Beyond the Book: Tough Call

“What book changed how you see the world and why?” 

I’ve been a reader since I was a very small child so I’ve read a lot of books. I’m still a reader. I went through the last two books I read in about three days. I loved them both, but I don’t think they changed the way I see the world. I’m going to tell you about them both soon.

On of the first books that had an impact on me was a Little Golden Book about a family of pigs. No one would go to see them because their house was so dirty. They cleaned it up, and then they had many guests. Since I read that book I’ve been paranoid about keeping things tidy. My mother didn’t understand it. She kept her house very clean, but it didn’t worry her if things were left out and not put away. This impact wasn’t anything profound and earth shattering, but that little book did have an impact on me.

Another thing I’m passionate about is animal cruelty. I didn’t know that people were mean to animals until I read Black Beauty as a child. I was horrified that animals could be mistreated. I still am. All of our animals are rescues, and we support our local no kill animal shelter. 

To Kill a Mocking Bird is another book that I think influenced the way I see the world. I felt compassion for Tom Robinson and was shocked that he’d be found guilty at his trial just because of the color of his skin. That still makes no sense to me. 

I’m sure there were many more books that changed my world, but these are the first to come to mind so I’ll stop now. Tell me if you’ve read any books that changed your world view. If so, I might need to try them.

Welcome to Ms. Nelly's Sunday School Class

Welcome to Ms. Nelly's Sunday School Class

by Chetoca Barfield

 

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GENRE:   Christian Non-Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

Join in on the fun as Ms. Nelly teaches her Sunday school class how to interact with God. Each story in this collection is ideal for reading aloud in just five minutes - a perfect fit for bedtime, story time, or anytime!

 

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EXCERPT:

 

Class: Everyone in the class raise their hands except for Cindy. 

 

Ms. Nelly: Thank you, class; please put your hands down. Cindy, would you like for me to repeat the question? 

 

Cindy: No, Ms. Nelly. I believe Jesus loves me…when he’s not sleeping. 

 

Ms. Nelly: Oh really, why would you say that? 

 

Cindy: God isn’t answering my prayers so, I believe he has fallen asleep. 

 

Class: Laughs 

 

Bhatti: God doesn’t sleep, Cindy. 

 

Ms. Nelly: You are right, Bhatti. God does not sleep. 

 

Cindy: Ok, if you say so.

 

Ms. Nelly: Yes, I do. Class, today we are working on our next Sunday school program. Our program is all about the blessings of God. Each of you will share your story on how God bless you or how you witness God blessing someone else. Would anyone like to share their story?

 

Theo: Yes, Ms. Nelly. God allowed my mom to give me chocolate chip cookies as a snack. This was a blessing from GOD. Mom never lets me eat anything sweet. 

 

Ms. Nelly: Very good, Theo. 

 

Victoria: God blessed my lunchbox. God allowed my mom to give me a lot of food for lunch. I shared half of my lunch with my friend, who left her lunch bag at home. 

 

Ms. Nelly: Victoria, that was nice of you to share your lunch with someone in need. 

 

Class: Yes, Yep, very nice.

 

Connor: God blessed me with the best adopted parents ever, Ms. Nelly. They cook for me, they spend time with me, and they kiss me at night and tell me how much they love me. 

 

Ms. Nelly: That’s wonderful, Connor.

A Word With the Author

1.Did you always want to be an author?

No.  Of course, I’ve jokingly said “oh, maybe I will write a book one day”.  That’s all it was.  A JOKE.  Never in a million years would I have thought I would become an author.

 

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

 

My book is published with Absolute Author Publishing House.  Based in Louisiana this publishing house is really dedicated to helping infancy (such as myself) and mature authors navigate the conundrum of publishing.  The staff has a wealth of information ranging from editing to marketing to distribution.

 

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

 

Miquel Ruiz.  I love how he aligns spiritual guidance to everyday living.  His passion for helping others transform their lives through practical, simple steps to experience joy in the here and now is a welcome gift.

 

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

 

I think the best part about being an author is exercising a skill that I didn’t know existed.  The worst…Hmm, can’t think of nor have I experienced a downside.

 

5.What are you working on now?

 

Today I’m working on projects centered around my book Welcome to Ms. Nelly’s Sunday School Class such as well as partnering with churches to redesign programs for their children’s ministry. 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

My name is Chetoca Barfield. I was born and raised in a small town located in Eastern North Carolina with my parents and 2 siblings; and older brother and younger sister.  Growing up I had dreams of becoming a lawyer.  There wasn’t anything that sparked this interest, but I knew early on in grade school that I loved to research and explain how things came to be.  

Graduating from high school I knew that I would pursue criminal justice studies at Elizabeth City State University (i.e., ECSU) with hopes of having a career as a criminal prosecutor. 

My freshman year in college I laid eyes on my dream guy who has been my husband for the last 19 years.  I knew the moment I saw him walk out of the café I was going to marry him. 

 

I know that may sound weird, but it’s the truth. Michael (my husband) and I didn’t begin dating until one year later.  It’s funny how things happen, but that is a story for another day.  In 2000 I graduated from ECSU and began working in corporate America a customer service representative.  At the same time, I was studying to taking the LSAT to enter law school.  

 

In 2003 Michael and I wed.  Marriage was fun, enjoyable, and I didn’t want anything to interrupt our marital bliss 😊except for the mini dachshund I adopted; his name is Baxter.  Baxter was a welcomed interruption, but I thought that was all the interruption we needed.  I made the decision to no longer pursue law school. 

 

To be honest studying has never been my strong suit.   Law school demands a lot of time and at that point in my life I wasn’t ready to commit. I enjoyed working in corporate America but knew staying in a customer service role wasn’t my “forever” career choice as I wanted to pursue a leadership role.

 

In 2006 I received my MBA degree from Strayer University.  During this time my corporate career was starting to take off.  I moved into a supervisory role and lead an operations team for a few years within the financial industry.  In 2011, I was offered a higher-level leadership opportunity with a different financial institution.   

 

It was the best decision I could have made for my career goals as I have thrived promotionally ever since.  Leading teams for the last 15 years led me down an unexpected path; mentoring.  I’ve mentored many colleagues and peers from a career development perspective.  I must say this was an un-disclose passion that I didn’t know I had until I was knee deep in it.  

 

As time progressed, mentoring evolved into to helping individuals, groups, etc. navigate life challenges.  Growing up in my household my parents had a rule for my siblings and me.  If we didn’t attend church on Sunday’s, we couldn’t go anywhere for the rest of the day.  Every Sunday we were in church.

 

While I didn’t appreciate going to the church as much as I did at that time, I’m thankful that I did.  It was through my Sunday school teacher that I learned how to develop a relationship with God.  As I’ve grown in my walk with Christ this vital lesson has helped me through many difficult moments.

 

When COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 all our lives were altered. The daily routines that were once in place was replaced with social isolation, mental health challenges, social injustice, and doubting faith.  The need of having a healthy support system was magnified and this need lead to the birth of Treasured Possession.  

 

Treasured Possession is a mentoring community that I created to provide encouragement, support, and tools to equip the body of Christ to lead healthy lives in body, mind, and spirit. The name Treasured Possession comes from Deuteronomy 7:6 (ESV) “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

 

You & I are his most Treasured Possession.

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

Chetoca Barfield will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Summer People

Summer People

by Corinne LaBalme

 

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GENRE: Cape Cod Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

Jessica Stratton's long-cherished dream of opening her own Folk Art gallery in an idyllic Cape Cod setting finally comes true. However, her start-up is anything but smooth sailing. Her ten-year marriage hits the rocks and, when the hunk next door to her shop - a brooding ecologist on a mission to save the planet - proves too irresistible to ignore, she's got to relearn the rules of the dating game while working overtime to lure clients to her boutique. Unfortunately, someone's already far too interested in a 19th century example of advertising art in her collection and will go to any means - legal or illegal - to acquire it. Maybe the planet isn't all that needs to be saved...

 

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EXCERPT:

 

Why on earth did that woman get under his skin so much? This was the second time he'd stomped off her property. Well, it had a whole lot to do with that chunk of jewelry on her left hand, didn't it? He didn't need anything to do with married women. Never again. 

            

Had he said anything to her that would make them both cringe if they ran into each other in the mini-mart? 

            

Oh yeah. Smallpox. Well, that was a low blow, considering that she personally hadn't poisoned any of his ancestors. All the fashion stuff was OK.  But he'd added something about French can-can boots, hadn't he? Boots which had absolutely nothing to do with his sister's thesis. No, those kinky, lace-up boots were part of Martine's Halloween costume last year. 

            

She hadn't taken those boots off either. Not even when they went to bed.

 

 Just thinking about the sex that ensued made him feel like he needed another shower. But then he'd have to dry all that damn hair again. How did women stand all this stuff hanging around their shoulders? He'd read about hermits who refused to cut their hair until they'd atoned for their sins. 

            

Well, Rick Starfire Martell had a helluva lot to atone for.    

   

A Word With the Author

1.     Did you always want to be an author?

 

If anyone had asked me (as a child in a boring Pennsylvania suburb) for my most cherished grown-up fantasy, I’d have said “being a writer in Paris”. 

Now, as I look around my Right Bank apartment, cluttered with manuscripts, I can tell you that dreams do come true. 

Nevertheless, I do rather wish that I specified being a wealthy author in Paris… but two out of three ain’t bad! 

 

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

As a journalist, I’ve published non-fiction all my life but there’s something special about seeing your first work of fiction in print. During COVID, when travel journalism ground to a halt, I decided to write a cozy mystery about a ghost-writer stranded in Paris. FRENCH GHOST came out in January 2022 and it was great fun to see it come to life with the very snazzy cover designed by Diana Carlile at the Wild Rose Press. 

SUMMER PEOPLE, however, is the very first book I ever wrote. It languished in my hard-drive for years and resurrecting it has been a joy. Cape Cod is a magical place for me and – while I must admit that I’ve been in love with the book’s romantic hero, Rick Martell for like… forever – I’m finally ready to share him. 

 

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

 

For this particular book, I will say Charlotte Brontë. SUMMER PEOPLE was conceived as an ode to my mother’s house in Brewster. (Fiction took over. While the location and the interior are the same, the exterior is quite different.) So… why JANE EYRE?  I’ve always felt that Thornfield Hall is one of the romantic leads in the tale, just like Manderley in Daphne du Maurier’s REBECCA. Both those books are love stories…  with a heavy dose of real estate lust thrown into the bargain. 

 

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

The best part is finding out that readers enjoyed the story. The worst part? Feeling lazy when one isn’t writing.  

    

5.     What are you working on now?

 

I’m currently in edits for the second book in the ghost-writer trilogy. 

 

In FRENCH GHOST, writer Melody Layne plunges into the glitzy world of French cinema when the loathsome Parisian movie star who hired her to pen his memoir dies – rather suspiciously – before the first interview. In FRENCH TOAST, Melody signs on to co-write a celebrity cookbook… but unfortunately, there’s something very fishy (besides fish) in the chef’s bouillabaisse. 

 

And Melody’s love life? She’s still mooning over a very sexy but enigmatic Spanish history professor… but will their ill-starred affair end happily ever after? Find out in FRENCH POSTER GIRL, due for release in 2023. 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Corinne LaBalme lives in France and loves everything about it… except eating snails. Her articles about European fashion, food and fun destinations have appeared in The New York Times Travel section, Diversion, La Belle France and France Revisited. Her favorite place to write? Any Parisian café with a good croissant connection…  

 

The setting for SUMMER PEOPLE is founded on childhood memories of vacations on Cape Cod and based on my mother’s (very real) house in Brewster. 

 

The romantic hero of SUMMER PEOPLE -- Rick Martell -- is the kind of guy who exists only in our sweetest & beachiest dreams…. sigh! 

 

Twitter: @corinnelabalme

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

Website:  https//corinnelabalme.com/

 

https://www.amazon.com/Summer-People-Corinne-Labalme/dp/1509243275/r

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61449367-summer-people

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

Corinne LaBalme will be awarding $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Saturday Sample and Weekend Writing Warriors

Saturday Sample and Weekend Writing Warriors

 Welcome to my blog. Today I'd like to share an excerpt from my all time favorite book Blue 52. On Sunday when you finish here you can go to www.wewriwa.blogspot.com for more excerpts from a talented group of authors. 

Blurb:

First Lady Kills President Lovinggood" 

December 5, 2018 

Thirty years later, Hank Lovinggood embarks on a quest to prove his mother's innocence and punish the killers who took his family from him. Together Hank and lovely physicist Dr. Kathryn Sinclair confront an implacable, twisted, and merciless enemy who'll do whatever it takes to hide the truth forever.

Last Week's Excerpt: 

It didn’t take as long for his mother’s coffin to be removed. The two coffins looked identical, which surprised him. I thought they would be different.

Seeing this coffin brought goose bumps to Hank’s arms. If the history books had it right, he would soon come face to face with the woman whose vicious act had caused them to be in this awful place on this nice, sunshiny morning.

If she hadn’t murdered his father, they’d be like any other normal family, planning a menu for Thanksgiving, putting up their Christmas tree, and doing their holiday shopping. They might even be happy.

Bert Wheeler approached them, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm. “That’s it, gentlemen. Are you planning to follow the hearse to the mortuary?”

Hank nodded. “Yes, we are.”

“We thought you would. Fall in behind the hearse when we go past your car.”

They made their way back to the Jaguar, which no longer seemed quite so wonderful to Hank, and waited. Several Humvees filled with gun-carrying soldiers went past before the hearse drove by. Uniformed men on motorcycles escorted the hearse, which to Hank’s surprise flew American flags.

His eyes filled with tears of pride, anger, and wonder. As God is my witness, I’ll never understand how she could have done it!

Today's Excerpt: Hank and the Senator arrive at the Sinclair Mortuary to view the remains of Hank's mother and father. I've skipped some to get to this point.

Both he and his grandfather jumped to their feet when Sinclair opened the door. “We’re ready for you now, gentlemen. If you’ll follow me, please, I’ll take you to them.”

Hank had to force himself to move because he couldn’t feel his feet against the floor. And damn but it was hot in here! He was sweating bullets, and his insides felt shaky.

Sinclair paused before a closed door guarded by two marines. “I’m sure you’ll want some privacy, so I’ll be waiting here if you need me.”

Dizziness washed over Hank when Sinclair opened the door for them. The coffins sat side by side against the far wall. The lids were open so Hank saw that both coffins contained bodies, although from this distance he couldn’t have identified them. The blood roared so loudly in his ears that his entire head hummed. Another few steps and at long last he’d finally come face to face with the fallen hero of a thousand stories, the stuff of legends, the man who wrote on the pages of history, his father.

Senator Lovinggood reached the coffins first. He took one look at Richard and started to cry. Tears coursed down his face, but he didn’t take the time to wipe them away. “Richard,” he choked out and then fell silent.

A Climate of Revenge

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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tom Riley will be awarding a PDF file of "Writer's Guide to Our Climate Crisis" (International) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Sarah and JanetM, are a human/Artificial Intelligence pair who do private investigations in the near future where our climate crisis has hit and hit hard. A man with a long dark history tries to hire them but is then killed. His family hires the team to find who killed this man with a thousand enemies in a land with a million problems.

The United Nations IPCC report, “Climate Change 2022, Impacts, Adaption and Vulnerability contains:

C5.3 Enhancing knowledge
A wide range of … processes … can deepen climate knowledge and sharing, including … using the arts … (high confidence).

This can only be read as a clarion call for writers to produce the works that will help our people cope.

Read an Excerpt

“I think we still have time for a few questions and answers,” said the chairperson, “You will find a microphone over to the side. Please say who your question is for.”

Most of the audience were still there and people quickly queued up.

“Question time, question time, question time,” sang JanetM in Sarah’s ear.

“This one is for Sarah. Why did you not take the case when you were first asked?”

“It was clear to me that Mr. Winestead had a hidden agenda,” said Sarah. “The story he gave me struck me as a complete fabrication. To work for someone you have to have some level of trust. We had not established that trust. He really did think he was in danger and was interviewing investigators to choose one to have available if he were attacked. Had he said that clearly, then things might have turned out quite differently, but that was not the story he chose to tell. He was a paranoid man who had made detailed plans all his life and he was making another, just in case something bad happened.”

“This one is for you both. How do you like being a human/AI pair?”

“We are way past liking,” said Sarah. “We now are who we are and who we are is who you see. I would not change our relationship for the world, but that does not matter, we cannot go back in time, and I would not if I could."

About the Author:

After an extensive career at NASA as an Instrument Engineer, Tom Riley started a people-based space program, The Big Moon Dig, compatible with the needs of our climate crisis. Our climate crisis clearly must now come first, and that effort needed positive stories of people in action.

iUniverse
Amazon

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Diamonds N' Roses

                                                        Diamonds N' Roses

by Vogue

 

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GENRE:  Contemporary Fiction

 

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BLURB:

 

After battling through the highs and lows of an intense and often dramatic relationship, fashion designer, Carmen Davenport, and business mogul, Jay Santiago, are finally ready to plan their most anticipated event to date – their wedding. However, before they can get down the aisle, they must endure a few unexpected surprises, twists, and turns.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

Finally hearing her voice, Jay set the pencil on the desk. “I’m serious about this wedding. Lately, I haven’t been showing that side of me, but I promise, all that is going to change. I’m going to be more involved like I should’ve been in the beginning.”

 

“You better,” Carmen replied, rising from her chair. “I don’t know what’s going to happen if we have this conversation again.” She picked up the rest of the papers, organizing the documents into a stack, which she set on top of her laptop. “Everything will be right here if you want to look at it. I’m gonna head upstairs. I’m done for the day.” 

 

Jay didn’t pressure her into staying, but he did make sure to get a kiss before she left. To him, the kiss served as confirmation he was officially in her good graces. He still had a lot to prove, but at least he was off to a start. The only thing he had to do now was play catch up. 

Once she left, he reached for the stack of papers. He reviewed each one until he was up to date. For Carmen to be the only person majorly contributing aside from the planners, she had put a major dent in the planning stage. There were still things which needed to be decided upon, which led Jay to grab a sheet of paper from the printer. He started jotting down ideas and by the time he was there was hardly any white space on either side of the page.

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Vogue’s journey through the world of creative writing first began in middle school with poetry and songwriting. However, it was her discovery of prose that opened the door to a world of endless possibilities.

 

A graduate of Winthrop University (Rock Hill, S.C.), possessing a bachelor’s degree in social work, Vogue, first birthed the idea of The Diamond Collection in the halls of her alma mater. In 2003, she put pen to paper and thus was created, Diamonds in The Rough, part one of The Diamond Collection series.

 

By 2010, Vogue had written drafts of the entire ten book series and in June of 2010, Diamonds in The Rough, was published. Soon followed by Diamonds Are Forever in October of 2010, The Ace of Diamonds in February of 2013, and Black Diamonds on July 4, 2015, Vogue joined a league of other writers, determined to make her mark in the literary world.

 

Vogue released the fifth book in the series, Diamonds N’ Roses, on December 25, 2016. She took a hiatus to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Queens University in Charlotte, NC, but released parts six and seven of the Diamond Collection series, The Diamond Tiara and Dirty Red Diamonds, on June 7, 2022.

 

When she isn’t writing, Vogue enjoys cooking, blogging about food (Instagram: Miss Black Foodie), attending concerts, festivals, and traveling.

 

 

LINKS

 

Website: www.simplyvogue.net

Instagram: iam_carmendavenport

Amazon Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3QqSrRo

Barnes & Noble Purchase Link: https://bit.ly/3QrXwJ7

Books-A-Million Purchase Link: https://bit.ly/3zLJDzu

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:

 

Vogue will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway