New Release Spotlight: Meet Me There, YA Fiction by Judy Corry

A dark Chemistry lab. A fake British accent. It's all fun and games until somebody falls in love.

Ashlyn and Luke have been at war since last spring. What started as sabotaging each other's recipes in Foods class, has now turned into "boyfriend wanted" ads all over the school and Icy Hot in a jock strap. But could there be more to this war than meets the eye?

From the AlzAuthors Blog: Linda Brendle, Author of "A Long and Winding Road: A Caregiver's Tale of Life, Love, and Chaos"

The Accidental Author 

By Linda Brendle

My goal in life was not to become a writer. I enjoyed writing when I was younger, and I toyed with the idea making a career of it until I received my first negative review from an English teacher. I don’t take criticism very well, and I took her comments very personally. Years later, though, after the sting of her rejection had faded, and especially when I became a caregiver, the need to express myself resurfaced.

Becoming a caregiver was not one of my ambitions either. When I was in the seventh grade and was asked to write an essay on “What I Want to Be When I Grow Up,” my choice of careers was not caring for my aging parents. However, when a loved one has a need, you step in to help. Then, whether by small increments as the need progresses, or all at once because of a catastrophic event, you realize that you have become a caregiver.

When I became a real hands-on caregiver, I often went to Aunt Fay for advice. She’s Mom’s younger sister, and she cared for both her mother and her husband for many years. One thing she told me was to keep a journal, because one day my experiences might be of help to someone else, and I took her advice. I didn’t write every day, but after a particularly trying episode, I’d write about it and post it on Facebook. It was a safe way to vent, people responded positively, and I was encouraged to continue to write.

Later, my husband David and I bought a motor home and fell in love with the RV life. We were both retired, so we decided to take an extended trip through the southeastern part of the United States. Mom and Dad were living with us by then, so they were included in the plans. I knew that sharing a tiny living space with two people with Alzheimer’s, even two people I loved dearly, would lead to many trying episodes, so I took along several of my favorite pens and a spiral notebook.

New Release Spotlight: Rafferty Lincoln Loves...Young Adult Fiction by Emily Williams

Rafferty Lincoln doesn't like horses. Not one bit. But when the popular high school girl of his dreams, Liberty Ashburn, pulls him into a world of lead ropes and horse brushes, who is he to say no?

Except this isn't any old horse. This is the missing racehorse, Profits Red Ridge. The horse Rafferty and three of his friends are hiding from the world. And Liberty Ashburn isn’t just any ordinary high school girl. How far will Rafferty go to win her over?

An intense, witty, and powerful coming of age story with startling consequences.

New Release Spotlight: "When Tomorrow Starts Without Me," by USA Today Bestselling Author Stacy Claflin

This week's new release is from one of my favorite authors, Stacy Claflin, who always seems to have a new book coming out. How does she do it? I so admire her drive and productivity. Her latest is When Tomorrow Starts Without Me, and you'll be sucked in to the story from the first scene.

Welcome to Adventures in Publishing Stacy!

About the Book

He’s on the road to fame. She’s at the end of the line. A chance meeting will change everything.

Kenna Mitchell grew up despised and mistreated by those who should’ve loved and protected her. Now homeless and alone, with pain too heavy to bear, she’s ready to end it all.

Enter Rogan Scott, an up-and-coming rock star with one focus—his band. Out in the woods, looking for song inspiration, he comes across a beautiful girl seconds from ending her life.

From the AlzAuthors Blog: Meg Foster and "7 Spiritual Steps for Caregivers - A Path to Meaning and Hope in Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiving"

By Meg Foster

7 Spiritual Steps – A Journal to Ease the Way

According to Alzheimer’s International, globally, there are nearly 44 million people that have Alzheimer’s or a related dementia.

In America alone, there are 5.3 million living with Alzheimer’s disease. 74% of caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias reported that they were “somewhat concerned” to “very concerned” about maintaining their own health since becoming a caregiver.

New Release Spotlight: Wise Before Their Time, by Ann Richardson

“As Powerful As Any Great Classic Of Fiction”

So said Sir Ian McKellen in his Foreword to my book. And it is.

Do you remember the terrible times of AIDS and HIV in the 1980s and 1990s? If not, are you curious to learn what it was like for those diagnosed?

Wise Before their Time, first published in 1992, shows in moving detail what it was like to live with HIV/AIDS when there was no real treatment for this life-threatening illness. It tells the true stories of over forty young men and women from all over the world, attending an international conference of people with HIV and AIDS in London in 1991.

New Release Spotlight: Silently in the Night, by Clayton Graham

A collection of tantalizing tales with more twists than braided hair!

This week's new release comes from fellow Books Go Social author Clayton Graham. Here you will find mystery, murder and mayhem – plus a moment of romance. All the stories will make you stop and think, even question your role in the world and the universe. Just what are we doing here, and where are we going? Easy questions with problematic answers.

This anthology of sixteen short and thrilling tales of unusual, extraterrestrial and conspiratorial stories is the latest compilation from Clayton Graham, the author of science fiction novels Milijun and the soon to come Saving Paludis. The characters in this eclectic collection are mostly ordinary people whose reactions to their fears and to unexpected events will have you guessing at every turn of the page.

From the AlzAuthors Blog: Joy Johnston, Author of "The Reluctant Caregiver"

By Joy Johnston

Not everyone is born a natural caregiver.

Unlike some caregivers who can draw upon their experience as a parent or time spent taking care of siblings when they were younger, I had no such reservoir of caregiving knowledge when my parents fell ill. An only child who lived 1,300 miles away from my parents, my father began showing signs of dementia while I was in my mid-thirties. Assuming the role of long-distance caregiver, I helped my mother by paying bills, sending supplies, and researching care options.

It was not until six months after my father's death, when my mother suddenly fell ill and was diagnosed with colon cancer, that I became a primary caregiver. I was woefully unprepared and frankly, reluctant to step into the role. My mother required emergency surgery and faced a lengthy recovery. I ended up quitting my job and temporarily moving to New Mexico to care for her. What followed was a crash course in caregiving, with all the ups and downs that comes with the territory, like the most terrifying roller coaster in the world. (I've always hated roller coasters.)

New Release Spotlight: "The Timelost," SciFi by Guest Blogger Chris Turner

This is a little different for the blog. I don't usually spotlight SciFi, but this new release looks intriguing, so I'm turning the blog over to fellow Books Go Social author Chris Turner. Welcome to Adventures in Publishing Chris!

Human vs Alien

A pilot stranded on a faraway planet, timelost. An alien seeking symbiosis.

Visceral alien battles, planetary wars. Experience the adventure...along with edge-of-the-seat SF audio in this Star Wars meets Alien thriller.

In 2014, I started sequencing original SFF to audio using the Booktrack free studio tool, and it offered up a unique, creative experience. I was amazed at how the placement of some well-crafted audio, synced by word, sentence or paragraph could make a story come alive—in the same way a soundtrack makes a movie come alive. To date, I have produced a few dozen, text-and-audio renditions of my stories, drawing on the wide variety of sound clips from the Booktrack audio library.

The Timelost, my most recent production, is a gritty, dystopian foray into the macabre.

The world-building was intense, as I tried to incorporate elements of ‘galactic empire’, the theme of ‘a few struggling against many’, and extraordinary alien adversaries. I also wanted to develop the concept that an ordinary person, the pilot Miko, when plunged into a hostile, colonized, or uncolonized world with chilling advanced alien technology, could become a hero. And not just by circumstance.

Cover Reveal! The Time Rift, by Liwen Y. Ho and David H. Ho

Today's Guest Blogger is fellow Clean Indie Reads author Liwen Y. Ho, who has co-written a book with her husband, David H. Ho. This is what happens when a sci-fi enthusiast and a romance author merge their talents.

By Liwen Y. Ho

There were many things I looked forward to when I married my hubby nearly 17 years ago. I had hoped we’d have lots of fun together (check!), travel to warm destinations together (check!), start a family together (check!), and grow up through all of life’s ups and downs together (double check!). What I never expected us to do though was write a book—together. Yep, that’s a lot of togetherness in case you couldn’t tell. But that’s what marriage is all about, right? (Haha, gulp!)

So, the story goes (our story, not his story, which we’ll get to soon), hubby enjoys sci-fi movies, and about five years ago, he came up with his own idea for one. And since he doesn’t like to read or write (did I tell you we’re opposites?), he asked me to write it. Now, this is where I double checked the vows I made on our wedding day. Even though I hadn’t promised “to have and to hold and to write a book together”, I agreed to do so because I love my hubby.

From the AlzAuthors Blog: Linda Jenkins and "To Helen with Love, A Memoir of a Daughter’s Caregiving Journey"

By Linda Jenkins

After five years in the making, writing this memoir has been one of the most intense endeavors I’ve ever taken on, but well worth it.

While I was writing this memoir I discovered how much pain I still had deep inside of me. Pain from some of the experiences. Pain from not knowing what or how to deal with dementia. Pain of not understanding what caregiving entails. Pain from dealing with the healthcare field. Finally, pain when it’s all over.

Many times through my caregiving years I felt lonely inside. Even after my Mother’s death I felt loneliness. You know what I mean if you are a Caregiver or have been one. Even though I was surrounded by family and people I loved, there was still a sense of loneliness.

Pouring through my journals to capture information for my memoir was like going back in time and reliving the experiences. Some of my entries were humorous and other entries were screaming, “Help! I don’t understand.” Still others were filled with sadness and torment. I even found myself in tears while typing the manuscript! I began to realize I wasn’t “done” with my grieving, not even close. That’s when I discovered I had not had any closure; I had no idea how much I needed that. Personally, I don’t believe we ever truly “get over” the death of someone we love, we just learn to accept it; we never really forget. My loved ones are still close to my heart.

My intention for writing this memoir is to help other caregivers know they are not alone in their journey. To let them know it’s an ongoing learning experience all the way to the end. There’s no magic wand to free up the pain and sacrificing a caregiver deals with.

New Release Spotlight: "Good Luck Charm," Second in The Holiday High Series by Kellie McAllen

Connor is Kerri’s good luck charm, but is he lucky enough to win her heart?

Basketball star Kerri “Killer O’Connor” knows she’s bad luck, and she's tried everything to keep it from ruining her life -- a rabbit's foot, a horseshoe, her dad's lucky shirt -- she's never without one.

When her dad gets hurt in a freak accident on Friday the 13th, Kerri is sure she’s to blame, but then a boy shows up wearing her father’s old sweatshirt, and Kerri’s luck suddenly does a 180.

Convinced that Connor Murphy is the talisman she needs to change her fate, Kerri begs him to be there for her while her dad is recuperating. Connor doesn’t believe in luck, but he’d do anything to win the girl of his dreams, even if that means spending all his time with Kerri.

Connor never expected to fall for the kooky girl with the crazy superstitions, and Kerri’s convinced that Connor wants someone else. But when luck turns to love, can Connor convince Kerri that he’s more than just her lucky charm?

Purchase Good Luck Charm 

Cover Reveal! "Can Dreams Come True?" Book One in the Cecily Taylor Series by Contemporary YA Fiction Author Krysten Lindsay Hager

One of my favorite YA authors has  a new book coming out! Here's a peek at the cover for Krysten Lindsay Hager's Can Dreams Come True? This is Book One in the brand new  Cecily Taylor Series. 

Cover art work by Cora Graphics for Clean Reads.

Synopsis

Cecily has always had a huge crush on singer Andrew Holiday and she wants to be an actress, so she tags along when her friend auditions for his new video. However, the director isn’t looking for an actress, but rather the girl next door—and so is Andrew. Cecily gets a part in the video and all of Andrew’s attention on the set. Her friend begins to see red and Cecily’s boyfriend is seeing green—as in major jealousy. A misunderstanding leaves Cecily and her boyfriend on the outs and Andrew hopes to pick up the pieces as he’s looking for someone more stable in his life than the models he’s dated. Soon Cecily begins to realize Andrew understands her more than her small-town boyfriend—but can her perfect love match really be her favorite rock star?

Purchase Can Dreams Come True?