Archive for May 1, 2014

Let Loose by Rae Davies ~ A Dusty Deals Mystery ~ Giveaway and my cozy review

Posted: May 1, 2014 in Blog Tour, Cozy Mystery, giveaways, reviews
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Let Loose
by Rae Davies

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Let Loose:
Dusty Deals Mystery Series: Book 4
Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Lead Dog Books (March 3, 2014)
File Size: 826 KB
Print Length: 215 pages
 ASIN: B00IROM6BC

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MY REVIEW

I knew Lucy was in trouble the minute she locked onto the warm, toffee colored eyes of Martin. What’s a girl to do? She already had a great boyfriend in Peter, a police detective.

Martin came to her rescue when she tripped and rolled down the hill in the minus 30 degrees cold while trying to find her Malamute, Kiska.  Before she could stop herself, she volunteered for the Silver Trail dogsled race, which was being held in her town of Helena, Montana. I could see all kinds of delicious trouble brewing.

Lucy owns Dusty Deals, an antique store, with her self-proclaimed partner Phyllis and employee, Betty, who actually run it more than she does. These two were hilarious. Always volunteering her for this and that, angling to make her a who’s who in Helena.

At the fundraiser, Lucy arrives sporting her new do, blue hair courtesy of an episode involving a matchmaking biddy at the hair parlor. As the trail route is revealed, Frank, a member of the Skyers, a snowmobile club, objects, claiming part of the route is theirs and the planned route will have to be changed. Red, the trail organizer, manages to deflect Frank until after the presentation, where they are seen in heated debate. Seems like trouble has arrived in Helena.

The next morning, Lucy’s morning coffee is interrupted by the howls of the hounds from hell. Rushing to the window, she spies a team of sled dogs running loose. Being a dog lover, she lures the team into her jeep with some hotdogs and heads to their kennels to return them safe and sound.

When she arrives at the truck, all the kennel doors are open. This couldn’t be an accident. After she stumbles upon Red, she’s sure of it. The bullet hole in the back of his head indicates murder has come to her town.

The rash of snowmobile thefts and the dispute over the trail route might be connected and Lucy’s previous job at The Helena Daily News comes into play with her nose for ferreting out stories. Let’s just hope her snooping doesn’t put her in the killers crosshairs.

Romance, dogs, murder, and humor. What more could I ask for in a cozy mystery.

The romance is interesting. Enter Martin, the ruggedly handsome musher, and Peter, the absent boyfriend. Hmm…While the cat’s away…

The mysteries were fun to follow. I was curious whether the snowmobile thefts and the dispute over the trail route were connected. Was there a saboteur and a murderer working together? Was there just one culprit? What there was, was plenty of suspects and a heck of a good time sorting them out.

Lots of local color and flamboyant characters along with comic relief made this a truly fun cozy mystery. I already knew it would be when I spotted the adorable cover art. You can be sure I’ll be reading more of this series.

5 STARS

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Synopsis

No good deed goes unpunished. The rule has kept Lucy Mathews out of trouble for most of her 29 years. That is until her part-time partner decides Lucy’s image needs a little polishing and shoves her in front of every do-good bandwagon she can find.

Luckily for Lucy, her dream charity runs right up to her doorstep in the form of a sexy Canadian musher who’s in town to help organize the local sled dog race.

Not so luckily for Lucy, sexy Canadians and detective boyfriends do not a happy mixture make.

One dead race organizer, a group of rambunctious octogenarians, and a team of sled dogs in need of a home later and Lucy is confident this punishment is more than anyone, much less one lone antique store owner, can handle.

Other books in the Dusty Deals Mystery Series…

Loose Screw
Cut Loose
 Loosey Goosey
Loose & Lethal: Dusty Deals Mystery Series Box Set: Books 1 -3

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Coming Soon….

Love on the Loose (A Dusty Deals Mystery Series novella)

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544752_332133136858752_1516498171_n About This Author

Rae Davies is the pen name of author Lori Devoti.

Lori Devoti worked for three different newspapers in two different states before deciding to stay home with her children and begin writing fiction. Lori has been a finalist for many awards including the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award and is a member of Novelists Inc., a prestigious group for professional writers. She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and children as well as two dogs.

Like Lucy, Rae/Lori loves antiques, Montana and malamutes.

Website ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads

Purchase Links
AMAZON B&N Smashwords

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Tour Participants

April 27 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Interview
April 28 – Community Bookstop – Review
April 29 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway
April 30 – Kelly P’s Blog – Interview
May 1 – fuonlyknew ~ Laura’s ramblins and reviews – Review, Giveaway
May 3 – Darla King Series – Guest Post
May 5 – deal sharing aunt – Guest Post
May 6 – Back Porchervations – Review, Giveaway
May 7 – readalot blog – Review, Giveaway
May 8 – Traci Andrighetti’s blog – Interview
May 9 – Victoria’s Pages of Romance – Guest Post
May 12 – Kaisy Daisy’s Corner – Review
May 13 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – Review, Giveaway
May 14 – Chloe Gets a Clue – Interview

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Tour giveaway

A choice between the three e-book bundle, Loose & Lethal,

or a print copy of Loose Screw

Winner’s Choice

To enter please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this question:

“Where is your favorite place to read?”

Giveaway ends May 8th.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Super Book Blast and Giveaway ~ careful by Randy Anderson

Posted: May 1, 2014 in Action/Adventure, Book Blast, Contemporary Literature, giveaways
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Careful Banner copy

Welcome to the Super Book Blast and Giveaway for Randy Anderson’s careful.

Adventure and healing in South America.

careful

by Randy Anderson

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BLURB:

For two decades Tyler Gibbons has been keeping a secret from his family. At the tender age of sixteen, Tyler embarks on a student exchange program. Sent to the Andean city of Ambato, Ecuador, he finds daily adventure as he tries to fit in at school, connect with his host family, and navigate through a world of beaches, volcanoes, and jungles. But tucked deep inside this year are events so profound, so unexpected, they forever shape the man he will become.

Now, 25 years later, his mother pulls these soaring tales from her son, exposing, for the first time, the source of a deep unhappiness. While these memories contain the wounds of an unresolved past, they also possess the power to heal his painful present.

Thoughtfully crafted and boldly told, Tyler’s journey takes the reader on a wild South American adventure, while illuminating a mother’s unyielding power to heal her child.

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Excerpt

The boat came to a stop at a shallow riverbank. We were greeted by an olive-skinned man in his forties with shoulder-length hair and an unruly beard. He resembled a castaway, but with more muscle.

“Welcome to the Amazon,” he said, helping the ladies off the boat. “My name is Xavier. I will be your guide for the next two days. Please take only what you need for one night and leave the rest with the boatsman. He will take your things to camp by boat.”

“From here we will hike two hours to camp. There you can relax in the hammock, go swimming, and enjoy a nice dinner in the evening.” Xavier was very welcoming with his choppy English. We’d learn later that he was born in Bolivia and educated in Germany. His love for the study of biology would take him to exotic places all around the world. He was a charismatic free spirit.

“First thing first,” Xavier said. “Everyone needs to put on these boots.” He pointed to a line of knee-high rubber boots. “They are not the most ideal for hiking, but it’s been very wet, so the ground is soft. Do not be surprised if you sink one half . . . maybe one meter into the earth.” We were looking around in disbelief. “If this happens, do not panic. Just relax. Don’t wiggle. Signal for my attention. I will come and help you free.”

“Help us free?” I whispered to Peter.

“Yes, help you free.” Xavier’s ears were keen. “It is sometimes very difficult to free yourself from this earth, so use caution. Now we go.” He began walking up the bank and suddenly stopped.

“Also, you will see me eat things. Do not eat things unless I give them. If you do, you may die. I’m very sorry for this but it is your own fault. Don’t eat anything unless I give you,” he repeated. “I won’t give you everything I eat. Why? Because not all are good. Eating plant is not about good plant and bad plant. It is about good plant at good time. Not good plant at bad time. And there is never good time to eat bad plant. So no eating unless I give it. Okay? Now we go.” We all nodded and started following him up the hill. Once again he suddenly stopped.

“Also, do not touch things. Sometimes, plants have defenses that will make you very sick, or will make you die. Sometimes plants have insects on them that will sting or bite you. This can also make you very sick or die. Sometimes plant isn’t plant but insect. These are very cool and most won’t sting or bite you. If you see this, do not touch but alert me so that I can show you. Okay?” I was relieved that at least one thing wasn’t going to kill me.

“It’s like we’re marching into certain death,” Peter said as we laughed.

“Also,” Xavier said, “one last thing, and then we go. Sometimes, plants or bug touch you. This happens. Plants grow over trail, bugs fly through air and hit you. This will happen. Mostly you’ll be okay. Maybe, once in a while, this makes you sick or kills you. It’s very sad and I’m sorry. This is not your fault.” He paused for a second. “Oh, the animals. I almost forgot the animals! The jungle is full of many animals. Do not touch the animals. Some are very dangerous. Not as dangerous as the plants and bugs, but there is still danger. Watch where you step. The snakes and rodents will sometimes use our trail. The snakes are dangerous. The rodents are unpleasant. Either way, try not to step on them. Sometimes a snake will drop from the tree. This is bad. But not very often. If you feel pee, don’t look up. Monkey pee stings the eyes. Very bad. Okay, now we go.”

Finally Xavier’s disclaimer was over and we were off on our certain-death march. Whatever fear of the forest he’d put into our hearts vanished under the beauty of the canopy. The sounds of life we’d been hearing beneath the rumble of the bus amplified tenfold. The jungle was electrifying. Sunlight filtered down to the ground in ever-changing locations, spotlighting endless shades of green.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Randy Anderson

Randy Anderson is a novelist and playwright. His first book was published in 2011. On Making Off recounted his adventures running The Beggars Group, a downtown theater company that produced over two dozen productions at the turn of the millennium. He is also the author of several plays including; Kill the President, The Dwelling, and Yippie! Randy currently lives in Brooklyn where he writes, reasons, and reacts. You can contact him at www.onmakingoff.com, or on twitter @onmakingoff.

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Randy will be awarding an eCopy of Careful and a $25 Starbucks GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

So be sure to show some comment love!


Click on the banner below to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Book Reviewer Yellow Pages ~ Blast and Huge Giveaway!

Posted: May 1, 2014 in Book Blast, giveaways, reviews
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Book Reviewer Yellow Pages Blast and Giveaway

 

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages Front Cover

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Are you trying to promote your books? Are you a writer, publisher, or agent?

Promote your book with this bestselling author’s reference, the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages. Make your book promotion easier, and get the publicity you need from book reviewers. Learn how and where to submit your book for review. There are hundreds of new book reviewers listed in this book. Each listing details the individual book reviewer’s:

1.   Contact information,

2.   Pet peeves,

3.   Preferred genres, and

 4.  Submission guidelines

Reviewers are rated for quality and influence. This new edition includes several blog tour sites and their submission guidelines. Learn how to get the exposure that your book deserves! Authors and book reviewers can sign up for alerts at: http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net

*Note: This book is enrolled in the Kindle MATCHBOOK program. If you purchase the paperback from Amazon, the Kindle edition is free. The paperback has a genre index, which makes searching for accepted genres easy. The Kindle version has clickable website links (which is impossible to do in a paperback), so you can click directly to the reviewer’s site and contact page. The publisher of this book recommends purchasing the paperback and then downloading the Kindle edition for free using Amazon’s Matchbook program, and using both versions to maximize your promotion efforts.

PROMO TIP: This is a reference book with active hyperlinks in the e-book. It is easier to view and use the Kindle edition of this book on a computer using Amazon’s free Kindle app. That way, you can use the full screen to check genre preferences and submit your query right from your desktop.

 

Purchase

Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Amazon

 

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages EditorInterview with Christine Pinheiro, Editor, Defiant Press

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is a bestselling author’s promotional reference, designed specifically for authors who need book reviewers for their books.

Where did you get the idea for the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages?

At first, I did it purely out of self-interest! I wrote a nonfiction book in 2007, and I had a very difficult time finding book reviewers. It seemed like an impossible task. All of the regular outlets were closed to me—where do you go when you can’t get a review in the New York Times? Where do the “little guys” go when they need to promote their books? So I started the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages out of my own frustration. At first, the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was just a big list on a simple website. I added to the list when I had spare time. Book reviewers started seeking me out, and asking to be put on the list, and it just grew from there. In 2009, I published the first “Book Reviewer Yellow Pages,” and the rest is history. The list just grew organically. Now we have hundreds of book reviewers on our list, and thousands of authors subscribe to the newsletter.

How about the book reviewers themselves, what do they get out of it?

Many book reviewers just do it for fun, and they get the benefit of free books and ARCs (advance review copies). Quite a few of them also earn money, either from sidebar advertising, blog tours, or other author’s services. There are so many self-published authors out there right now, trying to promote their books without the help of a traditional publisher, so there’s a lot of little business ventures cropping up to serve them.

Many reviewers list their “pet peeves,” is this something that the authors really want to know?

Yes! It’s the most popular part of the questionnaire—all the reviewers have their own horror stories. Sadly, many authors have terrible etiquette when they request book reviews. Many don’t take the time to even spell-check their queries, or find out if the reviewer is a man or a woman, so they can address them correctly! I used to review books myself, and it’s amazing how many times I’ve gotten a review request with nothing but a link to the book. No signature, no salutation, nothing! Why would I review your book, when you aren’t even willing to take a few minutes to send me a proper review request? We also added an “author etiquette” section to the front of the book, and that seems to help a bit.

Do Book Reviews really help sales?

They’ve helped my own book sales tremendously, and I know hundreds of authors who would say the same. Look, everyone knows that book promotion is boring work. Contacting dozens of book reviewers is time consuming, and you have to deal with rejection, but the payoff from a positive book review is enormous. That’s been the case in my own writing career. Reviews really help sales, and it’s nice to have a public testimonial that customers can refer to when they purchase. On the flip side, many of the reviewers accept ARCs and also work as beta-readers, so if you can get a few good reviewers to read through your manuscript before publication, they might be able to give you valuable feedback. I found a big plot hole in one of my novels that way—a reviewer found the problem, and I was able to fix it before the book went to publication.

Do reviewers ever drop off the list? Can authors get updates?

Yes, on our website. Reviewers get added and removed on a regular basis—and the list goes through a complete overhaul once a year. I do a formal update every April. That’s when we put out a new edition of the book, as well as update the reviewer list on the website. The abbreviated list on the website is free, and authors and publishers can sign up for updates to the list here: http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net. The newsletter is also free.

Do you have any advice for authors?

Be polite to book reviewers, always. Not everyone is going to like your book, that’s just the nature of game. But publishing is a business, and it pays to be professional. It’s just like any other creative business. Reviewers are our critics, and they give us valuable feedback that we need to improve. One of the best reviews I ever received on the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was mildly negative. The writer gave me tons of feedback on how to make the book better. I followed his advice, and the book has been more profitable since. Book Reviewers really want to help authors—I’ve never met a single book reviewer that was interested in just tearing an author down. We are all in this business together!

 

For more information visit:

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages

Website * Facebook

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Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Ends 5/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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