KidVenture: Through the Maize Virtual Book Tour

KidVenture Vol. 3

Middle Grade Fiction

Date Published: 03-30-2023

 

 

Chance, Addie and Sophie launch a new venture when they get lost in the country and stumble on the idea of starting a corn maze business. They quickly discover that while it’s easy to rush into a maze, finding your way out is hard. They will need to convince an investor to fund the venture, persuade a reluctant farmer to let them build their maze on his corn field, and figure out a way to work with his headstrong nephew. Along the way they will realize just how little they know about planting corn, designing mazes and writing business plans. Through many twists and turns —and dead ends— they will learn how to keep a partnership together and what the true job of a leader is. There’s only one thing harder than finding your way out of a maze: creating a maze people want to get lost in.

About the Author

KidVenture stories are business adventures where kids figure out how to market their company, understand risk, and negotiate. Each chapter ends with a challenge, including business decisions, ethical dilemmas and interpersonal conflict for young readers to wrestle with. As the story progresses, the characters track revenue, costs, profit margin, and other key metrics which are explained in simple, fun ways that tie into the story.

 

 

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The Serendipity of Catastrophe by Lisa Fellinger Virtual Book Tour

 

Day In the Life of the Author

When people think of an author, they often assume that said individual gets up in the morning and writes for eight hours the way most people with a “normal” job do. But the reality is, very few authors actually spend their full day writing. For many of us, writing time happens in the little nooks and crannies between the rest of our lives, and finding the time to write and then protecting that time can be a challenge.

For myself, I’m a mom to a three-year-old as well as a developmental editor and book coach, so my schedule is a bit different each day. I find the most important thing I can do for my own writing is to make sure I plan out my writing times for the week and then stick to them to the best of my ability. Since I don’t have a specific time each day that works best for me, I find that if I don’t spend some time at the beginning of the week to schedule out my writing time, the week will fly by without getting any writing done. Between mom life, client work, and trying to fit in some exercise, all of my time and energy can easily be eaten up. So, on Sundays, I sit down with my planner and make my list of To-Dos for the week, including whatever writing goals I have for myself. And then I schedule in the days and times I’ll write that week. Once they’re written in pen, it becomes a commitment and I treat it like any other client commitment I might have. Because my commitment to my own writing is just as important to me.

People often ask me if it’s possible to write a book while working a full-time job or being a stay-at-home mom, and my answer is absolutely! It can be challenging, and it requires determination and perseverance to find the time and stick to it, but if it’s a goal that’s important enough to you, you absolutely can make it happen. It may not happen as quickly as you’d like, but the time will pass anyways. Small progress is still progress!

A mother defeated by anxiety. A daughter determined not to become her mother. Can one month in Europe reunite them?

Anita Lorello is paralyzed by grief. When her husband dies in an accident the night before a long-awaited retirement trip, she’s devastated by the loss of her partner and once again shelves her dream to finally visit Europe. But when her estranged daughter agrees to accompany her nearly a year later, Anita is eager for the opportunity to repair their relationship.

Carrie Lorello’s life is crumbling. After a night of clouded judgment ends in her being fired, her mother’s offer of a one-month paid vacation seems like her best option. But she refuses to get caught up in her mother’s irrational worries and critical comments, and under no circumstances is she to learn what a failure Carrie’s proven to be.

Desperate not to lose her daughter again, Anita fights to conquer her anxiety and become the mother Carrie always wanted. But as Carrie’s life grows more and more complicated, her mother is the last person she wants to confide in.

Without anyone else to hold them together, can Anita and Carrie overcome their differences, or will the secrets between them derail their trip and destroy their relationship for good?

The Serendipity of Catastrophe is an emotionally compelling work of women’s fiction. If you enjoy travel stories, complex mother-daughter relationships, and lovably flawed characters, you’ll love this hopeful story of resilience and second chances.

They ultimately decided on Paris as their first of many adventures, but before they put down a deposit with the travel agent, Anita learned she was pregnant once again. Instead of planning visits to Notre Dame and the Louvre, her focus turned back to baby strollers and car seats, onesies and sleep training theory. Paris would always be there.

But all these years later, Anita barely knew that daughter. With Victor gone, her link to Carrie disappeared. Her phone calls home were infrequent and short, and she never shared anything about her life other than the most basic facts. Anita hadn’t pressed her for more, desperate not to widen the fissures in their relationship further, yet perhaps she’d inadvertently done just that. 

As much as the thought of never seeing Europe devastated Anita, the thought of losing her daughter completely crushed her heart. A month together in Europe was likely Carrie’s worst nightmare, but if by some miracle her daughter agreed to the trip, she couldn’t think of a better opportunity to improve their relationship, to prove she could be the mother she’d always intended to be. 

She rose and went back into the kitchen for the phone, the London travel guide still in hand. Meredith was right. Worst-case scenario, Carrie would say no. In fact, it was almost guaranteed she would.

Anita drew a deep breath, trying to keep her hope in check. She punched in Carrie’s cell phone number and prepared for her daughter to turn her down. 

But what if she said yes?

Lisa Fellinger writes contemporary women's fiction with lovably flawed, relatable characters. When she's not writing her own stories, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams as a book coach and developmental editor. She lives in Buffalo, New York with her husband, son, and fur babies.

Website: www.lisafellingerauthor.com

Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/ml6kpq 

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisafellinger_author/

Lisa Fellinger will award a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

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City of Lies by January Bain Blurb Blitz

CITY OF LIES

January Bain

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

Hard-boiled Crime Mystery

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A Gripping Tale of Identity, Crime, and Survival… Claire Preston, a script reader for a Hollywood movie studio, has recently lost her mother. Discovering she was adopted as a baby, she goes on a perilous quest for her true identity.

Assisted by her mentor, the seasoned private investigator, Jake Sterling, Claire delves deeper into her past, only to unearth a labyrinth of secrets more daunting than she ever envisioned. Soon, she finds herself in the crosshairs of a ruthless serial killer—an ex-Nazi fugitive evading justice for decades.

As Claire confronts her heritage, grapples with danger, and races against time to evade the clutches of a deadly predator, she finds herself wondering: Is uncovering the truth in a city of lies even possible?

Experience the chilling twists and turns of a tale where identity, mystery, and survival converge in the heart of 1968 Los Angeles.

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

EXCERPT

The Sounds of Silence

The streets were dark with something more than night.

~Raymond Chandler

Hollywood, April 1968

“Of all the dirty rotten maggoty things to do. That’s my twist. You stole my ending,” Claire Preston hissed at the movie screen.

The story about a woman going missing and the authorities arresting her abusive husband for murder had seemed familiar from the opening credits. His going to prison for life and swearing his innocence, with no one—not even his lawyer—believing him anything but guilty. Then the dramatic twist. Her showing up on screen alive at the end, twenty-five years later, in the visiting room at the prison and driving the knife home. The motive and name of the movie: Retribution. The woman had lost her unborn baby from the ongoing abuse and could never have another, more than enough motive to do the nasty. And all Claire’s idea.

A plot she’d skimmed as a script reader from the seemingly endless slush pile over at New Pictures Studio. Someone had used her notes to save the lame script from the dustbin.

“Is there a problem here?” The usher shone a flashlight directly in her face, giving her a new target.

You bet your sweet ass there’s a problem. “No problem. I was just leaving.” It wasn’t fair to take out her ire on the pimply-faced attendant in his ill-fitting burgundy jacket.

She fumed all the way down the red carpeted aisle to the street exit before shoving the cold metal door open with more force than strictly necessary, more upset with herself for letting it get to her, than by what she’d just witnessed.

The door clanked closed behind her, and the cool, moist air instantly enveloped her like a heavy embrace. An unusual turn of weather for LA in the fall, but welcomed. Maybe it would head off the usual rash of fires? She tugged the collar of her coat closed and yanked the belt tight around her waist. No credit for the idea, okay, she could live with that. But they could have at least said thank you or done something—taken her out for a drink or a decent meal or sent her flowers. Instead, they’re pretending it never happened.

Not cool.

She got into her white Ford Fairlane in front of the Starlight Theatre at the headwaters of the Los Angeles River and headed west toward the Sunset Strip and her small apartment on Sycamore Avenue. Why had she bothered to stop and see the movie her friend Serena had insisted she’d like? Now she had to live with knowing what the studio was capable of. But then again, knowledge was power.

She pulled out a Salem cigarette, slipped it between her lips, then punched in the knob for the electric heater on the dash. When it was ready, she applied the red-hot wire to the tip while drawing the soothing heat deep into her lungs, feeling the head rush, before letting it escape into a series of satisfying smoke rings.

The sun was dying a slow death, making her squint in self-defense. The glare kept her from seeing what needed to be seen, a black dog streaking out in front of her car on the bridge. She braked hard, catching sight of it at the last second, slamming her left foot right down to the floorboards, the cigarette flying out of her mouth.

Her body slammed forward, the seat belt cutting painfully into her chest. The vehicle lurched sideways and into the path of another vehicle, eastbound. The blacktop vanished. Unable to comprehend the speed at which her world had imploded, Claire was helpless, the vehicle air born. Something wet dripped into her eyes, stinging, and making her blink rapidly in efforts to see clearly.

“Oh my god!” The words burst from numb lips, her hands clutching at the steering wheel in horror.

The car slammed into the water a few seconds later, a river swollen and angry from a torrential rainstorm earlier in the day. Terrified, she watched the water rising around her. She struggled to undo her seat belt, but her hands shook so badly it seemed an impossible challenge.

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

January Bain firmly believes that stories unite us, that good stories help us to discover the commonality of the human experience by supporting values, empathy and understanding. January writes with her heart, mind, and soul, hoping that her novels will touch your life, giving you moments of freedom as you fly with her to other worlds.

The award-winning author has had the pleasure of select novels being turned into games, while her work is also available in different languages.

January and her husband live in rural Canada on peaceful acreage where a variety of wildlife comes to visit regularly and expects to be fed and paid attention to.

Blog Address - http://januarybainjourney.blogspot.ca/ 

Twitter Name – https://twitter.com/JanuaryBain 

Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/january.bain 

Instagram: @january.bain

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6437282.January_Bain

Buy link for City of Lies: amazon.com/City-Lies-Hardboiled-January-Bain-ebook/dp/B0CW1G1SKG/ref=sr_1_1

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GIVEAWAY

January Bain will award a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

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Red Pines Tour and Giveaway

 

 The South's wealthiest, most dysfunctional family is back, 

with old scores to settle and a surprising houseguest  

Red Pines

Trapnell Thriller Book 3

by Jill Hand

Genre: Thriller

“In this hilarious third installment, Jill Hand gives us the weirdest, funniest family saga yet.”

–Wayne Turmel, author of Johnny Lycan: The Werewolf PI series

The discovery of the bodies of two "honky-tonk hitmen" on land belonging to a former relative brings the Trapnell siblings, self-centered Aimee, indolent Trainor, and brilliant Marsh, back to White Oaks, their opulent ancestral home. FBI Special Agent Carson Burns is tasked with protecting them, something she finds increasingly difficult, as sinister events keep occurring which barely avoid being fatal.

Adding to the confusion is a deposed dictator who has eluded his Secret Service watchdogs and is pretending to be Marsh's valet.

It becomes clear that someone intends to murder the Trapnells, but who? And why? A rapper called Baby Patty Cake insists the Illuminati are to blame, but that can't be true, can it?

What readers are saying:

Author Jill Hand has crafted a thriller that offers the ideal balance of humor and suspense to create a delightfully entertaining experience filled with quirky characters and unexpected twists. The dysfunctional dynamics of the Trapnell family are an absolute joy and a great foil to play off during the biggest surprises of the plot, while the witty dialogue and eccentric scenarios provide plenty of laughs along the way. The clues unfold at a great pace to allow us to figure things out alongside Agent Burns, yet the reader is kept in a fair amount of suspense about the true motives behind the attempts on the Trapnells' lives, leading to a satisfying and surprising conclusion. Overall, Red Pines is a captivating read that offers equal parts humor and suspense, making it a must-read for fans of comedic thrillers everywhere.

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Black Willows

Trapnell Thriller Book 2

A mysterious cowboy is stalking the eccentric Trapnell siblings. Is he a supernatural entity or a hired killer? To complicate things, the will making them heirs to their billionaire father’s estate is missing and a relative has returned from a watery grave.

Last time, the Trapnells saved the world from destruction. This time they may not be able to save themselves. Black Willows is a darkly funny Southern-fried adventure, complete with Voodoo, arson, and alligators.

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White Oaks

Trapnell Thriller Book 1

“An ingeniously dark comic thriller about greed, gluttony and murder that is destined for the big screen.” –Best Thrillers

Aimee Trapnell reluctantly leaves her apartment on Manhattan’s Central Park West to return to her childhood home in Georgia for her father’s ninetieth birthday. Also on hand are her two brothers, wily Marsh and ne’er-do-well Trainor. With a forty-billion-dollar inheritance at stake, they’re willing to do whatever it takes to make the old man happy.

To their shock they learn that what their father wants for his birthday is to kill someone. He doesn’t care who it is. He just wants to know what it’s like to commit murder.

Betrayal, double-dealing, and fast-paced action set the Trapnells on a collision course with an unexpected villain. Their journey takes them from the swamps of Georgia, to Italy’s glittering Amalfi coast, to rugged Yellowstone National Park.

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Jill Hand is a member of International Thriller Writers. Her Southern Gothic novels, White Oaks, and Black Willows, are available on Amazon and from the publisher, Black Rose Writing.

Advance readers called White Oaks a fast-paced, hilarious account of three siblings who are competing for their father's forty-billion-dollar fortune while trying to prevent the destruction of Planet Earth.

Diane Donovan, senior reviewer from Midwest Book Review praised White Oaks, calling it, "an unusually multifaceted tale that holds the ability to prompt laughter from thriller-style tension."

A sequel to White Oaks, Black Willows, follows the adventures of the squabbling, dysfunctional Trapnell family. Red Pines, third in the series of Trapnell family thrillers, was just released in April 2024.

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Darker Tour and Giveaway

 

Nine lives might not be enough... 

Darker

Maw of Mayhem MC Book 2

by AK Nevermore

Genre: Paranormal MC Erotic Romance

So much for sanctuary.

Kit Parson doesn’t feel any safer than she was before she first stepped into the Maw of Mayhem, and things are going from bad to worse. Something big is definitely going down in the paranormal community… and inside Kit. Now that her inner beast has awoken, all it wants is out. The only thing Kit wants is Grim, but he’s got issues of his own.

Fingered for a crime he didn’t commit and injured by the witch’s spell, his cat Darke has control of their form. He doesn’t play well with others, and tensions with the crew are at an all-time high.

With the witches’ elite assassins on their trail, can Darke and the crew put aside their differences to keep Kit safe and get back to the MC? And as the clock ticks toward the vote with Grim’s reputation in shambles, will there be an MC to go back to?

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Grimdarke

Maw of Mayhem MC Book 1

Out of options and on the run after her psychotic father’s released from prison, Kit Parson heads to the only place she might be safe from him, the Maw of Mayhem MC. The unexpected move buys her time, but also puts her at risk. Surrounded by shifters, her inner cat begs to be released, and after witnessing a brutal attack on her mother as a child, she refuses to let the monster out. Totally doable, provided no bodily fluids are ever exchanged.

That takes the MC’s hot-as-hell VP, Grimdarke James, officially off the table. Mourning the recent murder of the club’s alpha and struggling to control his inner cat, the tattooed Viking god is on thin ice. If he goes feral again, he’ll be put down. Which makes his cat’s insistence that Kit belongs to him problematic, upsetting the delicate balance of the MC’s internal politics, and the woman blackmailing Grim.

But when Kit’s father catches up with her, Grim has no choice but to trust his cat, and Kit can’t deny their chemistry. Can they hold on to each other when everything is trying to tear them apart? After a gruesome triple murder propels them deeper into the paranormal world, they find themselves with unlikely allies, even as their enemies threaten to destroy everything they hold dear.

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**FREEBIE ALERT!**

Get the Prequel story, The Maw of Mayhem FREE!

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/am476oiskk

AK Nevermore enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year. A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a certified chef, restores antiques, and dabbles in beekeeping when she’s not reading voraciously or running down the dream in her beat-up camo Chucks.

Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes Science Fiction and Fantasy full time.

She pays the bills editing, wielding a wicked hot pink pen and writing a column on SFF. She also belongs to the Authors Guild, is a chapter treasurer for the RWA, teaches creative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.

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Channeling Blitz

Mystery / Thriller

Date Published: March 12, 2024

 

 

Defying gravity, manipulating the naked eye, and moving faster than time itself? These abilities, or Channels, were once considered impossible yet are now commonplace, and the small town of Lockwood, New Hampshire is no exception. In 2055, society has progressed to include and incorporate Channeling as a natural part of life. This is made possible by the establishment of the Department of Channel Control and the limited abilities most Channelers have. However, this all changes when four students at Lockwood University discover they can take their Channels further than ever thought possible. Now, the more Rachel, Miles, Angelo, and Clayton discover about their abilities and their pasts, the more dangerous their lives become.

 

About the Author

Andrew has always been passionate about writing and storytelling. They describe themselves as a curious Writer who loves exploring diverse themes, motifs, and genres. As part of their writing process, they love immersing themselves in their projects—diving headfirst into the research, production, and fine-tuning of the stories they feel are the most worthy of telling.

 

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✱✱Audio Book Review✱✱ Keenan by Jane Henry

 

Keenan

Dangerous Doms, Book 1

By: Jane Henry

Narrated by: Kai Kennicott & Wen Ross

Caitlin

I've been kept in a gilded cage. Hidden from the world of men.

I was naïve. I was innocent. Until him. Until the night the king of the criminal underworld took me as his own.

Keenan

I'm heir to the throne. The king of the underworld.

When the livelihood of my men is at stake, I take no prisoners. Until her.

No one will touch her. She's mine. My captive.

My wife.

Momma Says: 4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐

Keenan is my first read/listen by Jane Henry, and I don't mind admitting that I've come away pleasantly surprised. What I mean by that is I enjoyed the story more than I would've thought. I don't read much mafia romance - no big reason. I just don't lean toward the trope. This one has an Ireland setting and deals with clans, rivals, and traditions. The "romance" moves very quickly, so it does lean toward instalove. In this series starter, we get Keenan, who is set to move into his father's position as clan leader, and Caitlin, who is as innocent as it gets. As the blurb suggests, she is his captive, and some scenes, in the beginning, are noncon, so I would suggest heeding the trigger warnings if needed. I don't want to give too much away, so I'll just say that the story is dark, sexy, and violent. I realize those three words don't really belong together, but those are what comes to mind with this one.

For me, Keenan is just over the top enough to make it a great little escape for a few hours. It's an interesting world to fall into, and Jane Henry's characters are equally so. Part of that enjoyment is the dual narration by Kai Kennicott and Wen Ross. I've listened to the narration by this couple several times, and I've always enjoyed it. They do such a great job here, and they make it so easy to get lost in the story.                                                                                                        

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