Destiny and Faith Go To Twincentric Academy Book Blast.

Mother Daughter Book Reviews is pleased to be coordinating this Book Blast on behalf of author Jourden Cleghorn who writes under the pen name of Teddy O'Malley.

Jourden was recently involved in a serious automobile accident resulting in severe injuries just days after her new book, Destiny and Faith Go To Twincentric Academy, was published in May 2014. The indie author community has come together to support this young author/illustrator during this challenging time. Please read below to see what you can do to help in a small way.

About the Book

Title: Destiny and Faith Go To Twincentric Academy | Author: Teddy O'Malley | Publication Date: May 11, 2014 | Publisher: Independent | Pages: 62 | Recommended Ages: 6 to 10 Summary: Destiny and Faith are going into second grade and their mom has a great idea. She's going to send them to a school for twins! They're not sure whether to be excited or terrified. Come join them and see what happens!    

The Buzz

"Anyone who's tried to buy a book or birthday card for a child who isn't white will know how few are available. Golden hair and blue eyes rule. I was delighted by Destiny and Faith, who are mixed race/bi-racial, perfect for some children very close to me. However, let me quickly say that this is a story for all children. A school for twins is such a great idea and Destiny and Faith's adventures have a universal message about friendship and learning how to get along with each other. This would also be a good book for actual twins as some of the issues that arise in twin relationships come up in the story." ~ 5 Star Review, Mary Josephina Cade, Amazon

"I just finished reading this book. I got it for my daughter and decided to read it myself. It is so ORIGINAL and totally ADORABLE! A MUST READ for young children looking to read their FIRST CHAPTER BOOK! My daughter LOVES it!! I highly recommend this book!! " ~ 5 Star Review, radams, Amazon

"A great story for young girls, with lots of fun dialogue. Accompanied throughout by black and white drawings. These capture the body language and expressions of the different characters perfectly. Looking forward to more in the Destiny and Faith series." ~ 5 Star Review, M.J. Kinsman, Amazon

 

About the Author: Teddy O'Malley

Jourden Cleghorn, who writes and illustrates children’s books under the pen name Teddy O' Malley, was born in in Saint Louis, Missouri. She has traveled all over the United States and enjoys learning about new things and other cultures. She dreams of visiting a foreign country. She has enjoyed studying Spanish, German, and now Italian as well. Jourden paired her language skills with pictures of puppies to write Tell Me How You Say Good Night, a bedtime story. And a childhood friendship with a biracial girl named Hope influenced Jourden to make the Destiny and Faith characters biracial in her series about twins. Many of her books include a thread about friendship and acceptance of others. Jourden previously worked part time as a nurse assistant helping the disabled and elderly.

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How You Can Help

On Thursday, May 15, 2014, Jourden was the passenger in a small car when a much larger truck turned in front of them. She suffered severe injuries as a result of this accident including a cracked sternum, punctured lung, broken arm, and broken foot. Unforutnately, the nature and severity of Jourden's injuries have limited her ability to promote her books effectively. I was very moved when I was approached by a member of the Facebook group, "Fun-tastic Children’s Books " (of which Jourden is an active member) to help this young author. This wonderful group took it upon themselves to promote Jourden’s books on her behalf. They bought, reviewed, tweeted and shared her books throughout social media and are sponsoring (along with MDBR) the giveaway below. If you should choose to enter the giveaway below (open worldwide), you will see an option to earn 10 extra entries in the giveaway by purchasing a copy of Teddy O'Malley's latest book, Destiny and Faith Go To Twincentric Academy from Amazon for only 99 cents. I hope you will consider helping out the author in this small way. Of note, during her recovery, Jourden found the inspiration for another children’s book. It will be about a child recovering from a car crash and having to cope with learning to write with the opposite hand, and other hardships that must be overcome during the healing process. Jourden usually writes with her right hand, but plans to illustrate the book using her left. She wants to show that hardships can be overcome if one does not give up.  

* $50 Book Blast Giveaway *

Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal cash (winner’s choice) Contest ends: July 30, 11:59 pm, 2014 Open: Internationally How to enter: Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Terms and Conditions: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. A winner will be randomly drawn through the Rafflecopter widget and will be contacted by email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends. The winner will then have 72 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 72 hours, a new draw will take place for a new winner. Odds of winning will vary depending on the number of eligible entries received. This contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. This giveaway is sponsored by author PJ LaRue/Fun-tastic Children’s Books and Mother Daughter Book Reviews, and is hosted and managed by Renee from Mother Daughter Book Reviews. If you have any additional questions – feel free to send and email to Renee(at)MotherDaughterBookReviews(dot)com. a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Stage Release Day Event

Book Title:The Stage Author:Shelby Rebecca Genre: New Adult Rock Star Romance Release Date:July 2, 2014 Hosted by:Book Enthusiast Promotions

Mia the saint. Kolton the sinner. Kolton Royce is a tatted, bad boy rock star at the top of his game. Mia Phoenix is an overly responsible nineteen-year-old striving for stardom since losing her parents in a house fire. When Mia ends up on Kolton’s team for the debut of the new nationwide singing competition, The Stage, she’s not sure if it’s her or her voice that he’s hellbent to control. After he takes special interest in her welfare, they’ve been warned, any contact between them outside of filming is strictly forbidden. He has other ideas. She’s a phoenix rising from the ashes, the only one who understands the pain that lies beneath the persona. Though he’s not sure if he’s too bad for her, he can’t stay away. All sinners have a past. All saints have a future. But, does being born in fire make the fissures weak in all the wrong places, or stronger than they’ve ever known?

Shelby grew up between two mountains and a lake in Wasilla, Alaska. She used to run around in the tall grass, catch frogs, rescue dragonflies, ride horses, and ice-skate during recess. She still likes adventures and has even gone skydiving. Today she lives in Northern California with her husband, John, and their daughter, Elise, their two dogs, and a fish named Jade. I wait for Kolton on the front porch swing. Earlier, while he was in the shower, I opened the back doors of the helicopter and got my bag out. I’ve packed my clothes and am staring out at the hill with all the cacti and desert bushes. I hear his steps coming toward me, and he sits down next to me, much calmer now.

“You need to bring the phone I gave you everywhere. Promise me.”

“Why?” He glares at me, so I concede. “I promise.” I’m struck by the green in his eyes, the red fleck embedded into them like rust. He picks up my legs and drapes them over his thighs as he moves closer.

My eyes closed as he takes charge, wrapping his fingers around the back of my neck and tilting my chin up with his thumbs. “Look at me,” he says. I open my eyes just long enough to see his pained expression before he eases some of the ache with his lips on mine, soft and expressive, like a song.

His tongue coaxes me to respond, and I do. His hand moves from behind my knee up to my hips as he licks and sucks his way to just below my ear before taking my lips again. I pull his tongue into my mouth, sucking on it. The way he moves inside my mouth makes me crazy for him. I want him. I know I can’t resist.

He takes my upper arms and holds me in place as he kisses me one more time, softly. Then he pulls away. I move toward him and he shakes his head ‘no.’ I realize then, that was our goodbye kiss.

“What happens now?” I ask, my voice shaky.

“Now I try and live without you,” he says. I’m spinning around that statement as he takes my hand, walks me toward his rock star ride, opens the back door to the helicopter and puts my bag inside. We fly away, and all the way home, he never offers to let me take the controls again.

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Healing The Bayou Review

Title: Healing the Bayou

Author: Mary Bernsen

Genre: New Adult Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: May 2, 2014

Tour Host: Dreams Come True Promotions

Twenty year old Eliza discovers her roots in Voodoo royalty, but claiming her throne means giving up her soul mate.

After learning that she is adopted, Eliza begins her search for her biological family and is propelled into an underground world of witchcraft, seances, and sacrifices where she is worshiped as the descendant of the last great Voodoo Queen of the bayou, Marie Laveau. From her great, great grandmother, she has inherited the ability to heal the souls of others by a simple touch of her hands.
Eliza is expected cultivate this gift and learn her craft in order to use it and her rightful title as Queen to return the Voodoo community and religion to glory. A task not so terrible if it could be lived beside the devastatingly endearing Samuel Mueller. But Samuel is her Keeper; his chargeis keeping her safe and according to tradition he is not permitted to mingle romantically with his ward. The two struggle to smother the flame that grows between them while Samuel meets his demands as Eliza's guardian, keeping her from those who would sooner have her killed than let an outsider rule the bayou. And the enemies are much closer than Eliza could have ever imagined.

4.5/5

Some one is trying to Kill Eliza. Unfortunately for her she finds his out at her parents funeral when she gets into an accident. Then on top of that she finds out that she is adopted. When she finally meets her Aunt, a whole different world opens up. She is caught between love and destiny.
OK I loved this story. It is different but told so well. The story slowly unfolds. Slow enough to not give everything away but quick enough to keep you interested. Then She finds Samuel is her keeper but they are also in love. Now she has to learn who she is to save her people. All this without knowing who is trying to hurt her.
A so as I picked it up I could not put it down. I just kept wanting to know what was going on. I just loved the story and characters. It was so well written and kept you there until the end. A must read book!

Mary Bernsen is a southwest Florida native currently living in Punta Gorda with her two beautiful children and a third, much larger child that she affectionately calls husband. She is a stay-at-home mother and spends her days creating characters on the good side of twenty-five because she is in serious denial about the fact that she is now on the bad side of it. She has a passion for fantasy of any kind and she reviews every book she reads on her blog Read It Write. If she isn't having conversations with the friends in her head, you can usually find her clipping coupons or out on the boat enjoying the muddy waters of Peace River (as long as it isn't below 80 degrees).

1. I'm a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful chilets, a seven year old boy and a four year old girl.

2. I married my husband at the tender age of 21. He is still the love of my life, and the primary reason I totally believe in soul mates.

3. Between my mother and father, I have 4 sisters and a brother. I was second to youngest.

4. I'm an extreme couponer. The cashiers at my local supermarket know me...and fear me.

5. As a child I 100% believed I was Peter Pan. My brother fed this delusion by convincing me he kept my pixie dust safe. It was baby powder.

6. Growing up, I wanted to be a paleontologist.

7. My highlight of said career: to be the first scientist to successfully clone a T-rex.

8. I was adopted by my grandparents, and I will be forever grateful for the love they showed me.

9. I skipped eighth grade.

10. My eyes change color based on my mood. It's a genetic trait shared by at least two of my siblings.

11. I'm one of the quietest people you will ever meet. I'm not shy, I just legitimately have nothing to say.

12. In other words, I'm severely socially impaired.

13. I'm terrified of birds.

14. But even more afraid of frogs. *shivers*

15. Once Upon A Time is without a doubt my favorite television show ever.

16. Frozen has become my new favorite movie. Yeah, I'm a mom.

17. I have a dreadful sweet tooth that rules me.

18. Vegetables should go back to Hades where they came from. They have no place on my plate.

19. Sweating disgusts me. So, obviously Florida is the perfect place to live, right?

20. I love to fish, but I can't remember the last time I caught anything.


Dream Cast

Eliza

(Jessica Lucas)

Samuel

(Taylor Lautner)

Aunt Vivian

(Alfre Woodard)

Camille

(Taylor Momsen)

Marcus

(William Moseley)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/marybernsen1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/marybernsen

Author Website: www.mbernsen.blogspot.com

Amazon: http://amzn.to/RoGoFH

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1qfz1Qx

Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/healing-the-bayou

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/healing-the-bayou-mary-bernsen/1119404539?ean=2940149350049

All Romance eBooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-healingthebayou-1497624-143.html

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Teaser Tuesday!

Title: Melting Into You Author: Tracey Alvarez Genre: Contemporary Romance Release Date: June 16, 2014

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The Dancing Boy Review

Title: The Dancing Boy

Author: Michael Matson

Publisher: Dark Oak Mysteries

Publication Date: April 6, 2014

Pages: 256

ISBN: 978-1610091411

Format: Paperback

Genre: Mystery

Purchase The Book:

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Book Description:

Treat Mikkelson is not exactly a burnt-out case but he’s grown tired of his life as a criminologist, weary of memories of a marriage gone wrong and of his time in Vietnam. Trying to burn the bridges to his past, he finds and remodels a cabin on a small Pacific Northwest Island, settles down to enjoy fishing, setting his crab pot, digging for clams and documenting the lives of his island neighbors.
When an elderly woman in the nearby tourist town of La Conner is found dead however, the victim of what appears to be an accidental fall, Mikkelson is persuaded to look into her death. The discovery that it was murder leads to something even more shocking: the human trafficking of young boys brought into the US and Canada.

Review:  4/5

So this was a very unusual book. There are not many books that I have read that are like this one. Each chapter starts with someone else. When you first start reading its a little confusing.  But the story comes together so well. Every part, even the insignificant parts, are important to the story.

An older women  Margaret is killed and Mikkelson is convinced to come look into her death . The problem is that it looks like and accident event though there are plenty reasons for people to kill her. The more he looks into her death, the more that comes to light. I just love how the story is woven together. It starts off as a bunch of individual threads that com together to make a beautifully written story.

Book Excerpt:

Sometimes people die simply because they’re in the way. Because they’re a problem and killing them looks like the solution to the problem.
In that case there’s usually little or no anger involved. Just an analytic decision to remove an obstacle. A business decision. You do it and move on. Shit happens.
If Margaret Neilssen hadn’t made a decision to sell the property after all these years, she could have died in bed at the age of 110 for all he cared. Selling made no sense. It wasn’t as if she needed the money. She already had everything she needed. Stocks, investments, a picture-post-card fully-restored, turn-of-the-century Victorian home on Second overlooking La Conner’s main street, the tourist shops and restaurants with their docks backed up against the slough and across that the sparsely-lit homes of the Swinomish Indian Reservation.
She could afford to keep the land. She’d held onto it for nearly half a century, hadn’t she? Paying taxes on it. Letting it just sit there growing weeds. Then she and her shiny-pantsed lawyer, Trousdale, had put this development thing together. Just like that. No warning. No discussion. Just live with it. There was no way he could accept that. Not now. Not ever. He had other uses for the land.
It was not yet eleven. Early for a city but not for a small town. Most of La Conner had already dug itself in for the night. Around it, the gravid, scentless, tulip-rich fields, dank with the earlier memory of daffodils and narcissus, lay black and sleeping, deep in dreams of tomorrow’s busloads of camera-laden tourists. Lights from a few businesses along First Street… the Salmon House Inn, the grocery, the La Conner Bar and Grill…still reflected across the thick, flowing, obsidian surface of the slough. A single car pulled away from the curb by the bank building and out onto the narrow street heading south. “Pull-and-Be-Damned Road” they’d called it back in the ‘30s before it was paved and farmers bringing their produce into town in horse or mule-drawn wagons for shipment south to Seattle by boat had cursed its muddy ruts.
Usually on a weekend, even in winter, the town was as deep in tourists as it had once been in mud. But it was mid-week and now only a handful of late diners leaving the Salmon House Inn were still on the street. A young couple, arm-in-arm strolled past the darkened windows of the shops selling brass fittings, blown glass, clothing, woodcarvings, antiques and jewelry. A few locals wandered blearily in and out of the La Conner Bar and Grill.
Chances are no one would notice or even remember if he decided to use First Street, he thought. That route would take him past the few open businesses to the left turn at the end of the street across from the Cranberry Cottage, then left again past the old Gaches Mansion. But people noticed motorcycles and being invisible was a lesson learned long ago. He turned two blocks before First, motored south for several more blocks before turning right onto Second. There were no shops here and no one to see him pull his Harley into the unlit, unpaved alley that ran between Calhoun and Benton. He parked in the hard packed dirt space behind the United Methodist Church and crossed Benton to the side away from the corner streetlight keeping as much in the shadows as possible.
Not that being seen was much of a problem now that he was away from the main business district. Few homes along Benson or Second were lit. And he was dressed for darkness: black jeans, black turtleneck sweater under a black windbreaker, thin black leather gloves, a black watch cap pulled low over his forehead, face blackened with burnt cork. Still, he took no chances.
Beside Second he paused briefly, then crossed the street quickly and entered the old woman’s backyard. Here he paused again, breathing in the faint scent of early dogwood, lilac and bitter cherry beginning to flower in the adjacent yards. A towering laurel hedge and a massive rhododendron, probably older than the house itself, blocked views from the street and left the house in near total darkness; a gothic gingerbread silhouette pasted against the deep gray overcast of the sky. There was no sign of movement inside. The lower floor was unlit. Only a lone flickering blue light from a TV set in one of the rooms upstairs indicated anyone was inside.
Quietly he padded across the well-kept lawn to the back porch and tried the door. Locked. But he’d expected that. He didn’t want to jimmy it although he would if he had to. It was an old lock and would only take an instant. But there was always a chance someone might check later and find marks. He’d prefer to find another way in.
He found what he was looking for on the south side of the house. A window carelessly left partially open not far from the flight of concrete steps that rose adjacent to the property and provided foot access between First and Second Street. The proximity of the steps bothered him. If any of the locals left the tavern and used them he might be seen. It was a chance he decided to take. He eased the window open, hoisted himself over the sill and lowered himself silently down onto the floor inside. There he crouched, forcing himself to hold completely still for a full five minutes until his eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room and until he was sure no one upstairs had heard him enter. When he was ready to move he looked around, carefully noting the placement of furniture, the contents of the room. It appeared to be a parlor or library of some sort furnished with heavy oak tables, Morris chairs, standing Tiffany-style lamps, a thin, dark patterned oriental rug over the hardwood floor. One wall of the room was taken up with bookshelves. A door opposite the bookcases and standing slightly ajar opened onto what appeared to be the downstairs hallway.
The only sound, a low murmur from the television, came from upstairs. He closed the window and locked it using the metal catch at the top. Softly, he crossed the room and entered the hall, then moved along it to the stairs leading to the second floor, pleased to find they were heavily carpeted. Nonetheless, he moved slowly, placing his feet as close to the edge of the risers as possible to minimize any potential noise. At the top of the stairs a dark hallway led off to the right to what he guessed were bedrooms. Straight ahead of him across the short landing was a door slightly ajar. A band of light, alternately gold and blue spilled out from the open gap and across the surface of the landing. The sound of the television was still low but clear enough now for him to hear distinct words. A movie, probably. To the left was a bathroom. He checked his watch. Nearly eleven. Whatever was on the TV would probably end then but he was in no hurry. He slipped into the bathroom and pressed himself up against the wall by the sink.

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About the Author


Michael Matson was born in Helena, Montana, and was immediately issued a 10-gallon Stetson and a pair of snakeskin boots. After formative years spent in New Jersey, North Carolina, New York, California, Hawaii and Japan, Michael earned a journalism degree from the University of Washington in Seattle. Following a brief military stint in Oklahoma, where he first encountered red, sticky mud, heavy rain and tarantulas, he returned to Seattle and worked as an advertising agency copywriter, creative director and video producer.
In 2007 he (regretfully) left Seattle for Mexico to have time to write and has since published The Diamond Tree, a fairytale for all ages; Bareback Rider, an inspirational adventure for children; and Takeshi’s Choice, a mystery novel. His short story “Gato” was selected for inclusion in Short Story America’s 2014 anthology. His second mystery novel: The Dancing Boy, was released by Dark Oak Mysteries, a division of Oak Tree Press in April 2014 and is available at Amazon.com
He lives with his wife María Guadalupe (Tai), in Morelia, the colonial capital city of Michoacán, where, despite all the bad publicity given the area by U.S. news media, he has never seen a narcotraficante. His website is: www.findmichaelmatson.com

Connect with Michael Matson:

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