Giveaway – Underneath The Fireflies by Marianne Scott @ireadbooktours @mariannescott44

 



Book Details:

Book Title:  Underneath the Fireflies by Marianne Scott
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+),  496 pages
Genre: Murder Mystery / Thriller
PublisherCrowe Creations
Release date:  January 2023
Content Rating:  PG-13 – Colloquial expressions in dialogue.
Book Description:

No matter where Grace Walker goes, her extra sensory power goes with her. She’s an empath and she sees things — terrible things. After a tragic accident at the place where she works, she decides to take a mental-health break on a remote West Coast island. But she no sooner gets to Galliano Island when a vision of the murder of an Indigenous woman draws her into a disturbing and threatening dilemma.
BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon.ca ~ Amazon.com
add to goodreads
Also Available for Your Reading Pleasure!
Book Details:

Book Title:  Underneath the Fireflies by Marianne Scott
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+),  224 pages
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
PublisherCrowe Creations
Release date:  October 2022
Content Rating:  PG-13 – mild profanity as in street dialogue
Book Description:

He’s a Cold War spy hiding from one of his own. His real identity is tied to a treacherous past associated with American intelligence operations closed down after the end of the Cold War, and his enemy is relentless. All he has to do is change his name. Right? Wrong. Very wrong. Felix has eyes and ears everywhere.
BUY THE BOOK:
Amazon.ca ~ Amazon.com
add to goodreads

Meet the Author:

Marianne Scott is the Canadian author of four mystery thrillers and is currently working on her fifth novel, a sci-fi/thriller. She has a BA and a Diploma in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University. She studied creative writing through Conestoga College and Humber College. She enjoys writing workshops such as those offered by Brian Henry, publisher of blog, Quick Brown Fox and One Lit Place, a writers’ hub by creator/editor Jenna Kalinsky. She has an author’s website and blog. She is a full-time writer who lives in the historic small Canadian village of Hespeler Ontario (now amalgamated with the city of Cambridge).  


connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ twitter ~ facebook instagram goodreads

Enter the Giveaway:
UNDERNEATH THE FIREFLIES Book Tour Giveaway



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The Gods Have Spoken – Release Day for The Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons

RDL_BannerTHE DEEP END OF THE SEA is a New Adult Fantasy set for release, today, February 13, 2014. You will see the Gods of mythology as you have never seen them before. The Deep End of the Sea  is a story of rape, a curse, vengeance, love and sacrifice, one you need to add to your TBR pile!

I wanted so much to share this for my Teaser Tuesday, but because it is a new release, I had to wait until now. I hope you enjoy what I have to share as much as I enjoyed reading the book and writing this review.

A unique and intriguing love story that had me going off the Deep End.

The Deep End Of The Sea - Front Covergoodreads-badge-add-plus About THE DEEP END OF THE SEA

Cover design:  Carl Stevens  /  Cover Art:  Kelsey Patton

What if all the legends you’ve learned were wrong?

Brutally attacked by one god and unfairly cursed by another she faithfully served, Medusa has spent the last two thousand years living out her punishment on an enchanted isle in the Aegean Sea. A far cry from the monster legends depict, she’s spent her time educating herself, gardening, and desperately trying to frighten away adventure seekers who occasionally end up, much to her dismay, as statues when they manage to catch her off guard. As time marches on without her, Medusa wishes for nothing more than to be given a second chance at a life stolen away at far too young an age.

But then comes a day when Hermes, one of the few friends she still has and the only deity she trusts, petitions the rest of the gods and goddesses to reverse the curse. Thus begins a journey toward healing and redemption, of reclaiming a life after tragedy, and of just how powerful friendship and love can be—because sometimes, you have to sink in the deep end of the sea before you can rise back up again.

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My Review of Deep End of the Sea by Heather Lyons

I am the Gorgon, Medusa. And my eyes can turn anything living to stone.

This is my story.

The Deep End of the Sea cover swept me away and I dove in with eagerness. Heather Lyon’s descriptions of the Gods, doing and acting like ordinary people is graphic, detailed and very realistic. I love mythology and The Deep End of the Sea is a unique and refreshing love story that had my full attention from the first page to the last. 

Medusa – medusa photo: medusa medusa.jpgPoseidon raped her, Athena cursed her and Hermes loved her. Danger surrounded her. She is a gentle soul before being turned into Medusa and that did not change. She loves modern electronics, her only contact with the outside world. She has been exiled to the island of Gorgon for the past two thousand years.

Mikkos is one of her only friends. He is blind, so she does not worry that he will turn to stone when he looks upon The Girls. He sells her temple relics, so she can purchase real everyday items and donate to worthy causes, trying to make up for the deaths she has caused. After freezing a human, I can visualize her moving the statue, trying to find the perfect spot for him. I can’t walk in her shoes because she is so damn nice.

Medusa talks about The Girls, her head of snakes. It is funny and sweet. Especially, I can picture Mikkos being allowed to feed and pet The Girls.

hermes photo: Hermes Hermes.jpgHermes is Poseiden’s nephew and Athena’s brother. He does errands for Zeus and his  uncle, Hades. He is determined to help Medusa have a life. He would talk to his dad, Olympus, and find out what would need to be done to reverse the curse. He shows the lengths “people” will go to to be with their soul mate. Heather Lyons describes it as imprinting, like werewolves do with their mates.

Medusa describes the girls actions – happy, unhappy, disapproving, excited, wriggling and trying to peak out from under the scarf she wears to hide them. Had me smiling and giggling as I develop the picture in my mind.

Heather’s descriptions are so vivid, I can picture Zues in a T-shirt, torn shorts and flip flops. Imagine sitting at a bar, not knowing a God is sitting beside you. It made me laugh out loud as she made their world blend into ours so realistically.

I love her detailed description of butterflies, but I would like for you to experience it yourself, so I will leave that for you to discover, along with so much more wonder in Medusa’s world.

I loved learning of our world through her eyes. Medusa is very knowledgeable, but after being isolated for two thousand years, she does not know how to fit in. How does she see our world, going from a two dimensional computer image to three dimensional reality? She is a total innocent in interaction with people, the crowds, restaurants, shopping, all the things we take for granted.

Oh no! NO! I didn’t see that coming. My heart breaks along with Medusa’s. I am crushed. What the hell, Heather? How can you do that to her, after all she has been through?

Usually, books about Gods and their mythological world can be confusing and heavy. Heather’s writing and Medusa’s world left me wanting more, a lot more. The characters came alive on the pages. I now see snakes as lively, fun and mischievous creatures. As I walked with Medusa, I began to see our world through her eyes. It is a scary and wonderful place and I would not want to be anywhere else.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

Just a few fingers against his shoulder, but suddenly I’ve just stepped off a cliff and am soaring through the air, into the unknown after drowning in the deep sea for so long.

“Obviously, the reason I’ve yet to marry is because I was a recluse of a a monster living on an enchanted isle. Most may draw the line at scaly women whose hair can bite them during arguments and eyes which turn them into stone. Your turn.”

“You really don’t know, do you?”

I run. I kick. I punch. I listen. I write. I give. I live. Stars above, I love.

Heather Lyons would like to tell you, if you or anyone you know is a victim of sexual assault, you do not need to suffer in silence. Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE, visit the RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) website  or connect with an online counselor to learn more about your options.

I received an arc ecopy in return for an honest and unbiased review.

keep_calm_medusa

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Author Photo

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About Heather Lyons

Heather Lyons has always had a thing for words—She’s been writing stories since she was a kid. In addition to writing, she’s also been an archaeologist and a teacher. Heather is a rabid music fan, as evidenced by her (mostly) music-centric blog, and she’s married to an even larger music snob. They’re happily raising three kids who are mini music fiends who love to read and be read to.

  Stalk the Author at the links below:

Website  / Author Goodreads  /  THE DEEP END OF THE SEA Goodreads

Twitter  /  Facebook

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To get your copy of The Deep End of the Sea or learn more about Heather Lyons, click on the cover below.

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taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos

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GIVEAWAY

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.
To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

animated smilies photo: animated animated.gifLook below or on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Nature runs AMOK – Wild Times on Skidaway Island by Karen Dove Barr

VBT_Wild_Times_on_Skidaway_Island_Banner_copyI am very happy to be a part of the tour for Wild Times on Skidaway Island by Karen Dove Barr.

I have so much to share that I hope you will take a leisurely tour through the post and enjoy all that Karen Dove Barr and I have to offer for your enjoyment today – Guest Post, Excerpt and My Review.

I have a small collection of travel books. Before going to a new place, I always buy a book to learn as much as I can and find the photo op places of choice.

The cover immediately drew me in and when I read that Skidaway Island is a part of Georgia’s Historic Rain Forest, I became intrigued.

I lived in Atlanta, Georgia for two years and loved it. I never made it to Skidaway Island, but if I had read this book while there I would have made it a point to visit.

 photo goodreads-badge-add-38px11_zps1ae6e47f.jpg

Wild Times on Skidaway Island

by Karen Dove Barr

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 SYNOPSIS

Wild Times on Skidaway Island, Georgia’s Historic Rain Forest, details life in a unique Audubon-designated, ecologically friendly refuge. There, golfers pitch balls around endangered great blue herons, mama raccoons march their babies across backyard decks where once Guale Indians trapped ancestors of the same raccoons, and residents dodge alligators and rescue snakes.

Even the vegetation is wild. Three hundred-year-old oaks dripping Spanish moss and poison ivy surmount an under-story of wax myrtle and holly. Carolina jasmine, Cherokee roses, and endangered orchids grow wild in the rain forest. The book examines choices residents make when stared down by a bald eagle, when a red-tailed hawk mistakes a golf ball for bird food, when wakened at midnight by deer munching hibiscus. Wild Times on Skidaway Island educates about the species that residents must adapt to on this historic island.

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GUEST POST

Why did Karen choose to write about this particular island?

            Skidaway Island has been my home since 1989.  When I first crossed the causeway and bridge to the island I didn’t know quite what to expect, even though I had lived in nearby Savannah for many years.  Development is allowed on only a few of Georgia’s barrier islands.  Skidaway had remained unbridged and mostly uninhabited in modern times.

A dappled herd of white-tailed deer grazed on the banks of the lagoon just inside the North Gate on my first trip to Skidaway Island, like shills for the real estate company. The saleslady neglected to warn that the thunder of hooves would wake us at midnight, when deer munched pots of hibiscus on our wooden deck.

VBT_Wild_Times_on_Skidaway_Island_Book_Cover_Banner_copyAfter we built the house a mama raccoon descended from the fronds of a palm tree and marched her trio of kits across the wide back deck while we watched, open-mouthed.

I didn’t know the history of the island; only that James Oglethorpe left a few of his original settlers on Skidaway Island when he landed in Georgia in 1733.  All the settlers died or left.

After Georgians struck down the English trustees’ prohibition against slavery men and women from Africa were brought to Skidaway and remained there for nearly one hundred years. By the end of the nineteenth century almost all were gone.

We built our house on land ringed by giant oaks but the center of our lot contained only dense, new-growth pine.  Traces of an abandoned dirt road crossed one edge.  When we dug our footings, we found shards of blue and white china.  And when I moved in the spirits of previous residents filled our rooms.

Wild Times on Skidaway Island  lets the world share the facts I’ve learned about this beautiful but sometimes uninhabitable  place.

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EXCERPT

I chose this excerpt because it had me cracking up as I read it.

When Walt and Carol Culin topped their house at The Landings with a coated metal roof they were confident the roof would be problem-free for a hundred years.  Walt’s contacts as head of an industrial coating company helped him get the latest technology.  Even a hurricane shouldn’t destroy their unusual–looking roof.

But nothing in Walt’s Princeton-educated background prepared him for dryocopus pileatus, the pilated wookpecker.

Male pilated woodpeckers are fixated on the notion that female woodpeckers are attracted to the stud with the noisiest pecker. Usually the woodpecker has to be content with drumming on a hollow tree to resonate his sound. Walt and Carol’s metal roof, however, raised the bar for the local woodpecker population.  Walt and Carol were regularly awakened by mate-seeking woodpeckers as soon as they moved into the house.

Walt ended up having to make a run to Toys ’R Us for rubber snakes. Glued to the chimney alongside a big fake owl, the snakes allowed Walt and Carol to catch some winks in the early morning during woodpecker mating season.

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MY REVIEW

What can I say? If you are a traveler that does your research before taking a trip, this is a book you will want to add to your collection before visiting Skidaway Island, Georgia’s Historic Rain Forest.

Karen Dove Barr made me think of Cape Cod as I read the book.

I could feel the mud oozing through my toes as she talked of the mucky river bottom. It has a very distinctive aroma, not pleasant, but all of us water lovers learn to love it. I always wonder what critters are under the muck waiting to nibble on my toes.

I could picture the kayakers riding the waves, the bikers pedaling through the scenic pathways, the noreasters blowing and the liquor smugglers trying to bring their wares to the thirsty residents without being caught by the man.

Skidaway Island Oceanographic Institute would be a must see on anyone’s list. The Oceanographic Institute is a 700 acre campus that is part of the University of Georgia. Photo from Skidaway Island Oceanographic Institute website.

The Island differs greatly from the Cape when it comes to the vegetation. The towering oaks can be over 100 years old, with massive branches that create an umbrella of shade . Even on the hottest days you can take some comfort in their embrace.

The critters abound and I love all nature’s gifts, from the flying squirrel, to the pesky deer trying to eat all your beautiful flowers. There are those irritating raccoons and even bobcats spying on whatever comes to the bird feeder. There are opossum, river otters, minks, rabbits, fox, bats and feral pigs.

Birdwatchers will love the abundance of flying creatures. The crows look down as if we are the novelty. I laughed when Karen talked about coming up on a snake while biking. It was actually an anhinga anhinga, a snakebird. Eagles have returned to Skidaway Island, so the residents must be doing something right. When you visit you may be lucky to have a Bald Eagle sighting yourself. Pilated woodpeckers – I have always wanted to see one of these. They remind me of a pterodactyl.

I love birds, but my favorite creatures have to be found in the water. And Skidaway Island does not lack for the variety, large and small, to be watched and photographed. They even have the knobbed whelk as their official state shell. How cool is that? There are also all the little critters that live in reeds and muck. For those weak at heart, you might want to wear your water shoes.

Skidaway Farms is a cooperative for growing vegetables, trying to keep the wildlife from farm-art-023dining before the residents. There is a children’s garden and they even have a fall festival. Photo from Skidaway Farms website.

The flowers and vegetation are all around you, vibrant and in some instances protected, such as the green orchid, one of the few orchids to be able to endure frosty weather.

I became enamored with Skidaway Island. As Karen talked of her home, I was kayaking, (but not running, walking), biking, fishing, swimming, and just enjoying nature’s bounty. What a fantastic environment to be in. People just need to remember, it is nature’s home, we are the visitors.

Karen – your book made we want to jump in my car and cruise on up to Skidaway Island!

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos  5 STARS – Would Highly Recommend To Others

I received this book from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MEDIA_KIT_Author_PhotoKaren Dove Barr, Attorney, was recently recognized by the Georgia State Bar for providing legal assistance to military families and service members.  She has practiced in the field of family law in Savannah for 34 years.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website   /   Facebook

Amazon   /   Barnes and Nobles   /   Strategic Media Books

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To learn more about or to grab a copy of her books, simply click on the cover below.

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GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and PhotosKaren will be awarding a $25 Walmart gift card to FOUR (4) randomly drawn commenters during the tour, and a Grand Prize of an Apple iPad to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour.

Do you do any research before traveling?

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.

The tour dates can be found HERE.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.
To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

animated smilies photo: animated animated.gif  Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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