A Look At Cheryl Robinson & 'Like Mom' ( @GoddessFish #kindle )

Today we have author Cheryl Robinson visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* Cheryl Robinson is a native Detroiter currently residing in Central Florida. She started her literary career as an independent author, publishing two books before eventually landed a publishing deal with Penguin/NAL Trade. She published six novels with NAL Trade and two more novels as an independent author. She is currently working on her next novel. Visit her Website at cherylrobinson.com, where you can read her blog and enter her monthly blog contest

What story are you sharing with us today?

~ Blurb ~ * Determined to lose weight, Nevada Pearson participates in a twelve-week clinical trial for a new diet pill. Nevada thinks if she’s slim, her life will be so much better. She won’t have to wear dark clothes to hide her big belly and can kiss the plus sizes good-bye. Her husband will stop ogling every skinny woman in sight, and she’ll stop accusing him of cheating. She won’t have to worry that he’ll leave her the way her dad left her mom. She can stop ranting on her YouTube channel about being fat. She’ll get promoted at work. Her fifteen-year-old daughter will want to lose weight, too, instead of staying holed up in her bedroom eating junk food and surfing the Internet for a cure to her social anxiety. But Nevada isn’t prepared for what happens next and how quickly her life changes—and it has nothing to do with her amazing weight loss.
~ Excerpt ~ Nevada

* “This upcoming year is the year,” Claude said. “If I don’t get promoted, I’m leaving.”
* “And going where?” I asked. I had a right to know, unless he planned on going alone, and then I truly had a right to know.
* “I don’t care where: wherever I can get a job. What, you want to live in Indiana forever?”
* I shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind. I mean, it’s what I know.”
* He rolled his eyes dismissively at me. “Let’s dissect what you just said—”
* I crossed my eyes after I turned my head to the side. No, let’s not. Sometimes, I just wanted to tell him to shut up with all of his change-your-life stuff. I had Oprah for that, and she was much better at motivating me than Claude was. Listening to her made me think I really could change my life. Listening to him made me think I’d made a mistake by marrying him in the first place, and that I’d messed up my life forever. But I’d felt the same way on our wedding day, so nothing had changed.
* “I don’t want to dissect it.”
* “But what you just said is how a lot of people feel. A lot of people stay with something just because it’s familiar. It’s what they know. May not even be something they want. Next year should be the year of the unknown. That could be the title for my first book; I need to write it down.” He searched the table for something to write on because once he sat down he wasn’t getting up until after he finished eating. “Do you have a pen and some paper?”
* I got up and grabbed the first sheet of paper I saw and handed it to him along with a pen and then sat back down. Before he wrote on the paper, he turned it over. “Do you need this?”
* “It’s just a blank sheet of paper, isn’t it?”
* “It’s a shipping notice from Curl—.”
* I snatched the paper out of his hand—close call; it was the shipping notice from Curl Junkie for the box of hair products UPS had delivered that day. Claude would have a fit if he saw that I’d spent over a hundred dollars on stuff for my hair. But I had to spend at least a hundred dollars to get free shipping, which made sense while I was filling my online shopping cart with more stuff, but the more I thought about it, I only wanted the Daily Fix and the Smoothing Lotion, which would’ve been forty-nine dollars, and the flat rate shipping was only seven dollars and twenty-five cents, so basically, I paid fifty-one dollars more to save seven dollars and twenty-five cents. But it made perfect sense to me at the time.

Buy Like Mom here...
Amazon

Find Cheryl Robinson here...
Website | Blog | Facebook

Thank you for joining us here today, Cheryl Robinson! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Cheryl will be awarding a $50 Amazon Gift Card to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour! So be sure to leave your name and email with your comment, visit the other tour stops (find them here: goddessfishpromotions-virtual-super-book-blast-like-mom) for a greater chance of winning!

A Look At Genie Gabriel & 'Legacy Reborn' ( @GoddessFish #mystery )

Today we have author Genie Gabriel visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* I'm an optimist whose rose-colored glasses have bent frames and cracked lenses. When life kicks me in the teeth, I find miracles and lessons I refused to learn an easier way. In fact, I live with a small herd of miracles in the furry forms of dogs, who are constantly trying to teach me to forgive, to play more, and to love without limits. I write about people who find courage and integrity in the darkest times of their lives, who rescue stray dogs and kittens, who find a person they would willingly give their lives for, and who make their little corners of the world a better place. People have remarked my stories "aren't what they expected." With rose-colored glasses firmly in place, I take that as a compliment. I invite you to share a piece of my world in the pages of a book, and hope you find some surprises, some tears, some laughter, and always a happy ending.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what's the order the books should be read in?
* Legacy Reborn. It's part of a series. Please see the info below.

A look into the story

~ Blurb ~ * An attorney devoted to social causes and a burned out women's advocate help save their home town while struggling not to fall in love. However, an unintended pregnancy and a gift from the heart lead them on a journey to new possibilities and love.
NOTE: All nine books in the Halo Legacy Series will be $0.99 the day of the tour!

~ Excerpt ~ * As the sun stretched its morning rays gently over the farm, Phoenix rose quietly and walked onto the newly constructed deck. Tears misted her eyes once again.
* "Do you like it?" CJ asked quietly.
* Phoenix turned to stare at the man standing several feet away from her. The man she was going to marry today.
* She couldn't speak, but simply nodded and held out her hand to him.
* CJ took her hand and led her to stand in front of the sliding glass doors that enclosed the deck, making it a cozy retreat with a fire burning in the outdoor fireplace.
* "You have blisters on your hands." Phoenix turned CJ's hands up and looked at the palms.
* "Love blisters."
* Phoenix laughed as she shook her head. "I'm sure I have some ointment I've used for the llamas that will help those."
* "I don't want to upset Romeo by using all his ointment."
* CJ and Phoenix laughed together, then lapsed into silence. After a moment, CJ asked, "Are you okay with getting married?"
* Slowly, Phoenix nodded. "I still can't quite believe something so beautiful has come into my life. Then all the old fears and doubts start crowding into my head. But my 'sisters' helped me see love is a gift we should treasure and not a regret we passed up."
* Turning his palms up, Phoenix kissed the blisters on CJ's hands. One by one.

Buy Legacy Reborn here...
Rogue Phoenix Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Find Genie Gabriel here...
Website | Blog

Thank you for joining us here today, Genie Gabriel! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Genie Gabriel will be awarding eight (8) $9 Amazon GCs to randomly drawn commenters during the tour. So be sure to leave your name and email with your comment and visit other tour stops (find them here: goddessfishpromotions-super-book-blast-legacy-reborn) for a greater chance of winning!

A Look At Victoria Bernadine & 'A Life Less Ordinary' ( @GoddessFish #SO #MM )

Today we have author Victoria Bernadine visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?
* I’m the youngest of eight children, and I grew up on a farm in southern Saskatchewan in Canada. I currently live in Edmonton, with my two cats (The Grunt and The Runt). Victoria Bernadine is a pseudonym that I created by reversing my mother’s first and middle names.

What book are you going to tell us about today? Is it part of a series? If so, what's the order the books should be read in?
* The book is entitled A Life Less Ordinary, and it’s about a woman in her mid-forties who quits her job and heads off on a six-month road trip with a handsome travelling companion and her imaginary friend, all in an effort to reconnect with her life.
* Although this book was intended to be a one-off, I’m currently writing a sequel, tentatively called A Year in the Life.

How'd you/your muse come up with this story?
* It started off as simple wish fulfillment; it was exactly what I wanted to do at that time of my life...although I wasn’t holding out much hope for a Zeke!

Describe the hero in five words.
* Sarcastic. Arrogant. Sexy. Sweet. Idiotic.

Describe the heroine in five words.
* Confused. Scared. Hopeful. Funny. Sarcastic.

Who's your favorite character in the book & why?
* Oh, dear – do I really have to choose? LOL I’ll have to say Harvey, Manny’s outspoken imaginary friend. I love him because he’s not bound by reality (he’s imaginary, after all) so he ends up in frilly shirts and tuxedos – whatever Manny wants. He’s also that sarcastic inside voice (I hope) we all have, so that made his dialogue really, really fun to write.

What's your favorite line in the story?
* I’m afraid I’m going to cheat and give you two, because I love both of them and I think they reflect both the comedy and the drama of the book:
* At 6:45 sharp, she was back in the kitchen where she rinsed out the cup and put it on the rack next to the other three cups from earlier in the week; they marked the passage of time like scratches on a prison wall.
* [Harvey is Manny’s Perfect Fantasy Man; she’s just imagined him in a frilly shirt and tight breeches, and this is part of his response]: I’m just sayin’–if I was real and regularly wore pants this tight, I’m not sure I’d be of any use to you.

A look into the story

~ Blurb ~ * For the last fifteen years, Rose “Manny” Mankowski has been a very good girl. Now, at the age of 45, she’s questioning her choices and feeling more and more disconnected from her own life. When she’s passed over for promotion and her much younger new boss implies Manny’s life will never change, something snaps. In the blink of an eye, she’s quit her job, sold her house, cashed in her pension, and she’s leaving town on a six month road trip.
* After placing an ad for a travelling companion, she’s joined in her mid-life crisis by Zeke Powell, the cynical, satirical, most read – and most controversial – blogger for the e-zine, What Women Want. Zeke’s true goal is to expose Manny’s journey as a pitiful and desperate attempt to reclaim her lost youth – and increase his readership at the same time.
* Now, armed with a bagful of destinations, a fistful of maps, and an out-spoken imaginary friend named Harvey, Manny’s on a quest to rediscover herself – and taking Zeke along for the ride.

~ Excerpt ~ * Manny walked in her door, looking tired and feeling worn out. She wondered ruefully why the only thing not on a schedule was the time she could leave the office. She dropped her purse on the table and hung up her coat and keys. With a tired sigh, she walked into the living room and plopped into the armchair. She closed her eyes as Harvey walked out of the kitchen with a glass of white wine and began to rub her shoulders. He again looked impossibly handsome, this time wearing a sweater and jeans. She sighed in imagined bliss, and looked at him with sad eyes.
* You have no idea how much I wish you were real.
* In a blink, he was gone–and the phone was ringing. For a split second, Manny considered not answering it.
* There’s your chance to talk to a real person, Harvey murmured.
* Probably a telemarketer.
* Probably Rebecca. Or Daisy. They’ll worry if you don’t answer.
* All right, all right.
* Manny heaved herself to her feet and walked to the phone.
* Maybe I’m glad you’re imaginary after all.
* She caught a glimpse of his grin as she answered the phone.
* It was Rebecca, asking her to go out the next night.
* “I don’t know...” Manny sighed.
* “Oh, come on–you’ll have fun! And seriously–you haven’t gone out with us in months!”
* “I’ve been tired...”
* “You’ve been tired your whole life I think. You need to break out of this rut you’re in! Come out for a few drinks and dancing with me and Daisy. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a good-looking guy and be swept off your feet into a red-hot love affair.”
* Sounds like a plan to me.
* Yeah, ’cause that’ll happen.
* “I’d love to go dancing,” Manny said to Rebecca, “but the guy is just a figment of your imagination.”
* “Only because you don’t put any effort into it. Seriously, it’s not healthy to do nothing but work and go home. That’s how people go crazy you know.”
* “Huh. You mean next thing you know I’ll be talking to my imaginary friend?”
* Harvey grinned wickedly and Manny abruptly turned her back to him.

Buy A Life Less Ordinary here...
Amazon

Find Victoria Bernadine here...
Blog
Victoria can be contacted through Love of Words Publishing Inc. at loveofwords@shaw.ca

Thank you for joining us here today, Victoria! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

A bit more about the author... Victoria Bernadine (a pseudonym) is, as the saying goes, a “woman of a certain age”. After twenty-something years of writer’s block, she began writing again in 2008. She began with fanfiction about a (now-cancelled) TV show called Jericho and particularly about the characters of Heather Lisinski and Edward Beck. From there, she expanded into writing original fic and she hasn’t stopped since. Victoria enjoys reading all genres and particularly loves writing romantic comedy and post-apocalyptic science fiction. What those two have in common is anybody’s guess. She lives in Edmonton with her two cats (The Grunt and The Runt). A Life Less Ordinary is the first novel she felt was good enough to be released into the wild.

& Victoria will be awarding a $25 (grand prize) gift card with two gift cards for $15 each; the cards would br for either Amazon or Smashwords (winner’s choice).