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?

Hidden Illness: My TOS Testimony

Wellness Warrior Lisa Douthit headed to Washington, D.C. recently to advocate for those living with rare or obscure illnesses. She made a pitch for personal stories to take with her to present to lawmakers. I accepted her challenge and offered my TOS testimony.

Today is National Repetitive Strain Injury Day and I'm sharing the story I gave Lisa here. My twelve-year lifetime with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, as well as a number of other RSIs, has been a roller-coaster of physical, mental, and emotional duress. It's hard to believe I've been living with it for so long, and I understand I will always live with it. 

My TOS testimony: 

In 2006, my life was permanently disrupted by a number of conditions caused by repetitive strain injuries due to an inappropriate work station at my job: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and chronic pain. I am a nurse and at the time worked for a regional medical center as a case manager, specifically performing clinical documentation review. I was given a laptop on a utility cart that also carried a large and heavy printer. I pushed that cart all over the building, diligently doing my work for a year or so before I started waking up at night with numb hands. This soon led to chronic and relentless shoulder pain, a frozen shoulder, and nerve and vascular problems with my right arm. My neck soon developed chronic pain and decreased mobility. This resulted in total disability and the loss of the best job I ever had.

From the AlzAuthors Blog: Rick Lauber, Author of "Caregiver’s Guide for Canadians" and "The Successful Caregiver’s Guide"

By Rick Lauber

What motivates a writer to write a book? It could be to share a story, educate/help the reader, or to entertain. I wrote both my books to support readers, raise awareness for a growing issue, increase understanding, and also to personally cope.

Before becoming a twice-published book author, I was a former co-caregiver (working with my two sisters) for my own aging parents (Mom had Parkinson’s disease and Leukemia while Dad had Alzheimer’s disease). This was not a job I was expecting or prepared for and came with a steep learning curve. Not only did I face a quick education about eldercare, I also had to deal with the physical, mental, emotional, and financial impacts of caregiving – it is certainly challenging to helplessly watch your parents decline.

Blog Tour: The Caselli Family Series by Ta'Mara Hanscom

Ta'Mara has published her Caselli Family series before, but she is now relaunching the series starting with The Pretender and Pit of Ambition!  Join this super fun blog tour and find out more about the first two books (of five). Also, make sure you check out the great giveaway!

About the Books

The Pretender: A Blackguard in Disguise is the first volume of 5 in the family epic series The Caselli Family Series. 

It begins in South Dakota in 1975 where eighteen-year-olds could order 3.2 beers in a bar and loaded guns were kept under the counter. Frankie Valli sang My Eyes Adored You, and American soldiers returning from Vietnam struggled with their new reality.

​It’s within this tumultuous season of American history that Tillie Caselli meets Noah Hansen, and they are never the same again. Their lives were mysteriously intertwined – and had been for many years – yet they had no idea. 

​From the moment they met, Tillie and Noah wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, but a deliberate omission will keep them apart – and that same omission will be responsible for the escape of a murderer, and a bride’s deception.

​These compelling stories are interwoven with Biblical truths and light-hearted, real life events from the author’s own past. Easy to understand and relate to, as well as encouraging.

Cover Reveal! "All Things Beautiful" by Keely Brook Keith

I'm excited to announce the newest release in Keely Brook Keith's Uncharted Beginning's Series: All Things Beautiful, Book 3. Enter to win an autographed copy hot off the press!

Here's a peek at the cover by the talented Najla Qamber.  

I wonder what she's thinking and what she's looking at from that window. What do you think?

Keely's genre-bending stories of the undiscovered settlement of  Good Springs are captivating, original, and unique. Skillfully combining historical, romantic, and paranormal fiction, the Uncharted Series and Uncharted Beginnings will keep you mesmerized. All Things Beautiful is coming April 17, 2018 from Edenbrooke Press.  If you're an audiobook lover, hang tight! The talented Amy Marie Smith is currently recording the audio version.

Some thoughts from Keely: "While I wrote All Things Beautiful, I wanted to express how important it is to use the talents God has given us. I was brought to tears many times as the Lord met me on the page, and I pray He blesses you through Hannah and Henry’s story too."

From the AlzAuthors Blog: Mary Ann Drummond Shares Grandma and Me – A Kid’s Guide for Alzheimer’s and Dementia

By Mary Ann Drummond 

Nearly five years ago, after presenting at an Alzheimer’s caregiver conference, a seed was planted in my heart to write a children’s book about Alzheimer’s and dementia. When the conference was over one of the attendees came up to purchase one of my books. As she was leaving she asked if I could recommend a book to help her young child with the changes her family was experiencing since her mother was diagnosed with dementia. I was at a loss. I had been so focused on education for adults that I had not researched current literature for children.

I soon learned there were several great titles available to help children understand the dementia journey. What motivated me to add to the existing collection was the growing need to help young children not only understand this difficult topic in a sensitive, age-appropriate way, but also a sincere desire to give families tools to help maintain connections for as long as possible.

Last year, I was blessed to partner in this project with a talented co-author, Dr. Beatrice Tauber Prior, and a brilliant illustrator, Julia Walther. The imagery in the beautiful artwork of Grandma and Me helps to capture the child’s imagination. My grandson liked the book so much he took it everywhere with him for two days, even into the movie theater!

New Release Spotlight: "The Sins of Maggie Black," by Howard Petote

This week's New Release Spotlight is Howard Petote's The Sins of Maggie Black. Howard is a fellow Books Go Social Author. Here he tells us about the inspiration and motivations behind his novel. Welcome to Adventures in Publishing Howard! 

Origins: An Irish Girl Named Maggie

By Howard Petote

In 1968, the state of Missouri was blessed with the arrival of a baby girl, a one-year-old lifted from the arms of nuns in the west of Ireland. Her name was Maggie, and her adoptive parents— strict Catholics—wanted her to be perfect. But Maggie Black was not perfect, she was merely human—an earthy, feral child who one day realized she would never earn their love. Drifting into drugs, con artists and petty crime, she becomes a single mother stuck in the gritty world of door-to-door sales—dangerously tied to a bad man.