Where the Stars Cross

                                               

WHERE THE STARS CROSS

Dottie Sines

 

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GENRE:  Historical Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

In the depths of the Great Depression, Ellie suffers another crash—that of her marriage. She’s left struggling to restore her shattered life, feeling as damaged as the stained-glass panels she refurbishes for Chicago’s historic structures. While visiting her aunt in Marietta, Ohio, a charming river town, Ellie encounters towboat captain Wyatt and feels a searing attraction to him. But thanks to past and subsequent wounds, her attempts at opening herself to love seem futile. Her hope for love and her determination to find the place she belongs are further complicated by her tendency to make impulsive decisions. In her journey, Ellie draws on an unrealized level of courage and learns she must identify her brightest passions in charting her course.

 

 

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EXCERPT

 

Climbing from her automobile, Ellie ambled around to the sidewalk, where she tipped herself onto her toes to stretch her legs and flung out her arms with a moan, promptly smacking a hand into what felt like a human. She pivoted.

 

“Oh, my goodness, I’m so…” The “sorry” came a heartbeat or two later, followed by, “Are you all right?” even though there was no way this man wasn’t okay.

 

Tall and sturdy enough to survive much more than a little whack in the chest, his faded blue-and-white pinstriped shirt, tan leather vest, and well-worn trousers did nothing to detract from the toned lines of his body. A sampling of gray wove through the hair peeking out from beneath his newsboy cap. Slightly wavy, sandy blond hair, which on anyone else would need a good trimming but suited him fine. He hadn’t shaved in a day or two.

 

“Lengthy drive, I take it?” His mouth curved into a half smile, crinkling the corners of soft, hazel eyes. “Nothing like a good punch to work out the kinks, huh, Slugger?”

 

Ellie drew in her lips. A laugh didn’t seem appropriate right now. “Really, I am very sorry,” Ellie said. “You are all right, aren’t you?”

 

“I think I’ll be fine,” he said with a nod and a languid blink of those captivating eyes. “Ma’am,” he said with a tip of his cap before he and his comrades continued toward the river.

 

Ellie’s feet felt their way to the door of the five-and-dime. Wowee, did that bloke look better from the front or the back? Biting her bottom lip, she reached for the door handle.

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Dottie scratched out her first fiction as a little kid transfixed by the books she read all those lazy summer days on the front porch swing. Two of her short stories have been published in The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park’s literary journal, Hemingway Shorts, having placed among the top ten entries in its annual short story contests.

 

Where the Stars Cross, Dottie’s first novel, is available for purchase at:

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Where-Stars-Cross-Dottie-Sines/dp/1509257373/ref=sr_1_1 (where it’s on the Hot New Releases list for 20th century historical romance!)

 

Website: https://www.dottiesines.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555443236996

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

 

 

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

 

 

Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beyond the Book: Colony Under Siege Interstellar Plague

 Colony Under Siege Interstellar Plague: (The Sectors SF Romance Series)

Blurb

Newly graduated from a prestigious interstellar medical school, Dr. Saffia Mandell has been assigned to the Haven Two colony on the galaxy’s outer rim as the only doctor for some 2000 human residents. She’s counting the days until her five years there is up, trying to adjust to rural living after life in the crowded Inner Sectors and fighting her attraction to Chief Ranger Micah Navonn. She’s dreading the upcoming tourist season when the rich and pampered will descend on the planet for the scenic wonders and novel sports opportunities and no doubt inundate her little clinic but the colony depends on the seasonal income to survive.
As the senior official for his people, the Calinurra, the indigenous inhabitants of Haven Two, Micah enforces the treaty, regulates the tourist permits, patrols the forests and resists his fascination with Dr. Mandell. He never expected to be involved with a human woman and doesn’t want to believe in the concept of a fated mate. He wants to keep his life simple and isn’t ready for any long term commitment. Besides Saffia keeps proclaiming she’ll be leaving when her appointment is up in four and a half years so why should he risk his heart?
Then a ship arrives unexpectedly carrying a very ill little girl and soon the deadly virus is spreading through Haven Two. The colony authorities are desperate to cover up the problem to preserve the all-important tourist season and Saffia and Micah have to work together to battle the outbreak, the local administration and their undeniable feelings for each other.
Can the colony survive? And will Micah and Saffia be able to move past their fears about entanglements to act on the mutual attraction?
An 87K word novel of the far future…

My Review

If you've been here before you know that I like Sci/Fi romance but with a caveat. I don't like books that spend so much time telling you all about the tech part it reads like a physics textbook and leaves the reader with nothing to relate to. I like the ones with hunky aliens who can't take their eyes off each other

You'll never doubt that you are in a place way beyond the stars, which goes to show that certain virtues are the same no matter where you go.

If you'd like to see if you like s/fi romance this one would be a nice one to start with.



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Men of the 65th

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Talia Aikens-Nunez will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Honor and Fidelity. That is the motto of the 65th Infantry Regiment, also known as the Borinqueneers, the only Puerto Rican unit in the United States Army.

Since the regiment’s creation in 1899, the men of the 65th have proudly served the US through multiple wars, despite facing racial discrimination. Their courage, loyalty, and patriotism earned them hundreds of accolades, including the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014.

But the honor and fidelity of the men of the 65th came into question in 1952, in the midst of the Korean War, when ninety-one Borinqueneers were arrested and tried for desertion and disobeying orders. How could this happen in one of the most distinguished and decorated units of the Army?

In this telling of one of the forgotten stories of the Korean War, author Talia Aikens-Nuñez guides us through the history of the Borinqueneers and the challenges they faced leading up to what was the largest court martial in the entire war. Rediscover the bravery of the men of the 65th through Aikens-Nuñez’s thorough writing and the soldiers’ firsthand accounts of the Korean War.

Read an Excerpt

The Borinqueneers successfully defended the 1st Marine Division’s retreat, but they soon realized this was only part of a much larger withdrawal of UNC [United Nations Command] troops. As the retreat continued into mid-December, news came that the enemy buildup had accelerated. Chinese and North Korean forces were gathering and converging on Hungnam. The UNC’s worst fears were coming true: they were losing ground in the war.

They had to accelerate their plans in response to protect their troops and evacuate the Korean refugees that had fled to Hungnam. They ordered troops to board ships, division by division, and sail south to Pusan… Meanwhile, the 65th and the 3rd Infantry Divisions would hold the main line of resistance, providing enough cover for everyone to make it safely out of Hungnam…With each withdrawal, the enemy continued to push the Borinqueneers and the 3rd Infantry Division.

…They were exhausted from several days of fighting…The soldiers of the 65th were some of the last to leave Hungnam. They were hurried and squeezed tightly onto the final boats. Finally, they could rest and relax. Once they left, the military would destroy the port so the enemy could not use the equipment and facilities against them.

…After they loaded onto the final ship and set sail, the dynamite detonated. The soldiers looked back and watched the port explode…everything – erupted in smoke and flame.

About the Author:

Talia Aikens-Nuñez writes chapter books, picture books, and nonfiction for children. Her daughter inspired her to write her OMG Series of books about an accidental little witch. She and her husband live on a river in Connecticut with their daughter and son.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Men-65th-Borinqueneers-Korean-War-ebook/dp/B0BNT3ZRZQ/

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Sweet Southern Heat

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Title: Sweet Southern Heat

Series: Magnolia Grove Series

Author: Ashley Cade

Genre/Tropes: Small Town Romance; Ex's Older Brother; Enemies-to-Lovers; Grumpy/Sunshine 

Release Date: September 12, 2024

Kissing your enemy is never a good idea, especially when he’s your ex’s surly older brother. But in my defense, he kissed me first.

Landon Crawford has always blamed me for the accident that stole his brother’s future, but he doesn’t know what really happened that night. I’ve hidden the ugly truth from everyone for six long years, but in a small town like ours, secrets don’t stay buried forever.

When I unexpectedly inherit my grandmother’s bakery, I find myself back in Magnolia Grove and Landon’s orbit. I try to avoid the grumpy mechanic, but fate is hellbent on throwing us together, and the more time I spend with him, the more the line between love and hate starts to blur.

The moment we give into our feelings, tragedy strikes again, leaving Landon with an impossible choice: fully give his heart to me or cling to what’s left of his crumbling family.

*Sweet Southern Heat is a complete standalone set in the Magnolia Grove Series. It's a small town, enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine romance with plenty of steam, lots of tension, and a guaranteed HEA.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off Olivia. And I hated myself for it. Even with Honey Beaumont—who was arguably one of the most beautiful women in Magnolia Grove—sitting next to her, I couldn’t make myself look away from the woman I swore to loathe until I took my last breath. She was the flame, and I was the moth, destined to be burned by her if I couldn’t resist the pull.

Even worse, I’d been caught. Stopping just long enough to wipe the perspiration from my face from working in the unforgiving sun, I snuck another peek at her in that scrap of temptation she called a bathing suit. It was too much, too hard to resist. Her long legs were on full display, and her tits were barely covered by two triangles that did little to hide her body’s reaction to catching me watching her. Her chest heaved with each breath she took, and her mouth parted in a little “O” of surprise. And all I could think about was filling that circle with my cock.

I gritted my teeth and looked away. It didn’t matter how badly my body wanted hers or how satisfying it would be to fuck that pretty little lying mouth. Olivia Duprey would always be off limits. She was my brother’s ex and the woman who shattered all his hopes and dreams the night she stole the bright future that was just within reach.

Shaking away those thoughts, I continued with my work, losing myself in the sound of my drill and scent of fresh lumber. When the sound of the back patio door sliding open registered in my ears, I stood and turned to find Olivia coming through it. Strange, I hadn't heard her go inside nor had I noticed her absence. She must not have been gone long considering how often my eyes drifted to her as she lounged poolside with her friend.

She gently closed the door behind her and turned to find me watching her every move. A shy smile curved her lips, and she held out her hand. In it was a tall glass filled to the brim with fat ice cubes and yellow liquid that could only be lemonade. Condensation beaded on the outside of the glass, and my mouth watered. I was parched from working in the sun and had long since drained the bottle of water I'd brought with me.

“I thought you might need a drink,” Olivia said hesitantly.

I closed the distance between us in two long strides and reached for the glass. My fingers curled around the cool glass, brushing against her skin ever so slightly. The brief contact shot an electric pulse up my arm. She must’ve felt it too because she quickly jerked away and clasped her hands together.

“Thank you,” I said with an appreciative nod.

“You’re welcome,” she muttered quickly and tried to back away, but her foot caught on a small pile of wood I'd stacked next to the rail. I thought it was far enough out of the way, but in her attempt to give me a wide berth, she tripped over it. Her body pitched backward, and she let out a yelp as she careened toward the deck. Instinctively, I shot out my free hand and caught her around the waist, my arm wrapping around her middle. I tugged her toward me, holding her tightly so she wouldn’t fall and crack her head open. Her body pressed against mine, her back arched as her arms flailed, searching for purchase. Wide, frightened eyes peered into mine as she finally realized she was no longer falling. Her palms flattened against my chest as she regained her balance.

Her touch sent a shockwave of awareness through my entire body, and I nearly released her. The sensation was jarring, though not unpleasant. I wanted more of it. My cock stirred to life behind my zipper as my gaze dropped to her full parted lips, then lower to where her breasts were pressed against my chest. Could she feel the pulse thundering against my ribs as I held her, her entire body plastered to mine?

It must’ve been the adrenaline rush from having to save her from certain demise. She could’ve been seriously injured had she fallen, especially with the steps so close behind her. And it would’ve been my fault.

I swallowed hard, hating the idea of her getting hurt because of my negligence. Dean would certainly get sued and then fire me. My stomach knotted at the prospect. I told myself it was only because I couldn’t afford to lose my side gig and not because I cared what happened to Olivia.

Clearing my throat, I loosened my hold on her.

“Are you okay? Can you stand?” I asked, more than ready to be rid of her. But if I released her too soon, before she regained her balance, she could still fall.

“I-I think so,” she replied shakily. I slowly uncurled the arm wrapped around her middle, my fingers grazing the silken skin of her back as I attempted to steady her while she found her footing again. Every inch of my skin that connected with hers sparked with something I refused to acknowledge.

“Thank you for catching me. That could’ve been bad.”

I nodded my reply, afraid if I opened my mouth, I’d say something stupid like, “I’m glad you’re okay,” or “my boss would fire my ass if you got hurt because of me.” Both were true but were better left unsaid.

“I guess I should stay out of your way until you’re done,” she offered with an embarrassed chuckle.

“That’s probably for the best.”

In the heart of Alabama, lies a charming little town on the river, where everyone knows your name… and your business.

Follow the intertwined lives of its beloved residents as they navigate first love, second chances, and all the unexpected surprises that their small-town holds.

Welcome to Magnolia Grove, where every neighbor has a story worth unraveling, the roots run deep, and love blossoms around every corner.

Join the Magnolia Grove Reader Group to find out more!

Ashley is a USA Today Bestselling author who likes her small town romance extra spicy with a touch of angst and a splash of humor. Her swoon worthy heroes will melt your kindles (along with your undergarments). She resides in Ohio with her husband and two sons where she pens emotionally gripping love stories about imperfect people who find their happily ever after.

HOSTED BY:

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Beyond the Book: Big Rant

 What are some of the factors that can impede your ability to write creatively?

I realize the type of answer you are probably expecting, but there is only one thing that has driven me totally crazy. Back in the spring I needed a new computer so we went to the Apple store and bought a Macbook Air. I knew it was a little smaller than my Mac Book Pro, but I got it anyway. My advice? Don’t do it. The computer screen is so small that I have to retype most of what I wrote. It’s just too small.

But never think that things can’t get worse. They can and do. I HATE the updates Google foisted on me. In the past google was organic, user friendly and easy to operate. Can’t say that now. For the last few weeks I’ve written hardly anything. I spent my time trying to figure out how to operate the system.

Did anyone else have a hard time with it? I still can’t do what I need to. My son helps me, but I bet he thinks he has an idiot for a mother.

Okay, rant over. Until tomorrow

The Shadowed Moon

 

THE SHADOWED MOON

Elli Morgan

 

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GENRE:  Paranormal Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

After they took everything from him, Dave Patton dedicated his life to hunting vampires. But he can’t bring himself to destroy their newest vampire prisoner Sarah—a young woman with a tragic past, who awakens forbidden desires in him.

 

Sarah McAllister spent her childhood in the hands of ruthless vampires aiming to turn her into a perfect soldier. To take revenge, she hides her true strength and surrenders to a group of hunters, hoping her knowledge will help them bring all monsters to justice.

 

When the hunters’ compound is attacked, Sarah has to reveal her powers to protect them from certain death. How will Dave react when he learns the truth? And how much will she have to sacrifice to defeat her tormentors?

 

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EXCERPT

 

Giving in to the urge to feed, turning into the beast her kind expected her to be, and betraying the little girl she once was would be so much easier.

 

A light breeze carried the hunter’s heady scent to Sarah as she leaned against a majestic walnut tree on this moonless night. She clenched her fists as a shudder ran through her, and every cell inside her body ached for his sweet blood.

 

After years of suffering at the hands of monsters, she’d mastered the art of renouncing her cravings. Pressing her body against the tree, she concentrated on the coarse bark rubbing against her skin. She could not suppress the abominable hunger forever, but her determination combined with the sensory distraction granted her control of her urges for a little while longer. Would it last long enough to talk to him and set her plan in motion?

 

The hunter—a young, muscular man with short, chestnut-brown hair and light stubble on his chiseled face—browsed through his phone, painfully unaware of the vampire watching him. And not for the first time. She’d followed him and his team for five days, studying their tactics and abilities from the shadows. They showed promise, although their approach of posing as bait often put them at risk. With a little help from her, they’d rid the world of even more monsters.

 

She could have picked any group of hunters, but something about the leader of this team enthralled her. His dark eyes held the same sadness and longing she often glimpsed in the mirror. If only she could talk to him about her intentions, but hunters never listened.

 

She inhaled deeply. Would he pass her test and prove they were more than easy prey?

 

Her ankle boots echoed on the pavement of the quiet, suburban neighborhood as she approached him from behind. The clacking reminded her of her mother, strutting through the world like she owned it…as if the monsters in the dark didn’t exist.

 

A Word With the Author

1.Did you always want to be an author?

I never really considered becoming an author when I was younger. As a teenager, I enjoyed making up my own worlds and stories, but I never dared to dream of publishing them.

When I heard about a classmate of mine publishing her first book in 2017, her achievement amazed me. Then I thought if she can do it, so can I. It still took several more years and the outbreak of covid for me to really get started, though.

  

2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.

I started writing The Waxing Moon in 2020. After a few months, I had a first draft. Back then, I thought I was done and my book was ready for publication, so I queried several agents and small publishers. One of them, The Wild Rose Press, answered. They said my idea was good, but I needed to look into editing. 

So, I read about best practices, for example words to remove, and reworked my manuscript. Then, I looked for some beta readers. With their feedback, I completely reworked the book again. I repeated that step several times. After one year of rewrites and editing, I queried The Wild Rose Press again. This time, around Christmas 2021, they gave me a contract.

I still went through a few more rounds of editing with my editor before I signed off on the final version of my manuscript. Finally, The Waxing Moon was officially published in November 2022.

I also entered The Waxing Moon in a few competitions and won the bronze award in the Reader Views romance category.

 

3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?

It’s tough to choose just one author since there are many talented paranormal romance authors. I enjoyed reading the Night Huntress series by Jeanine Frost as a teenager, and she is still one of my favorites.

 

4.What’s the best part of being an author? The worst?

There is nothing more amazing than holding your own book in your hands after months or years of work. I also enjoy the writing itself, getting lost in a scene and picturing how the characters react.

The worst part about being an author is definitely the marketing part. I’m not very comfortable in front of an audience or with all those social media platforms, so I’m having a tough time with it. 

 

5.What are you working on now?

For now, I’m preparing for the release of The Shadowed Moon. I haven’t decided on a next writing project, but there are a few ideas. Many of the side characters from my debut, The Waxing Moon, ask for their own stories.

Since I’m currently quite busy with our new puppy, I also won’t start a new writing project right away.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links

 

Elli Morgan was born in 1991 in a small town in Germany. Although she only started learning English in sixth grade, she quickly fell in love with the language. To improve her skills, she spent a year working and traveling in Canada and the US.

 

As a teenager, she devoured countless fan fiction and vampire novels. During that time, she also developed the idea for her first two books.

Her debut, The Waxing Moon, won the Reader Views bronze award in the romance category.

 

Apart from being a writer, she’s also a trained mathematician, working as Business Intelligence Developer at an IT company. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and all kinds of games.

 

Email: elli@ellimorgan.com

Website: ellimorgan.com

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

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ellimorganreadingcave

Amazon: https://amazon.com/author/ellimorgan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorElliM

Newsletter Sign-Up: http://eepurl.com/hTrj8D

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22705044.Elli_Morgan

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorellimorgan

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elli-morgan

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Elli Morgan will award a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

 

 

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Drunk Argentinian Backpackers While Staying In a Youth Hostel

Welcome to the cover reveal of Book Four of the LESSER KNOWN TRAVEL TRIPS series, How to React When Woken at 3am by Drunk Argentinian Backpackers While Staying in a Youth Hostel and Other Lesser Known Travel Tips. The author will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Book 4 of the hilarious book series that those in the know will want to read when arriving at Paris airport so they laugh so freaking hard that it will intimidate any suspicious characters looking to abduct them and sell them into the human trafficking game.

Life was not meant to be easy, Simon Yeats’ father used to tell him. Well, it sure as hell was not meant to be this bizarre and witty. Australian ex-pat Simon Yeats shares his stories of travel misadventures and dubious personal introspection with comedic insights into the unusual and uproarious elements of living his life abroad. All while having a sense of Wanderlust as pervasive as Mongol hordes in the 12th century.

From how to negotiate getting abused in Los Angeles when you will only drive at 5 miles/hr., to what to do when locked out of your hotel room in your underwear, to the emotions of attempting the world’s second highest bungee when you have a pathological fear of heights, to how to deal with the trials and tribulations of staying in a youth hostel with travelers who have no respect for the other guests.

Simon Yeats has gone into the world and experienced all the out of the ordinary moments for you to sit back and enjoy the experience without the need to empty your bank account, get squeezed sitting in a middle airline seat, or deal with border security at the Ukraine/Russia boundary..

Read an Excerpt

Big Wednesday was my first day at work as a liftie on the Burgess Creek lift at the Steamboat ski resort as a wide-eyed 20-year-old. I do not remember the exact date, but I am absolutely certain it was a Wednesday because everyone who was present at the resort that day referred to it as ‘big Wednesday.’

Overnight, between ‘ordinary Tuesday’ and ‘big Wednesday,’ the town and resort received a mammoth amount of snowfall. It absolutely dumped. A biblical amount of snow. Even though I do not recall snow being mentioned once in either the old testament or the new testament. But I could have missed the reference.

And Moses went up the mountain at God’s direction and there was fresh dump of powder snow, and he cried out, “ye verily, gonna cut me some wicked turns.”

To get to work on my first day, I take the shortcut straight down the hill to the main road and bus stop. I am decked out in my official Steamboat resort onesie ski suit. The snow level is over my belly button. It is like wading through waist high surf for a half mile.

I scramble onto the bus, and I am on my knees huffing and puffing while dripping with sweat.

An inauspicious start to the day.

About the Author:

Simon Yeats has lived nine lives, and by all estimations, is fast running out of the number he has left. His life of globetrotting the globe was not the one he expected to lead. He grew up a quiet, shy boy teased by other kids on the playgrounds for his red hair. But he developed a keen wit and sense of humor to always see the funnier side of life.

With an overwhelming love of travel, a propensity to find trouble where there was none, and being a passionate advocate of mental health, Simon’s stories will leave a reader either rolling on the floor in tears of laughter, or breathing deeply that the adventures he has led were survived.

No author has laughed longer or cried with less restraint at the travails of life.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0CBNQLSPW/about
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authoryeats
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authoryeats

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