hallway to his locked hotel room door. “See, I am locked out. I can’t get in.”

 

With all the not quite fully awake/not really too drunk excitement of thinking that there had to be a more radical explanation as to why Con’s highly inebriated mate could be so careless as to walk out of his front door thinking he was opening the bathroom door, I did not think to grab my room key.

 

Now there are two of us standing in the hallway, locked out of our rooms.

 

One of us in his undies. The other one in his birthday suit.

 

Both of us are now frantic.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other kids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and sense of humor to always see the funnier side of life.

 

With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’s stories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter, or breathing deeply that the adventures he has led were survived.

 

No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails of life.

 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CBNQLSPW/about

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authoryeats

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoryeats/?hl=en

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY 

The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, November 11, 2024

Blog Tour: MY WAY HOME by Holly Heaton

 

Join us for this tour from Oct 21 to Nov 15, 2024!

Book Details:

​Book Title:  MY WAY HOME by Holly Heaton
Category:  Children's Fiction (Ages 3-7),  32 pages
GenreChildren's Fiction
PublisherHolly Heaton
Release date:  August 11, 2024
Formats Available for Review: print-softback (USA and Canada) and ebook (MOBI for Kindle and PDF) internationally. 
Tour dates: Oct 21 to Nov 15, 2024
Content Rating:  G: The book follows Kit on a whirlwind of an adventure trying to reclaim a precious item and return it home all while facing external dangers.


Book Description:

Enter the hidden realm of the Little Folk and follow Kit on a thrilling adventure. Can he reclaim an object precious to his people and return home to the Hollow Chestnut? Using his wits and environment, Kit embarks on this miniature odyssey through a lushly illustrated world.
Buy the Book:
Amazon 
add to Goodreads
~~~

Review: Who says a small boy can’t have a big adventure? Well, that’s exactly what happens when a tiny lad encounters a giant fox trying to steal their acorns and crystals. Can he reclaim what the fox stole? Such a brave and innovative boy!

The illustrations were colorful and lovely! I was just so captivated by the natural and artistic rendition.

Goes to show that you don’t have to be big to be brave. But even with his grand adventure, he still sees that there’s no place like home and family. A wonderfully crafted tale!

Rating: 5 stars


Author Holly Heaton
Meet the Author:

Whether through pictures, words, or her dad’s castoff camcorder, Holly has spent her life telling stories. She can usually be found chasing exciting bits of history and spending time with her husband, sons, and dog, Wesser, in metro Atlanta.

connect with author: instagram goodreads
Tour Schedule:

Oct 7 - @michellegodardricherauthor – book shout out
Oct 21 – Cover Lover Book Review – book spotlight / giveaway
Oct 21 - @this.human.reads * – book review
Oct 21 - @savor.your.reads * - book review
Oct 21 - @acourtofspinesnpages *- book review
Oct 21 - @book_withquotes * - book review
Oct 21 - @adriftinfictionalworld - book review
Oct 22 - Faith And Books - book review / giveaway
Oct 22 - @adeela_books * – book review
Oct 22 - @bearyintobooks * - book review
Oct 23 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 24 – @bookscape__ * - book review
Oct 24 - My Reading Getaway - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 25 – Library Lady's Kid Lit – book review / author interview / giveaway
Oct 25 - @bookameme * – book review
Oct 25 - @enjoyingbooksagain - book review 
Oct 28 – Books for Books- book spotlight
Oct 29 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book review / guest post / giveaway
Oct 30 – Cheryl's Book Nook – book review / giveaway
Oct 31 – @thisreadergirl * - book review
Nov 1 – Liese's Blog – book spotlight
Nov 4 – @Leannebookstagram – book review
Nov 5 – @onceuponamaltesereader * - book review
Nov 6 – Reading is My Passion – book review / giveaway
Nov 6 - @michellegodardricherauthor * – book review
Nov 7 – @nissa_the.bookworm * - book review
Nov 7 - Older & Smarter?- book review / author interview / giveaway
Nov 7 - A Mama's Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
Nov 8 – FUONLYKNEW – book review / guest post / giveaway
Nov 9 - @jilljemmett * – book review
Nov 10 - @readsandmusic * – book review
Nov 11 – Sandra's Book Club – book review
Nov 12 – China Sorrows – book review / giveaway
Nov 12 - @kiv_coffeeandpages * - book review
Nov 13 – Kim's Book Reviews and writing Aha's – book review / giveaway
Nov 13 - @mariareadsfiction * - book review
Nov 14 – @onceuponafrida * - book review
Nov 14 - @alwaysreadingxo * - book review
Nov 15 - icefairy's Treasure Chest – book review / giveaway
Nov 15 - @whatsenalireads * - book review
Nov 15 - @speedreadstagram * - book review
Enter the Giveaway:

MY WAY HOME by Holly Heaton Book Tour Giveaway

Blog Tour: THE TRUE ADVENTURER by Robyn Singer

 

THE TRUE ADVENTURER

Robyn Singer

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 


GENRE
:  Science Fiction

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

Layla N’gwa is finally free to attend art school and live a life of peace. She’s sipping spinach smoothies in the quad with her new friends, attending protests against the ongoing war, and studying to fulfill her dream of becoming a great glassblower.

 

Layla’s former friend, Kaya Langstone Bythora-the boy-band-loving cyborg princess of the Cykebian Empire-has embraced being evil since killing Yael, and now acts as the ultimate sword of her mother, Empress Molina. With Kaya’s help, her mother will become the absolute ruler of the universe by winning the war with the Utozin Authority. Kaya wishes she wasn’t doomed to be a monster but feels resigned to her fate and just seeks acceptance from her only friend, Layla.

 

Layla loves her new life, but she can’t stand back and watch as Kaya is used as a weapon and her old professor conquers planet after planet. As a war rages with the fate of all life in the balance, Layla and Kaya find themselves on opposite sides. Kaya may be the most powerful cyborg ever designed, but Layla has some new tricks up her sleeve. Has absolute order snuffed out all freedom, or is there still room among the stars for a little chaos? Only together can Layla and Kaya find the answer.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~


 

Excerpt Two:

 

“What’s our ETA, General?”

 

“We should be reaching Caldey-Cocoon’s atmosphere in twentyfive minutes, Princess.”

 

I twirled my hair around my finger. “Splendid.”

 

The voyage from Cykeb had been peaceful. I’d had ample time to listen to music and shop for art in my room, torture the prisoners I’d brought along with me in the brig, and take advantage of the other amenities my ship offered.

 

The Winjolla, named after my departed, beloved aunts, was second only to my mothers’ flagship, Ricochet Supreme, in terms of grandeur. 2400 meters in diameter, it was crewed by a staff of 15,000, all of whom I was free to terrorize to my heart’s content, with 30,000 ground troops also living on board.

 

I’d gotten to design every aspect of my ship, from its weaponry, which was capable of leveling small continents, to its torture chamber, which I prided myself on being the most nightmarish chamber of horrors ever devised—putting even Mother’s past works to shame—to its spa, swimming pool, light squash court, juice bar, and karaoke studio.

 

The only thing my ship lacked was someone to enjoy all of this with, but my mothers rarely ever left the palace, and there was no one else worthy of my time. I’d tried forcing some of my lessers to have fun with me in the past, but the only enjoyable parts of those experiences had been when I‘d blown their brains out. Being better than and above everyone else could really suck.

 

On the bright side, I was almost 14. In just over one year, I’d be allowed to make the members of EZ Street my personal concubines. Then I’d never be lonely again.

 

Plus, the highlight of these trips was always the destination, not the journey. As the crown princess of The Holy Cykebian Empire, and the most advanced cyborg in existence, I had the honor of serving as my mothers’ ultimate sword. If a rebellion took place that our soldiers couldn’t quash themselves, or if initial conquest was met with more resistance than initially anticipated, I was deployed to handle it. I never failed my mothers. I never would.

 

“Princess, we’ve arrived.”

 

Grinning from ear to ear, I rose from my chair in the center of the bridge. “Beam me down. I’ll let you know when to deploy the troops across the planet’s surface.”

 

“Yes, Princess. Understood, Princess.”

 

My helmsman did as he was told and a moment later, I was standing in the middle of Caldey-Cocoon’s capital city: Jeradoth.

 

The blood-red sky matched the dirt beneath my boots. Their architecture was cylindrical, all of their buildings the same sickening shade of green. The air stank of cold macaroni and cheese. From what I’d read, their only major export was middle- quality feathers.

 

I’d only been here five seconds, but I couldn’t fathom what about this pathetic world its people treasured so much that they wouldn’t want to be a part of the empire. It wasn’t as if I was complaining, though. If every world submitted immediately, I’d never get to have any fun.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  

What Did You Like Best About Writing This Book and Why?

 

I started writing the first book in The Ricochet Trilogy, “The Sunrisers,” in November 2020. I’d graduated from college earlier in the year and, since Covid was preventing me from finding stable work, I was taking my best crack at using the time I had available to me to become an author. During that time, I wrote four unrelated novels, and “The Sunrisers” was the only one to find a home, with Cinnabar Moth. I had the time of my life writing my cute and fun space opera romance, and was beyond thrilled when I found out I was going to be a published author.

By the time I was able to start working in earnest on the final book in the trilogy, my new release, “The True Adventurer,” it was Spring 2023, and my life had changed a lot. I’d moved from New York to Seattle, I now had a day job, the drama going on in my personal life would be worthy of its own novel, and it was becoming increasingly clear to me that I was never going to have as much time to write as I had previously, and I was never going to be able to write while so perfectly relaxed again. It was also clear to me that my mental health was suffering, which made it even harder to write. For several months, despite having a clear outline, writing “The True Adventurer” felt impossible, and I made incredibly slow progress.

The best part of writing “The True Adventurer” was figuring out what I needed to do to make it work. I tossed out my originally outlined third act, and embraced the emotions swirling through me. I embraced the pain I was in, I embraced the struggles in my own relationships, and I embraced my fear that this would be the last book I would ever write, and I rewrote the story to capture these feelings, and tie them into the trilogy’s themes, and the character’s arcs. “The True Adventurer” is a space opera filled with fantastical concepts, but it’s also the most real story I was capable of writing. 




AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Robyn Singer is a lifelong New Yorker, and since she was a kid playing with her action figures, all she’s wanted to do is tell stories. She went to SUNY Purchase to get a degree in Playwriting & Screenwriting with a minor in Film and has produced several comic books, but she’s always had her eye on becoming a published novelist.

 

As an Autistic, bisexual trans woman, diversity and inclusion in stories are vitally important to her, and she seeks to represent as many groups as possible in her work. While she wants to show characters of marginalized groups experiencing joy, she also draws inspiration from real-world problems which bother her.

 

The Sunrisers was her debut novel. The Order of the Banshee is book 2 in the The Ricochet Trilogy. Robyn was the author in residence for the first quarter of 2022 for Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections. She writes novels and short stories of all genres and for all ages, and she continues to produce comic books. Her ongoing series, Final Gamble, began publication by Band of Bards in 2022.

 

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robyn-Singer/author/B0BCVQ8JJ6

Publisher Author Page: https://cinnabarmoth.com/robyn-singer/

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GIVEAWAY 

The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Review: THE RIVER GIRLS by Melinda Woodhall

 


A frightened girl shows up at the safe house and then disappears.

 

Ever since her sister’s violent murder at the hands of her abusive husband, Eden has made it her mission to help these victims and somehow this mysterious girl, especially when the body of a teenage girl washes up on the river. Was it Star, the mysterious girl that walked into the shelter, or Jess, the missing girl reported by her incarcerated mother? It was Jess, which meant that Star was still out there and still needed help with a gang that was after her and a deranged killer on the loose.

 

Can Eden, along with a defense attorney find Star before she becomes the next River Girl?

 

The River Girls were definitely piling up and it seemed unstoppable. Right away, this grabs you, piquing your interest. There were some slow sections in which characters relay their own personal dark demons, but it was good to see what motivated them. An even more pressing matter arises when they kidnap Eden’s niece. Will her niece be next?

 

A good and thrilling read!

 

Rating: 4 stars

Review: WRONG EXIT by N.L. Hinkens

 


It all started with a 2-pal road trip from L.A. to N.Y. On one of the first few stops, Cara and Adele find a stowaway in their car. The runaway girl talks about an abusive boyfriend that may have killed someone. Oh, great! Just what the girls needed, right? Road Rule #1: Never pick up a hitchhiker. I would not be giving a total stranger a ride to TN. No way! Soon, all 3 gals take a wrong exit.

“One of us won’t survive this road trip. It’s kill or be killed.”

The whole trip becomes a ride of paranoia—one scary mess of speculations over the whereabouts of the stowaway. And now they have the police and the stalker boyfriend on their tail. Geez!

“One wrong exit led to murder.”

I kind of had my suspicious about one of the key players here (and I was kind of right about it,) but I was still surprised about the revelation in the end. A good thrilling read!

 

Rating: 4 stars