Archive for August, 2013

For the first time ever, you can download Elisabeth Wheatley’s YA paranormal novella, Fanged Princess,  FREE for your Kindles Saturday,August 31st and Sunday, September 1st.

A great way to celebrate your end of summer holiday!

So check out the blurb and book trailer below, grab your copy, and don’t forget to tell your friends!

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Reviewing Soon!

I will not let my brother suffer the same loss…

Hadassah’s father, the Vampire King, punished her harshly for her choice to love a human. Now her brother, the only person in the world who still matters to her, has fallen for a human girl. Determined to keep the girl safe, the three of them flee from their home in New England and find themselves cornered with their father’s minions closing in. If they want to escape, their only hope may be to join forces with the mortal enemies of their kind…

Be ensnared in this dark tale of enduring love, revenge, and suspense from teenage author, Elisabeth Wheatley.

Download for free!

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About Elisabeth Wheatley

Elisabeth Wheatley

Elisabeth Wheatley is a teenager of the Texas Hill Country. When she’s not daydreaming of elves, vampires, or hot guys in armor, she is reading copious amounts of fantasy, playing with her little brothers, studying mythology, and training and showing her Jack Russell Terrier, Schnay.
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For more about Elisabeth and her other books use the links below.
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Thanks so much Elisabeth and have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!!

If you haven’t read The Guardians of Vesturon series by A.M. Hargrove yet, I have exciting news!

You can get Survival: Book One and Beginnings: The Prequel Novella, FREE today on AMAZON!

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I read and reviewed this before I started my blog.

Wanting to tell more about awesome books, I started my blog and haven’t stop talking since!

My Review

“Maybe I was caught between the two worlds. I was having serious trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality.”

While on a backpacking trip in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, nineteen-year-old Maddie Pearce finds her world has been thrown into a vortex and is madly spinning toward the impossible. Abducted by a mad psychopath, Maddie narrowly escapes with her life. But that is only the beginning. Her mysterious rescuer introduces her to a world that Maddie has difficulty accepting as reality. Will this strikingly gorgeous stranger be the key to her future or will she return to her mundane world, scarred from her experience? Follow Maddie as she is forced to make difficult decisions that carry her to mysterious places.

Click on the icon below to get your copy now!

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Reviewing soon

You met the Guardians of Vesturon in Survival and Resurrection.  Now read about how their parents, Rowan and Annalise met in Beginnings, the novella Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon.  Learn more about Rowan and how Annalise unwittingly captured his heart and how his chance meeting of her took him on a journey of forbidden love.

Click on the icon below to get your copy now!

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Other books in The Guardians of Vesturon Series

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My Review

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Reviewing soon.

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A Praestani Series Novel

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My Review

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The Edge Series

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My Review

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My Review

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My Review

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Reading this now.

You can catch my review in the tour coming October 2nd!

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About the Author

Hargrove

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodgeball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what lap top out the window.   She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone and hit #4 on her speed dial.

Boss:  Hello

A.M.:  Boss, is that you?

Boss:  Why yes, A. M., who else would be answering my phone?

A.M.:  Er… right.  Well, I’m calling to let you know you can pick up my luxury Ford Focus at Starbucks near the interstate.

Boss:  Why ever would I want to do that?

A.M.:  Because I quit!

A.M. hit the end button and speed dialed her husband.

A.M.:  Hi hubs, can you pick me up at Starbucks?

Hubs:  Sure… Having some car trouble?

A.M.:  Not at all.  I don’t have a car to have trouble with because I just quit my job.

Hubs:  WHAT?!

A.M.:  It’s time for a new career and I am going to be a very famous novelist.

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer! Her books include Kissing Fire, Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge, the series the Guardians of Vesturon (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, Beginnings and the upcoming reEmergent) and Dark Waltz.

Author Social Media Links:

http://www.amhargrove.blogspot.com

http://www.amhargrove.com

http://www.twitter.com/@amhargrove1

http://www.facebook.com/anne.m.hargrove

http://www.facebook.com/guardiansofvesturon

http://www.goodreads.com/amhargrove1

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A funny thing happened while I was reading The Twelfth Child. I became so engrossed in the story, I forgot to take notes for my review. I always keep pens and scraps of paper handy wherever I am when reading.

I was so into Bette’s story, I plum forgot my notes. So. smiling happily, I dove right back in and read the complete story again.

All of Bette’s books are laced with her southern prose, making me feel at home, looking for an old rocking chair to sit in while I read, with a glass of iced tea handy, the condensation dripping down the sides.

Come up on my porch, pull up a chair and get comfortable.

I have many things to say about The Twelfth Child and a really great giveaway too!

The Twelfth Child

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Abigail Anne Lannigan couldn’t marry a boy she didn’t love. She ran away to escape and it broke her heart, knowing her father would never forgive her.

Seventy years later, Abigail is in her twilight years but still going strong. A chance meeting with Destiny, the young lady who moved in across the street, is the beginning of a lasting friendship.

Destiny is young and determined to make it on her own. She just moved in, has little money and not much to start a home with. As her friendship deepens with Abigail, she accepts her gifts of unused furniture, but insists on working for it.

What started as just a helping hand here or there, becomes more nurturing as Abigail’s health begins to fail.

About this time, a young man named Elliott enters the picture. He claims to be a distant cousin from Abigail’s long lost family. He wastes no time in making life difficult for Destiny.

He knows the old woman has a million dollars stashed away and being a money hound, he figures Destiny is trying to steal it.

He accuses Destiny of absconding with the million dollars and she’s hard pressed to prove otherwise, hiring a dashing lawyer to defend her.

Only Abigail knows what really happened to the million dollars and she’s not in a position to tell.

One thing I always enjoy about Bette’s writing is her ability to take you into the past and flash you forward to the present in her stories without a glitch and as always, her characters are authentic, they live and breathe.

Abigail’s early years were fascinating and her brave young heart was still the same so many years later. Some of the things she said, the words she used had me cracking up. I just wanted to hug her. If I had a friend like Abigail I would be so lucky.

Destiny is happy-go-lucky. You could say she has a rosy personality, always seeing the best in people. She’s sweet and funny, a joy to be around.

I was scared for her when Elliott accused her of stealing Abigail’s money.

She is loyal, nurturing and honest. A tender soul facing a horrible accusation.

And every story needs a bad guy. Someone to loath. Elliott is just that guy. A real stinker.

Elliott is greedy, selfish, manipulative, and a big fake. I wanted so bad to give him a swift kick in the you know what, hard!

I always feel welcome and at home in Bette’s stories and become so attached to the characters that I share their emotions. I care what happens to them, laugh with them, cry with them, and fall in love with them.

Bette added just a little bit of the supernatural to this story, making it that much more fun.

5 Stars

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Winner of The National League of American Pen Women Award for Fiction

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About Bette Lee Crosby

Bette Lee CrosbyBette Lee Crosby’s work was first recognized in 2006, when she won the National League of American Pen Women Award for unpublished fiction with What Matters Most. Her novel, Cracks in the Sidewalk, received the 2009 Royal Palm Literary Award and then went on to win the 2011 FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal. In 2011 Spare Change received the Reviewer’s Choice Awards and it garnered a second Royal Palm Literary Award. Her books have earned numerous five-star ratings with readers acclaiming them as heartwarming and captivating.

Most recently, Bette completed a memoir written for Lani Deauville, a woman the Guinness Book of Records lists as The World’s Longest Living Quadriplegic.

Website

Goodreads

Twitter

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Bette is giving away one signed copy of The Twelfth Child (US Only)

And one e-book (International)

***When entering, please specify if entering for the signed copy or ebook and answer this question:***

“Have you ever had a friend you were so close to you would call them family?

This is a Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry at fundinmental. You can visit Sherry’s blog for another chance to win and see what she thinks about The Twelfth Child HERE.

Giveaway ends September, Friday the 13th!

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AMAZON TOP 100

SPARE CHANGE and THE TWELFTH CHILD are both in the top 100 HISTORICAL MYSTERIES

CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALK is in the top 100 FAMILY SAGA

You can find all of Bettes books HERE.

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Winner of Five Literary Awards,BookBundlz Finalist, Voted Goodreads Best Unknown Fiction, FPA President’s Book Award Silver Medal

MY REVIEW

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Winner of a Royal Palm Literary Award for Women’s Fiction

MY REVIEW

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Winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award and FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal

Reviewing Soon

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Reviewing Soon

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And keep an eye out for her newest release coming soon!

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Reading as soon as I get my hungry hands on it!!

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go HERE.

I have just the book to keep you company tonight!

**FREE** FAIR PLAY is FREE August 29th & August 30th

by jannashay

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FAIR PLAY, the first book in the Diamond Series, will be *FREE* at Amazon for 2 days, Thursday, August 29th and Friday, August 30th.  If you haven’t read it, please grab a copy.

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Add Shudder to Goodreads

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My Review

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SYNOPSIS

Forced to live a clandestine life, Danielle “Dani” Jordon believes she has found a safe haven in Las Vegas until she meets devastatingly handsome casino owner Jace Diamond. With his compelling sexual magnetism and mind-numbing kisses, Dani finds her world turned upside-down. Resisting the most compelling man she has ever met proves to be a task she doesn’t have the strength to fight.

Inexplicably drawn to her, Jace embarks on a relentless pursuit to make Dani his. It isn’t long before he finds himself irrevocably in love, but can he convince Dani that she belongs with him?

Trapped in her life of deceit, Dani is afraid to admit her love for Jace or believe in a life without fear. Can she take the chance and trust him to provide the sanctuary she so desperately needs, or will that trust lead to exposure of her secrets and destroy her life?

AMAZON

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EXCERPT

Dani stopped halfway in the room. She felt like she’d just been undressed with his eyes, but instead of making her feel disgusted as she had with Martin Pace, he’d caused her body to warm with pleasure. She hated that he could control her reactions to him, so she said indignantly, “One look wasn’t enough the last time, so you needed a repeat performance?”

He rose to his feet and smirked. “If I recall, we were supposed to exchange notes. I was just refreshing my memory.”

“Tonight I escaped the mauling of one pervert. Do I need to defend myself from another?”

His eyes flared with anger at her words, but he replied calmly, “Don’t put me in the same category as that excuse for a man.”

“Sorry. That was totally uncalled for.” Her gaze fell to the floor. “It’s been a tough night.”

He circled the front of his desk to face her.

She raised her head and followed him with her eyes and couldn’t help scrutinizing his body as he moved. He was tall. She figured him to be at least 6’3”, with broad shoulders, a lean body, and long legs. He had a really great body and so much male sexuality pouring from him, she figured women threw themselves at him all the time. No wonder he was so self-assured and arrogant. Her reaction to him was no different than other woman. No matter how much she denied it, she was very attracted to him.

She had to make sure Jace never learned of her attraction. It would be a very dangerous weapon to put in his hands. When her eyes returned to his, she realized he was watching her.

He crossed his arms and grinned. “Refreshing your memory, too, I see? Do you like what you see?”

Dani’s face instantly heated as she realized what she’d been doing. A few minutes ago she’d berated him for leering at her, and she was doing the same thing. Damn! She was treading on dangerous ground. Jace didn’t seem to be a man to be played with.

“Forgive my rudeness. You wanted to talk to me about something?”

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About Janna Shay

Janna Shay is a native Californian who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and miniature schnauzer.  She is a mother of seven grown children and has twenty-three grandchildren, with all her children living in nearby Northern California communities.

Janna was introduced to books at the age of five, which began a lifelong love of reading.  As a child she would spend endless hours at the local library pouring through all genres of books.  It wasn’t until her teens that her love of romance novels blossomed.

When Janna isn’t following her dream of writing or enjoying her love of reading, she can be found engaging in her other love, which is activities with her family.

Janna is a member of Romance Writers of America and San Francisco Area Romance Writers of America.

Contacts

Website – http://JannaShay.com

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/JannaShayAuthor

Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/@jannashay

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13651928-fair-play

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Okay, I must confess.

The first thing that attracted me to RUIN was the cover art.

And the problem with the cover art is my eyes keep wandering south!

I’m always saying if you put some sexy abs on the cover, please give me a sensual mouth and brooding eyes too!

In this case, I’m not really looking at his face. My eyes are looking below the belt.

Then I happened to spot the dreary house in the background with the clouds looming heavily in the sky.

A girl forbidden to be with a guy.

A guy with secrets.

A strong attraction.

Plenty to make me curious.

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Ruin by C.J. Scott (A Summer in Winter Novel 1)
Publication date: August 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
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Synopsis:

Kate Bell isn’t perfect. Not even close. The things she got up to in college would cause her parents to fall off their pedestals in shock. Home for the summer vacation, Kate settles in for a long, boring break in the tiny backwater of Winter with folks who still treat her like she’s twelve.
Then Ben Parker arrives and suddenly Winter gets interesting. He’s hot, mysterious and good with his hands. Kate falls for him instantly, but her cop father warns her to stay away. But how can she stay away from someone as compelling as Ben? Someone who thinks she’s perfect just the way she is?
When Ben’s secrets catch up to him, not only is Kate’s heart in danger of being broken, but Ben’s entire future could be ruined.

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Here’s a peek inside Ruin

“So Ben Parker, if I want you and you want me…what’s the problem?”

“You don’t like to beat around the bush, do you?”

“We don’t have time for that. We only have one night.”

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Don’t I know it.”

I turned so that I was fully facing him, one elbow on the railing. “Is that why you’re reluctant? Because you’re leaving tomorrow?”

“No. Yes. Partly.” He shook his head. “It’s complicated. I’m complicated.”

“You’re a guy. You can’t be too complicated.” I smiled and he smiled back sadly. “I’m listening if you want to explain all your complications to me.”

He shook his head. “I can’t.”

“Look,” I said. “I get that stuff has happened in your past that you want to forget.”

He straightened. “What makes you think that?”

“You’re traveling around the country with only one bag and no money. Not only that, but you got off the bus in a place with no jobs. If I wasn’t mistaken, I’d say you’re trying to lose yourself.”

He leaned on the railing again, his hands dangling over into nothing. He looked out to the garden, but it had grown darker in the last few minutes, and it was difficult to make out more than just shapes. “You’ll make a great criminologist, Kate. I have no doubt you’ll go far in whatever you decide to do.”

“Thanks. That’s very sweet of you. But it has nothing to do with the question at hand.”

“The question?”

I leaned over until my lips were near his ear. My breath fanned his hair. “Will you kiss me, Ben?” It was the wine talking. It had to be. I’d never been so brazen with any man before. I never made the first move, never took a chance on being rejected.

But I knew Ben wanted me. I just didn’t know why he pushed me away.

***To read the extended version of this scene and discover what Ben has tattooed on his shoulder, check out C.J.’s website http://www.cjscottbooks.com

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Purchase: Amazon / B&N
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C.J. Scott
ruin author CJ
C.J. loves reading stories that take her away to another world. If she’s in the middle of an amazing book, she’ll keep reading while cooking or cleaning (when she can be bothered doing either).
She likes interesting artwork but can’t paint, sketch or make anything more complicated than a snowman from plasticine. She enjoys beautiful gardens but hates gardening. She also hates housework, cooking (see above) and writing about herself.
C.J. loves connecting with readers. The best place to interact with her and other fans is via her Facebook page. That’s where she posts teasers and other stuff from her books. Author links: Website / Goodreads / Facebook
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Now for the giveaway!
I have one ebook copy of Ruin to give away!
All you need to do to enter is leave your email address and comment about Ruin or C.J.’s fun author bio!
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
For all of my giveaways go HERE.

after alex died Nerd Blast

This is a romance, but also a story of forgiveness and finding yourself.

When I was reading the synopsis, I clearly saw Dee Dee, with her purple hair and big, expressive eyes.

I want to know more about her.

Enjoy this glimpse into After Alex Died and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

After Alex Died Front

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Synopsis

“Don’t be someone who defines her life by someone else’s death.”
Dee Dee DeMarco’s brother, Alex, was funny, free-spirited and creative. He was also gay. Tormented by bullies, Alex killed himself on his 15th birthday.
Two years later, and now in college, Dee Dee believes getting a summer job working with a college-prep program for disadvantaged high school students is a stroke of luck, until she discovers that the guy assigned to co-lead her group is Cameron Connelly, a star basketball player and one of the bullies who tormented her brother to death. How can Dee Dee possibly spend the entire summer working so closely with one of the boys she blames for her brother’s death?

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after alex died author

Dakota Madison
Dakota Madison has been writing since she learned to read and fell in love with books. When she’s not at her computer creating spicy new romances, Dakota is traveling to exotic locales or spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds.
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Winner will receive a Signed Copy of After Alex Died
5 Winners will receive a Signed Copy of Matchplay
Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
For all of my giveaways go HERE.

Witches of Dark Root Banner 450 x 169

Do you ever wish a fantasy could be real? That magic and the supernatural really exists?

I think I’d like to visit Dark Root, to meet these witches, and get to know  Maggie.

Join me in the tour for The Witches of Dark Root. I have a fun trailer for you. a glimpse inside the book, and a fantastic giveaway!

But beware of the darklings.

The Witches of Dark Root

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The Witches of Dark Root
The Daughters of Dark Root Series

April Aasheim

 Genre: Paranormal/Fiction

Publisher: Dark Root Press

 Date of Publication: June, 2013

 ISBN-13: 978-0615819327 / ISBN-10: 061581932X / ASIN: B00D6OUDDG

Number of pages: 350

Word Count: approx. 112,000

Cover Artist: April Aasheim

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Book Description:

Deep in the forests of Central Oregon is a town called Dark Root, a place shrouded in secrets, mystery, and witchcraft.

But for Maggie Maddock, Dark Root is also a prison, a place where she is forced to spend her days working in her mother’s magick shop, forfeiting any dreams of her own. So when a mysterious stranger suddenly appears and offers to take her away from it all, Maggie jumps at the chance.

Now, seven years later, a strange phone call sends Maggie back to Dark Root and she is unprepared for what awaits her: a dying town, a sick mother, a renewed sibling rivalry, and a past she had hoped to forget.

Part Practical Magic, part Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, The Witches of Dark Root is a tale that seamlessly weaves the normal with the mystical, the mundane with the fantastic. Zipping in and out of time from Maggie’s childhood as an apprentice witch to current day, where Maggie struggles with her increasing powers, as well as family obligations, The Witches of Dark Root is a book rich in both fantasy and heart which will leave readers believing in magic.

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Excerpt:

Harvest Home, Dark Root, Oregon

October, 1995

 

“Maggie, wake up.” Merry jostled her sister, rousing her from her nap on the couch.

Maggie sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around. For a moment she forgot that she was in the living room of Harvest Home.

“Already?” Maggie asked, pushing herself onto elbows.

A loud chime coming from the grandfather clock confirmed that it was midnight, time for the ritual. Maggie felt the chill from the open door and looked around for her sweater.

“We aren’t supposed to wear anything other than our robes tonight,” Merry cautioned, but helped Maggie into the sweater, anyways.

“Where’s Eve?” Maggie asked. If she was going to have to wander the woods in the middle of the night for some crazy ritual, then Eve better be up, too. Maggie saw her standing by the door, jumping up and down, not tired at all.

Miss Sasha and six of her friends emerged from the dining room, talking excitedly and exchanging knowing glances.

“You girls ready?” Miss Sasha asked. This was to be their first grown up moon chant and Miss Sasha could hardly contain herself. She noticed the sweater Maggie wore over her long blue robe and frowned but didn’t mention it.

Merry, Maggie, Eve, and Ruth Anne followed their mother and her friends into the night.

It was cold and the sisters shivered as they wound their way along an old dirt road shrouded by trees to a circular clearing, a half-mile away. The girls had played in the clearing many times during the day, but this was the first time they had seen it beneath the light of a full moon. The grass looked dewy and lush as the soft light fell upon each blade, but the trees that surrounded the meadow looked foreboding and ominous, as if their long, twisted boughs were ready to snatch the girls, if given the chance.

“What are we doing here again?” Maggie asked, as they made their way towards the center of the circle. “…And how long do we have to stay out?”

The adults moved to a point in the very center of the clearing and the girls positioned themselves a few dozen feet behind them.

Ruth Anne surveyed the area and sat, cross-legged, on the moist grass. “We are rooting out the evil spirits that are trying to infest Dark Root.” Her voice was as flat and informational as an encyclopedia entry.

She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a key-chain flashlight and a comic book and started reading.

“How do we do that?” Maggie asked, watching as the elders––five women and two men––linked raised hands towards the sky.

They began singing, a soft melodic chant that Maggie had heard before.

Merry answered, “Every fall, the Council of Seven places a protective spell around our town. It must be done before the second half of the year begins, on November 1st. It keeps out the dark energies and ensures that the circle is strong.”

Maggie hopped on one foot, and then the other, trying to find warmth in the chill of the night. “But why do we have to do it now?” she moaned. “When it’s so cold?”

Ruth Anne responded, never lifting her eyes from her book. “It’s the witching hour. According to legend, the hours between twelve and three AM are when all things magical, including witches, are at their most powerful.” She turned the page of her book and cracked a smile at one of the drawings. “…It’s too bad we can’t keep out the crazy.”

Maggie widened her eyes. “But if witches are the most powerful now, won’t the bad things be more powerful too?”

“I’m scared,” Eve said, jumping in place as the elders continued their chant. Eve liked magick, but only the lighter arts, and those that yielded her a reward.

Merry took Eve’s hand and kissed it, and Maggie latched onto Merry’s other hand.

“I’m scared, too,” Merry fibbed.

Merry wasn’t afraid of anything.

There was a long silence, followed by the heavy beat of a loud drum. Miss Sasha looked over her shoulder at her daughters, letting them know that it was almost their turn. They had been practicing the spell for weeks now, and Maggie hoped she wouldn’t forget the words.

Ruth Anne set down her comic book and the four girls clasped hands and waded towards the center of the circle.

Miss Sasha nodded and the girls began their incantation.

As the Witching Hour chimes

And the whole world sleeps and dreams

We join our hands in sisterhood

Staving back the darklings

The circle stands, its shape eternal

Though the darkness is still beckoning

Our light will ward back the infernal

And shield us from the doomsday reckoning

Maggie was still tired and stumbled on a few of the words, completely missing some of them; however, Merry spoke them as loud and clearly as she recited The Pledge of Allegiance at school. All the while, Eve played with her hair and hardly tried at all. For her part, Ruth Anne recited the words without emotion, anxious to get back to her comic book.

“Who wrote the spell?” Ruth Anne had asked their mother earlier that day while they were preparing. “It doesn’t sound right.”

“It doesn’t matter if it sounds right or not,” Miss Sasha had explained. “It’s the power of words––especially when spoken in numbers––that matters. When we stand together, no enemy would dare traverse the boundaries of Dark Root.”

Maggie caught a movement to her right. She thought she had seen a dark form take shape and then vanish. And then another. Were they coming or going? She couldn’t tell.

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About the Author:

April Aasheim

April Aasheim spent her childhood traveling the Southwestern portion of the United States with her fortune- telling mother and her get-rich-quick dreaming stepfather. During that time, April and her family toured with a carnival company, sold bug repellant door to door, and resided in an abandoned miner’s shack in The Superstitious Mountains of Arizona.

When April became a teenager she went to live with her biological father in California. Her father saw April’s need to express herself and encouraged her to write her stories rather than tell them. By learning to write April was able to make sense of her family and the world she lived in. She continues to do that to this day.

April currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband. She is the mother of two incredible sons and the step-mother to a beautiful little girl. She is the author of numerous short stories, has contributed to several anthologies, and is the author of the well-received novel: The Universe is a Very Big Place.

The Witches of Dark Root is The first in the Daughters of Dark Root series and April looks forward to writing the second book in 2014.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AprilAasheimWriter

Website: http://www.aprilaasheim.com/

Blog: http://aprilaasheim.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AprilAasheim

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6535145.April_Aasheim

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A Tour Wide Giveaway
1 Prize back featuring a mug, keychain, pen, signed book and a few assorted other goodies- open to US Shipping
5 Kindle Versions of the book gifted from Amazon
3 Signed Paperbacks sent to winner- open to US Shipping
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Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter.

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go HERE.

Straight from H. D. Gordon to you!

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Hey there, my beautiful Blood Warriors!
Today you can download Shooting Stars (Book one of The Surah Stormsong Novels) for FREE on amazon!

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Once upon a time, a common boy fell in love with a princess. It was a hopeless, forbidden love, grown in a world where sorcery and magic rule over all. Now, dark times are brewing, and destiny will bring them together, while fate works to keep them apart. Extraordinary battles will be fought, and extraordinary choices made. Join the author of The Alexa Montgomery Saga for the beginning of a tale of star-crossed lovers and magic, of hope and love and loss, of desperate wishes made on stars.

My 5 Star Review

***Click on the icon below to get your copy!***

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Since book two, Falling Stars, will be released SEPTEMBER 15th, now is your chance to catch up!

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Surah Stormsong’s life has fallen down around her in the past week. Her father is in a coma induced by demon poison, two Highborn Sorceresses have been murdered, and a crazed Sorcerer by the name of Black Heart has made it his mission to take the kingdom for his own. As princess, and next in line to the throne, Surah is his primary target. But he’s not the only one she has to look out for.
Now, Surah is on the run, having just helped Charlie Redmine escape from the castle dungeons. This makes her a traitor in the eyes of many, as Charlie is not only a common man suspected of murder and treason, but also Black Heart’s younger brother.
The stars are crossed against the two lovers, the universe trying to keep them apart. In the end, will the stars align for Surah and Charlie, or will they fall from the heavens, dead and lifeless, like the tears of angels?

*****You can catch my review and interview with Heather on September 6th!*****

If you’re interested, make sure you mark you calendars for Sept. 15th, because for a very limited time Falling Stars will be available for only $.99! I think you guys are gonna like this one. 🙂

Also, if you visit my author page on Facebook, you’ll see a contest pinned to the top where you can enter to win a Tiger Adoption Kit from WWF!

As always, much love brothers and sisters, and happy reading!
Heather (HD) Gordon

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THANK YOU HEATHER!!!

Stonewiser Series Banner Free Ebook Blitz 450 x 169

I can hardly believe it!

Dora Machado is offering her complete Stonewiser Series FREE to download.

This series will be free August 31st thru September 2nd.

And more!

They will be free again September 6th and 7th!

I’m curious about these Stonewisers and their dying land.

And what are these ‘stones’ they speak of and hold as most sacred?

I’ll know soon enough and so can you!

Mark your calendar.

Check out this series and get your copies by clicking on the Amazon links provided.

Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone

Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone

Book 1

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy,Romantic Fantasy,Fantasy Romance, Dark Fantasy

Publisher: Mermaid Press

ISBN: 978-0979968204 / ASIN: B001F7ATEO

Amazon

Book Description:

Winner of the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Award for best Debut Novel

 Finalist for 2009 Foreword Book of the Year Award for SFF

Between truth and deception, between justice and abuse, a stonewiser stands alone with the stones. Or so begins the stonewiser’s oath. But what happens when a rebellious stonewiser discovers that lies have tainted the stone tales?

In a world devastated by the rot’s widespread destruction, only the tales preserved in the stones can uphold the truth and defend the Goodlands. In this world, stone truth is valued above anyone’s word, and stonewisers are the only ones capable of retrieving the tales from the stones, the only link between past and present, order and chaos.

Sariah is the most gifted stonewiser of her generation, but her talent does not atone for her shortcomings. A survivor of the Guild’s brutal training, she is curious, willful and disobedient. Yet not even Sariah is prepared for what she finds when she steals into the Guild’s Sacred Vaults: A mayhem of lies and intrigues that shatters her world.

Hunted, persecuted, and betrayed, Sariah must make an unlikely alliance with Kael, a cynical rebel leader pledged to a mysterious quest of his own. The fate of their dying world depends on their courage to overcome centuries of hatred and distrust. But not even the grueling journey has prepared them for what they are about to discover. Because nothing is really as it seems, and the truth is more intricate and devastating than they ever suspected….

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Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone

 

Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone

Book 2

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy,Fantasy Romance, Dark Fantasy

Publisher: Mermaid Press

ISBN: 978-0979968228 / ASIN: B0047DWZTU

Amazon

Book Description:

Winner of the 2010 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Gold Medal for SF/F

 Finalist for the 2010 ForeWord Book of the Year Award for SF/F

Sariah’s reward for revealing the stone truth: a death sentence.

The executioners have arrived and Sariah, the most powerful and controversial stonewiser of her generation, has been judged and condemned to death. For the last few months, Sariah has been hiding in the Rotten Domain, trying to find the elusive tale capable of uniting a divided people teetering on the brink of a catastrophic war. As she is dragged to the nets, where an eel rave has been stirred to maximize her execution’s gruesome spectacle, Sariah knows she cannot escape her sentence. She is guilty of the crimes for which she’s been condemned and no one, not even Kael, the Domain’s foremost rebel leader, can save her from the executioners’ righteous justice.

But Kael is more than just a formidable warrior; he is also a cunning strategist and Sariah’s steadfast lover. Risking all he has, he bargains with the greedy executioners, bribing them into delaying Sariah’s execution, buying her precious time and a last chance to realize the mysterious legacy that the stones have imposed on her. The agreement is hardly a reprieve. It encourages a mob to hunt Sariah for ransom, banishing her from the Rotten Domain and imposing heavy fines on anyone who tries to help her. Worse, it requires her to wear an irremovable, mysterious bracelet. If she doesn’t return to the executioners with the tale in hand when the allotted time expires, Kael and his kin will be ruined and the bracelet will kill her.

Hunted by the executioners, the Guild and the Shield, Sariah and Kael embark on a desperate search. Their journey will take them to the depths of the Rotten Domain, where Sariah must wise a guiding beam out of the wild tale stored in a stone-carved game. The beam will lead them through the warring Goodlands—where the rot is on the move—to the land beyond the Bastions, where a zealous people guard an ancient stone that could hold the key to their search. Along the way, Sariah and Kael must overcome deadly traps, torture, heartbreak, agonizing defeat and devastating losses in a desperate attempt to avoid war and answer the mysterious call of the stone.

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Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone

Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone

Book 3

Genre: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy,Fantasy Romance, Dark Fantasy

Publisher: Mermaid Press

ISBN: 978-0979968235 / ASIN: B0051H6SUI

Amazon

Book Description:

“Do you know why the stones grieve?” the woman said to Kael. “Not for a soul, I’ll tell you that much. The stones don’t grieve for the passing of a lowly woman or the madness of a smitten man. They don’t mourn death, or lost love, or broken dreams, or loneliness or despair. Yet you will make them wail. For you, the stones will weep.”

In their most perilous adventure yet, Sariah, the rogue stonewiser who stunned the world by discovering lies in the stones and defying the all-powerful Guild, and Kael, the rebel leader who against all odds loves her, must find a stolen child, the only one capable of setting rule upon chaos, preserving the future of stonewising, and defeating the rot ravaging the land. The stakes couldn’t be higher. The coveted child they seek is said to be an abomination. He is also their son.

It’s a daunting challenge. Their child is in the hands of a deceitful enemy who has fled to a mysterious ruler, a rival deity with unfathomable powers pledged to destroy the goddess and eradicate stonewising from the world. Worse yet, the land is engulfed in strife, the rot is spreading faster than ever, and Kael is haunted by a malevolent curse compelling him to kill the woman he loves.

In a dangerous journey fraught with shocking twists, Sariah and Kael must do more than defeat their foes, unravel the mystifying forces vying to control their lives, and discover the mysteries of ages past. They must challenge the stones, defy the goddess and confront their cursed fates. Because only by embracing their destinies do they stand a chance to save their child and their world.

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About the Author:

Dora Machado is the award winning author of the Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, from Twilight Times Books, available July 2013. She is one of the few Latinas exploring her heritage and her world through the epic fantasy genre today. She holds a master’s degree in business administration and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from GeorgetownUniversity. She was born in Michigan and grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a bilingual fascination for writing, a love for history, and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. She enjoys long walks, traveling, and connecting with the amazing readers who share in her mind’s adventures. She lives in Florida with her indulging husband and three very opinionated cats.

To learn more about Dora Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com

Subscribe to her blog at http://www.doramachado.com/blog/ , sign up for her newsletter at http://doramachado.com/newsletter.php  and follow her on Facebook and  Twitter.

About Dora Machado’s Novels:

Dora Machado is the award winning author of the Stonewiser trilogy and her newest novel, The Curse Giver. She is one of the few Latinas exploring her heritage and her world through the epic fantasy genre today. Her first novel, Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, won the 2009 Benjamin Franklin award for best debut novel. Her second novel, Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone, won the 2010 Independent Publishers Book Award’s (IPPY) Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy book of the year. Her third novel, Stonewiser: The Lament of the Stone, won the 2012 Independent Publishers Book Award’s (IPPY) Silver Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy book of the year. All three novels were finalists in ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Category. Her latest novel, The Curse Giver from Twilight Times Books is available July 2013.

Website: http://www.doramachado.com/

Blog: http://www.doramachado.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoraMachado101

Twitter: @DoraMachado or https://twitter.com/DoraMachado

Amazon Author Central: amazon.com/author/doramachado

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew.

For all of my giveaways go HERE.

Cadence of Gypsies Banner copy

I’ve always been fascinated by gypsies. I’ve seen so many films about them. Some are horror films like Drag Me To Hell, where the old gypsy woman levels a curse on a rude girl. Then there is an old favorite of mine with Pierce Brosnan, Nomads, about gypsies roaming our highways and byways. Very excellent.

I suspect there are gypsies roaming freely but their mode of travel nowadays is the motor home. What do you think?

Read on and enjoy the glimpse inside The Cadence of Gypsies.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES

By

Barbara Casey

Cadence of Gypsies

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BLURB:  

 

Three high-spirited 17 year olds, with intelligent quotients in the genius range, accompany their teacher and mentor, Carolina Lovel, to Frascati, Italy, a few weeks before they are to graduate from Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women. Carolina’s purpose in planning the trip is to remove her gifted, creative students from the Wood Rose campus located in Raleigh, North   Carolina, so they can’t cause any more problems (“expressions of creativity”) for the headmaster, faculty, and other students – which they do with regularity. Carolina also wants to visit the Villa Mondragone where the Voynich Manuscript, the most mysterious document in the world, was first discovered and search how it is related to a paper written in the same script she received on her 18th birthday when she was told that she was adopted – a search that will take them into the mystical world of gypsy tradition and magic, more exciting and dangerous than any of them could have imagined.

Cadence of Gypsies Book Cover Banner copy

A glimpse inside:

The slight voice tremor was all that was needed, but the deep, audible sigh confirmed what Carolina suspected:  that she was in for another real ass-chewing.  This would be the eighth time getting called into the headmaster’s office in the same number of months she had been teaching at Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women.  Each time it had been because her girls had committed a serious infraction of rules or behaved in some inappropriate way that was unacceptable within the stone walls of Wood Rose.

Her girls, the ones she had been given total responsibility for, called themselves Females of Intellectual Genius, or FIGs.   Everyone else, however, called them strange.  Never before in the history of Wood Rose had a student even come close to approaching genius status.  Certainly not in the time that Dr. Harcourt had been headmaster.  Then, within the short span of one week, two seven-year-old children–Dara Roux and Mackenzie Yarborough–were admitted, each from a different family, a different background, and a different part of the country, but each with an intelligence quotient well within the range of genius.  Amazingly, several years later, a third student–Jennifer Torres–was enrolled, whose age and scores were comparable to those of the original FIGs.  What Wood Rose could do for these gifted girls was now coming to a close, much to the relief of the administration, faculty, and staff alike.  This would be their final year at Wood Rose Orphanage and Academy for Young Women, for in June–less than six weeks away–they would graduate.

Carolina was still in bed, deep in thought as she usually was whenever she had a quiet moment to herself, when the telephone rang.  For several days she had been struggling with how best to approach the headmaster.  Ever since being put in charge of the FIGs shortly after getting hired at Wood Rose, she had been trying to come up with innovative ways in which she could somehow excite her girls, challenge their intellect, and, most of all, keep them out of trouble.  The inherent problems of being different extended beyond their prickly relationship with Wood Rose staff members.   The multi-faceted difficulties in teaching the FIGs frequently left the faculty with feelings of inferiority and impotency at the very least.  None of the other residents wanted to be around them either, with the exception of the youngest residents who didn’t yet comprehend the difference between being brilliant and normal, which brought about additional struggles of an inner psychological nature.  Carolina had tried a variety of things, but, obviously, what she had been doing wasn’t working.  What had stimulated her when she was their age?  What mysteries of the universe had intrigued her?

Then she had remembered.

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AUTHOR INFORMATION:

cadence of gypsies Barbara Casey

 

Originally from Carrollton, Illinois, Barbara Casey attended the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Wesleyan College where she received a BA degree, summa cum laude, with a double major in English and history. In 1978 she left her position as Director of Public Relations and Vice President of Development at North Carolina Wesleyan College to write full time and develop her own manuscript evaluation and editorial service. Since that time her award-winning articles, short stories, and poetry for adults have appeared in several publications including the AMERICAN POETRY ANTHOLOGY, the SPARROWGRASS POETRY FORUM, THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF POETRY (Editor’s Choice Award), the NORTH CAROLINA CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE MAGAZINE, THE NEW EAST MAGAZINE, the RALEIGH (NC) NEWS AND OBSERVER, the ROCKY MOUNT (NC) SUNDAY TELEGRAM, DOG FANCY, BYLINE, TRUE STORY and THE CHRISTIAN RECORD. A thirty-minute television special which Ms. Casey wrote and coordinated was broadcast on WRAL, Channel 5, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ms. Casey’s award-winning science fiction short stories for adults are featured in THE COSMIC UNICORN and CROSS TIME short story anthologies. Her essays, also written for adults, appear in THE CHRYSALIS READER, the international literary journal of the Swedenborg Foundation, and A CUP OF COMFORT ANTHOLOGY by the Adams Media Corporation.

Her two middle-grade/young adult novels, LEILANI ZAN and GRANDMA JOCK AND CHRISTABELLE (James C. Winston Publishing Co.) were nominated for awards of excellence by the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, the National Association of University Women Literary Award and the Sir Walter Raleigh Literary AwardSHYLA’S INITIATIVE (Crossquarter Publishing Group, 2002), a contemporary adult novel of fiction, received the 2003 Independent Publisher Book Award and received special recognition for literary merit by the Palm Beach County Cultural Council. Ms. Casey’s novel THE COACH’S WIFE (ArcheBooks Publishing), a contemporary mystery, was listed as a Publisher’s Best Seller and was semifinalist of the Dana Award for Outstanding Novel. In 2007 her novel, THE HOUSE OF KANE (ArcheBooks Publishing), also a contemporary mystery, was considered for a Pulitzer nomination, and in December 2009 her novel, JUST LIKE FAMILY (Wandering Sage Publications), was launched by the
7-Eleven stores in St. Louis, Missouri. Her young adult novel, THE CADENCE OF GYPSIES (Gauthier Publications), was released in March 2011 and considered for the Smithsonian’s Most Notable 2011 Books.  It has also been selected by Amazon for its 2013 List of Best Books.  THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY (Strategic Media Books), a novel for adults, was released in March 2013 and received an IPPY Award for Best Regional Fiction.  It has also been listed as a “2013 Best Summer Read” by Conversations Live Radio and has been placed in nomination for a Pulitzer Award.

Ms. Casey is a frequent guest speaker at writers’ conferences and universities throughout the United States. She is former director, guest author, and panelist of BookFest of the Palm Beaches, Florida; and for thirteen years she served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Florida.  She held the position of Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 to 2003.

Ms. Casey is president of the Barbara Casey Agency. She represents clients nationally and internationally in fiction and nonfiction for adults. Her past and present professional associations are numerous and include being editorial consultant for The Jamaican Writers Circle in affiliation with the University of West Indies and MicoTeachers College in Kingston. She also received special recognition for her editorial work on the English translations of Albanian children’s stories.

LINKS

www.barbaracaseyagency.com

 http://www.amazon.com/The-Cadence-Gypsies-Barbara-Casey

 

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Barbara will be awarding a $25 Amazon or BN.com gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Do you know anything about gypsies? Do they still roam? What did you think of the excerpt?

Leave a comment and let me know. The more you comment, the more chances to win!

For more fun posts about The Cadence of Gypsies and more chances to win, click on the banner below and follow the tour!

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go HERE.