Showing posts with label Contemporary Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contemporary Fiction. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Tour: HIS TOUCH / NOTHING LEFT TO BURN by Patty Blount - Top Ten + Giveaway




HIS TOUCH
By: Patty Blount
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Release date: June 29, 2015
Pages: 168
When a surly paramedic finds Kara Larsen's lost toddler, only to berate her for failing to mind her child, Kara is embarrassed and relieved she'll never have to deal with that jerk again. Doesn't he know being a single mom is a lot harder than it looks?! But when baby Nadia has trouble breathing one night, Kara's frantic 911 call brings that same jerk right to her door...

 FDNY paramedic Reid Bennett has a compulsion to help frantic parents. But after the way he over-reacted to the beautiful woman in the department store that day, she wants nothing to do with him. But it's not his fault he keeps running into her all over the city...

 When Kara bumps into Reid for the third time in a week, she can't help but wonder if the mom she lost in 2001 is playing matchmaker. As Kara and Reid form a cautious friendship, he quickly becomes baby Nadia's favorite person. But Reid has no interest in long-term commitment, or so he thought. So when Nadia's father calls out of the blue and Kara agrees to see him, Reid realizes he has some triage to do if he hopes to keep his girls...


NOTHING LEFT TO BURN
By: Patty Blount
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release date: August 4, 2015
Pages: 336

Reece’s father hasn’t spoken to him since the car wreck that killed Reece’s brother. Desperate for forgiveness, Reece joins the Junior Cadet program at his dad’s firehouse. But the program is grueling, and Reece isn’t sure he can make it through. Then he meets Amanda.

Amanda understands wanting to belong. As a foster kid, the firehouse is the only place that feels like home. She agrees to help Reece, but falling for him wasn’t part of the deal. And when a string of arsons suddenly point to Amanda, their relationship could go up in flames.


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Powered by chocolate, Patty Blount is the award-winning author of novels for teens including Some Boys (2015 Firecracker Award winner, 2015 Rita Award Finalist, 2015 Bookseller's Best Award Finalist), TMI, and SEND, as well as contemporary holiday romances, A Match Made at Christmas and its sequel, His Touch.

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1.     I wrote HIS TOUCH in about a month after I lost my job. It was nice having nothing to do except write. I got lost in the story, in the problems these characters had and I think it saved me.
2.     I'm a huge Neil Diamond fan and love how Sweet Caroline has become an anthem to so many sports fans. Because Nadia's not entirely verbal yet, I thought the Bop, bop bop part would be something she could handle and love the cuteness factor.
3.     I actually did lose my toddler twice in the same day. First, he escaped at a department store in the time it took me to sign my name on a credit card slip. Found him at the back of the store, playing at the water fountain. Then I lost him inside a smaller store. Both times, I felt like my heart stopped. When I found him safe, part of me wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap ( another reference I used in this story) and the other part wanted to kill him for making me worry.
4.     The cell phone distraction is something else that happened to me in real life. I was walking across a busy parking lot and saw a baby run into the path of an SUV whose driver could not see her. I ran, full out, slammed a hand on the vehicle to make the driver stop, and then scooped up the baby, mere feet away from a rear tire. The baby's mother had no clue she was gone because she was on the phone.
5.     The 'triplets' in the CPR class were inspired by my Facebook friends, who go insane over pictures of firefighters.
6.     My youngest son suffered through repeated bouts of croup and there is no sound on earth more frightening than that seal-bark cough. It can indeed be dangerous and the year he finally made it through a winter without it, I wanted to throw a party.
7.     The "Circle of Friends" were introduced in another story (A Match Made at Christmas) and reappear in this story. I love the closeness of that circle. "When one of us is hurt, we all bleed."
8.     The reference to Aunt Enza's wooden spoon is also inspired by real life. I suspect it's an Italian Mom thing... my mother used to have a wooden spoon just for spankings.
9.     Nadia learning to nod was based on my first baby. He'd mastered that by the age of ten months and it was so cute. A single head nod when you asked him if he wanted something and a head shake if he didn't. Too cute!
10. There's a scene where Nadia steps between Reid and Kara and says, "Mine!" This was also something my first baby did often. Whenever he spotted my husband and me hugging, he'd muscle in on the action :) 




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Monday, September 14, 2015

Blog Tour: INTO THE DANGEROUS WORLD by Julie Chibbaro #intothedangerousworld



About The Book:




Into The Dangerous World by: Julie Chibbaro
Artwork By: JM Superville Sovak 
Release Date: August 18, 2015
Publisher: Viking/Penguin 
Pages: 352
 Ror lives to draw—to her, it’s like breathing; it’s how she understands life. Raised on a Staten Island commune, she’s never attended a day of school, and knows little of the outside world. When her paranoid father burns down the commune with himself inside, Ror, her mother, and sister end up in a homeless residence in Manhattan. There, she runs into trouble—and love—with Trey, the leader of Noise Ink, a graffiti crew.  

On the city’s streets, and in its museums and galleries, Ror finds herself pulled in different directions. Her father wanted her to make classic art. Noise Ink insists she stay within their lines. Her art teacher urges her to go to college. But what does she want? Ror’s soul-searching—expressed in remarkable drawings and sharp-edged prose, set in the gritty Manhattan of 1984—is cinematic in its scope, and its seamless blend of text and art makes Into the Dangerous World a groundbreaking event in young adult fiction.
 Amazon | Goodreads | B&N | IndieBound
Review:
Into the Dangerous World is a gritty, gripping, novel, written by the talented Julie Chibbaro. Told in the hard-knock setting of 1984 Manhattan, readers are introduced to Aurora, more commonly known as "Ror". She has been raised in a commune and suddenly a tragedy has brought her to the city and has dropped her right into public school. Still reeling from the accident, she is astounded by the city. The artist in her is entranced by the graffiti and art museums, but when she meets Trey, the leader of a graffiti crew, she begins to wonder if she's found her escape or need to escape.

Julie Chibbaro nails the gritty life of 1980s poverty-level New York and the reader is able to envision each scene in the book. Her writing is detailed, clear, and raw, leaving room for Ror to look at herself and grow throughout the novel.

The art, courtesy of Julie's husband, Jean-Marc Superville Sovak, adds to the story tremendously. The art is edgy and resonates with readers, regardless of how it is interpreted. It really added depth to this story and pulled it together into a more cohesive piece.
 
 I would highly recommend this book to lovers of the arts, good stories, and those wanting to get lost in a gritty, realistic fiction novel. This story has something for everyone and in my opinion, will appeal to adults and young adults, alike.
About The Authors:



Julie Chibbaro and Jean-Marc Superville Sovak are the husband and wife duo behind Into the Dangerous World (Viking 2015). 

Julie Chibbaro was born into a family of artists, and also married one. She grew up in NYC during the explosion of graffiti art. She has written two historical novels, Redemption, which won the American Book Award, and Deadly, which won the National Jewish Book Award. JM Superville Sovak is half-Trini, half-Czech, half-Canadian. His fourth half is spent making art, for which he earned his M.F.A. from Bard College in NY.
They both live in Beacon, NY.
Bonus:


For those of you that purchase a copy of INTO THE DANGEROUS WORLD any time during the official book tour (August 18-September 30) will receive a one of a kind #IntoTheDangerousWorld pack filled with lots of goodies.
(While supplies last)

To qualify you must send proof of purchase to amydelrosso(at)gmail(dot)com.

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Read An Excerpt:




Follow The Tour:


August 20th– Handbags, Books...Whatever – Guest Post
August 24th– Bookish – Review
August 25th– Heather Ann's Book Reviews – Review
August 26th– Fangirlish – Review/Author Interview
August 27th– Ramblings of a Perpetual New Girl – Review
September 3rd– Bookish Lifestyle – Review / Character Interview
September 7th– Christine Abee – Review
September 9th– A Diary Of A Book Addict – Review 
September 14th– Triple T Tots tweens and teens – Review
September 15th– Melissa Martin's Reading List – Review / Interview 
September 16th– Journeys & Life – Review
September 17th– The Power of Three Readers – Review / Guest Post
September 18th– My Reading Reality – Review / Top Ten
September 18th– Miranda's Book Blog – Guest Post
September 19th– Actin' Up with Books – Review
September 19th– A Life Bound By Books – Guest Post
September 21st – Cabin Goddess – Review & Recipe
September 22nd– Actin' Up with Books – Guest Post  
September 25th – Pixie Vixen Book Reviews – Review
September 26th – Karin Baker – Review
September 26th – Ritesh Kala – Review 
Date TBA – The Reader and the Chef – Guest Post 
Join The Tour


Want to be part of the tour? Fill out this form.. http://goo.gl/forms/lrNSkPc6m0

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