Love: Lost and Found by Pamela Beckford Book Tour

July 22, 2014July 21, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 3 Comments

So happy to be part of the Love: Lost and Found Tour. Pamela is such a talented poet who can inspire all of us.

Alone (double cinquain)

Alone
So incomplete
Gazing at the moonlight
Wondering just when you’ll be here
Nearby
With me
To start our lives
Never to leave again
Becoming whole and not just half
As one

Pamela has written a second collection of love poems. Poetry is an expression from deep within the soul. It can be therapeutic and healing. It can bring out all the best or the worst in life. Her poetry comes from the heart, not the head. It is an outpouring of emotion and she exposes it to the reader in the pages. Love: Lost and Found contains over 90 poems representing over a dozen different forms of poetry. The poems span the angst and despair of love lost to the exhilaration and ecstasy of a deep abiding love.

Love: Lost and Found has already received a five-star review that says

“Pamela Beckford writes with her heart as much as her mind. She makes me feel things when I read her work that usually stay buried beneath the surface. Her way of expressing emotions that usually aren’t captured for later evaluation is amazing.

I also enjoy that she uses a lot of different styles and forms of poetry in her collections, making the book varied and interesting. Some are shorter and some longer, but all of them carefully constructed. Her ability to say so much in so few words is an indication of her talent as a writer.

If you are looking for an excellent poetry book, look no further.”

Pamela’s other books have also garnered some great reviews and both are available on Kindle or paperback as well.

Season of Love (tanka)

First there is summer,
Followed by fall, winter, spring
But lest we forget
The season of love appears
Bringing hope for all lost souls

Can’t wait to read this collection

Rhani D. Chae Blog Tour

July 15, 2014June 26, 2024 ~ John W. Howell ~ 7 Comments

Please welcome Rhani D, Chae to Fiction Favorites. She is here to discuss her book Shadow of the Drill and give some insights on her character Decker. Rhani you have the floor.

The character of Decker came about in a sort of left-handed way. I was working on a different novel (I can’t remember a thing about it now), and I called a friend for help with a character’s name. I wanted a one-word name that readers would associate with that character, kind of like when people hear the name ‘Rambo,’ a specific image comes to mind. I told her that the character was very tough, very macho, and I wanted the name to somehow reflect that. She gave me a couple that just didn’t click with me, and I think it frustrated her that her suggestions didn’t work with what I was trying to do. She finally shouted ‘Black & Decker’, and that was pretty much the end of the call.

It wasn’t remotely what I was looking for – wasn’t even a name – but the more I thought about it, the more it started to take shape. Black & Decker made power tools, including drills. An electric drill is efficient, getting the job done quickly and with no wasted effort. An enforcer who handled business the same way might be nicknamed the Drill – especially if his name happened to be Decker.

And so the character of Decker was born. A blend of the enforcers that I had known in my younger days, he’s a man who has no time for what he considers ‘high school’ methods of getting a message delivered. Instead, he primarily uses torture to gain information, make a point, or as a form of retribution. Not because he enjoys it, but because people tend to fear prolonged physical pain more than almost anything else, which makes it a highly effective tool. His way of doing things has made him a legend on the streets that he calls home, which greatly increases his value to an employer.

Of necessity, Decker keeps his heart protected behind thick walls. He loves rarely but with unconditional devotion. He would not hesitate to kill to protect someone that he loves, and he would willingly die for the same reason. He is also a man ruled by logic in a world where emotion has no place. His actions and decisions are calculated with an analytical precision that leaves little to no room for an emotional response, no matter what situation he finds himself in. As the Drill, his loyalty is to those who pay him to get his hands dirty, and to the people who make ‘his’ streets their home. Powered by his personal code of ‘right and wrong,’ he does his best to protect the vulnerable from those who prey upon them.

Though he occasionally thinks about what his life could have been had he been dealt a different set of cards, he has earned his living through violence for more than a decade and doesn’t know how to be anything other than who and what he is.

Shadow of the Drill centers around a man whose life was destroyed by violence, who then embraced violence as a means to a very brutal end. It follows Decker and Rudy as they come face to face with their oldest enemies and attempt to close that chapter of their lives. The book contains graphic violence as well as sexual situations and is not intended for young or easily offended readers. Shadow of the Drill is the first in the Drill series and the second book, Winter of the Drill, will hopefully be completed in the next month or two.

Thank you all so much for allowing me to share a bit of my journey with you today. To follow the rest of my tour, please visit 4WillsPublishing. John, you were a great host and thank you so much for having me!

BIO:

RHANI D’CHAE spent her teen years bouncing between WA, OR, and OK, but has lived her adult life in Tacoma, WA. She likes to read, though she doesn’t read as much as she used to due to diabetic vision loss and is a fan of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Brian Lumley, and James Clavell. She loves The Walking Dead, and any zombie film with a high-body count. Ms. D’Chae enjoys connecting with people on social networking sites and loves getting feedback from those who have read her work, so please don’t leave without sharing your comments.

PURCHASE LINKS:

“SHADOW OF THE DRILL” by Rhani D. Chae www.amazon.com/dp/B00GBHQZZU

CONTACT INFO:

Twitter: @rhanidchae

Facebook: www.facebook.com/rhani.dchae

Google +: http://google.com/+RhaniDChae

Website: www.rhanidchae.com

Review of Shadow of the Drill at NONNIE’S “RAVE” REVIEWS
***This tour was sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com To book your own tour, please contact us.***

Rave Reviews Book Club Author Spotlight Blog Tour – Angelia Vernon Menchan

April 8, 2014April 5, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 11 Comments

The Rave Reviews Book Club of which I am a member does a great job of spotlighting authors throughout the year. Today’s author is Angelia Vernon Menchan who is a publishing author with 26 paperback books and countless eBook titles to her credit. She also publishes the work of several other authors and mentors by writing and publishing. She also publishes a blog titled: Angelia’s Ramblings which you can visit HERE. Today Angelia would like to share some information on Author Branding

Branding Oneself

Angelia Vernon Menchan

I created a brand once I became an author quite by chance. I was encouraged to start a blog and within a very short period of time I became known as a positive speaker and motivator.

How did that brand tie in to my work?

I always have a theme of overcoming or using mentors in anything I write. I write fiction, non-fiction, women’s fiction and YA fiction, as such it was easy to promote my books with who I had become known as.

Making sure your brand isn’t tarnished.

This is tricky because we all have a tendency to vent, particularly via social media. Be very careful about that because if you are writing books about faith, positivity, or anything that is positive, if your persona is negative, no one will believe you thus tarnishing your image and your ability to sell your books.

Choose other ways to enhance your brand beyond selling books.

I have become known as a motivational speaker and that was born of my books and making myself available to those who have read my books and the themes within. Once a person feels they know you and what your work is about it opens up other venues.

Narrow your social network groups to your brand.

What I am saying here is that none of us can maintain fifty groups if we are working and writing and if your books are inspirational it doesn’t make sense to market a group that is focused on erotica, for instance. If that is a reading interest then only enter that group as a reader. Use groups dedicated to your brand and your type of product otherwise you won’t find your target audience.

You can visit Angelia at her Blog or on Amazon and you can visit Rave Reviews Book Club right HERE and think about joining. You could be in the Author’s Spotlight as well.

Angelia Vernon Menchan

http://acvermen.blogspot.com

Amazon Books

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_7?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=menchan&sprefix=menchan%2Caps%2C180

TC Slonaker –Virtual Book Tour

April 6, 2014April 4, 2014 ~ John W. Howell ~ 2 Comments

Author of The Angelmen Series

The Angelmen Series chronicles the discovery of four leaders of the long forgotten race of the Nephilim who have just been identified by the enemy. Satan wants to activate his army of old to boost his chances in the final battle against all that is God. God is determined to rescue his people, who, although originally propagated by the meeting of demons and women, became more human than angelic other than a few latent powers activated in the presence of one another. God will not save them without the obedience of a sacrifice. Will the leaders work together to save their race from Satan’s regime? Who will be the sacrifice?

Amity of the Angelmen:

Paperback: 242 pages

Publisher: Martin Sisters Publishing (December 30, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1937273857

ISBN-13: 978-1937273859

Amity David is the first angelman to learn of her new heritage. As a pastor’s daughter, this seventeen-year-old student doesn’t think there is much she has not already learned about God and His plans. Her own personal angel has come to tell her she’s wrong. The mission she is given flies in the face of her quiet life and can only be sorted out with the help of the young priest, Mackenzie Abel, who wants to help Amity solve her identity crisis to avoid his own. Mackenzie sends Amity on her way to complete her mission, not knowing how much more God will ask of him in this war as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Amity-Angelmen-T-C-Slonaker/dp/1937273857/

Asher of the Angelmen:

Paperback: 228 pages

Publisher: Martin Sisters Publishing (January 31, 2014)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 162553065X

ISBN-13: 978-1625530653

Nothing could stop Asher Andrews. The high school football and track star was on his way to stardom as a professional athlete. One day in October, however, his life made an interesting twist as he was told by an angel that he’s only partly human. His new life as an angelman would involve finding Amity, finding love, and protecting the Cause. Realizing how lonely his fame had made him, Asher was ready to accept his mission. However, demons were sent to bring the angelman down before he could complete his mission.

Nothing could stop Asher Andrews… but the forces of Satan would surely try.

http://www.amazon.com/Asher-Angelmen-2-T-C-Slonaker/dp/162553065X/

Author Bio:

After finishing a career as a teacher to stay at home raising children, T.C. Slonaker found herself with many hours of to fill with thoughts and books. She began filling those hours by running outside on the trail with books on her iPod. After completing the Chronicles of Narnia books, she was determined to also give light to God’s story through allegorical writing about curious creatures. The idea came to her to start a series about the Nephilim to show a story of God’s redemption.

When she’s not writing, T.C. enjoys sports such as baseball and football, riding her bike and running, and spending time with her husband and three kids at their home in South Central Pennsylvania. And if any of that could be done on the beach at the Jersey shore with a bowl of ice cream, so much the better.

http://www.amazon.com/T.C.-Slonaker/e/B00AX8Q7AQ/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6883683.T_C_Slonaker

http://protectthecause.weebly.com/