Check me out at http://dharmaggedon.wordpress.com if you are looking for anything book related.  Hope to see you there:)

Please visit me at

The Book Czar – this is my new site for all things book related

Scribe Vibe – this is my new site for author guest posts

Zensanity – this is my new site for author interview

The 1st Page – this is my new site for the 1st page of new books

This site will remain up, but will not be active.  Hope to see you at some of the new ones, and thanks so much for all of your support

Book synopsis:

Desperate to escape from her stepfather, fifteen-year old Ashley Asher finally finds the courage to confront her mother with painful details of six years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.  To her horror, Ashley’s mother turns her back on her.  Only a teacher at her school offers any support.  A touching story focused on the themes of abuse, social injustice, racism, peer pressure, bullying, parental responsibility, fear, forgiveness, love, acceptance and hope, which will inspire the millions of abuse victims in America, young and old alike.  Suitable for the classroom study.  No graphic content.

Conceived on prom night, Ashley’s parents foolishly believe that they are capable of raising a child.  Three months after Ashley is born the relationship ends, and Ashley’s mother Cheryl decides to do her best.  But, like many women she feels she needs a man to make her feel complete, and in walks Charlie Baker.  In the beginning, Charlie treats Ashley just like a dad should, and makes her feel special.  Unfortunately, years later he is hoping that she will make him feel special – in a truly horrifying way. 

Ashley retreats in her mind when these instances happen, and when she finally has the courage to tell her mother, she is dismissed as having “dreamt it all”.  And when she confides in a teacher, and a rape kit confirms their worst fears, her mother still comes to Charlie’s defense.  Life is about to change drastically for Ashley, but for the better…at least for the most part.  Her father David, and step-mother Bev have opened their home to her, and David is thrilled at the chance to be part of his little girls life.  The town of Patience is small, and fully of religious zealots, bigots (including a “secret” Klu Klux Klan), and people willing to turn a blind eye rather than stand up for what is right.  But, deep in the heart of this town are the kind of people we all want to know – people willing to fight for everything they believe in.

Although stories like this have been told in the past, Beth Fehlbaum has a wonderful writing style that can tackle such strong subject matters without making you feel distraught while reading.  This is an excellent book and one I highly recommend!

About the author:

Beth Fehlbaum drew on her experience working with abused children as an English teacher in writing Courage in Patience.  She wrote Courage in Patience to give hope to survivors of abuse.  She is an English teacher with an M.Ed. and lives in East Texas.

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to shoot off a quick post to tell you that this blog will be moved to blogger.  To visit – go to The Book Czar.  Hope to see you there!

Paperback: 248 pages
Publisher: Loving Healing Press (July 16, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1932690670
ISBN-13: 978-1932690675
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches

Book Synopsis:

Irene Watson’s pretentious life could go no further until she faced her past. Her moving and inspiring memoir begins at the end, in a recovery center, whe she has gone to understand a childhood fraught with abuse, guilt, and uncertainty.

Two distinct parts of the book look at abusive child rearing and the process of recovery years later. This story shows change, growth, and forgiveness are possible. It gives hope and freedom to those accepting the past and re-writing life scripts that have been passed down for generations. It’s never too late to change your life, never too late to heal.

This book was truly an eye opener. Upon hearing of Irene’s upbringing, I got tears in my eyes. My mother is not a whole lot older than Irene, and yet she had clothing bought for her and plumbing and electricity her entire life! She was the oldest of 6 children, but never felt neglected (maybe the first born syndrome was in play…even then). My heart broke for young Irene, constantly living in the shadow of a brother she never knew, and was never spoken of. She could do nothing right, yet had no freedom as both of her parents were afraid of what might happen to their daughter. Their fear may have led to their inability to show her the love she so desparately craved, and led to her seeking to find any way out of a miserable exsistence.

This books starts out with Irene enrolling in Avalon, a treatment facility recommended by her friends. She is leary from the very beginning as she looks up at the corner of the room and sees a video camera. There is no way she is going to consent to being videotaped, who do these people think they are? After dealing with Gilles for the first two weeks, she is ready to throw in the towel. She is not sure she believes anything that he is “preaching”, it is the same old, same old and he is harsh and demeaning in his delivery. After the first two weeks his wife Liliane takes over the sessions and it is a different world. Gone is the harsh and demeaning lessons, and the love and support that Irene felt so lacking in the beginning of her stay comes shining through…that is until she has to do a scripted session about a conversation she envisions with her husband. Liliane has words with Irene, words that shock Irene but in the end lead her to the breakthrough she needed all along.

There were so many parts of this book that I could relate to. I have some people in my family that struggle with alcohol, and it is heartbreaking to watch. It also is the reason that I don’t drink, something that Irene and I share. Don’t get me wrong, I will have an occasional glass of wine, but do not enjoy being around people that have had too much to drink. I also can relate to the overprotective aspect of mothering…but I am the culprit. I don’t seclude my daughters, but I do have a daughter with heart defects and there isn’t a day that passes that I don’t try to protect her just a little bit more than you might a “regular” child. I think the part that I could relate to the most was the Needs section from her stay at Avalon. After reading that I knew that this was my type of woman – it was exactly the way I thought of things.

This was an excellent book, and one I would recommend highly. Great job Irene, and I look forward to more from you in the future!

About the author:

Irene Watson holds a Masters Degree in Psychology, with honors, from Regis University in Denver, CO. Her life has taken her on many paths, with breakthrough results and exemplar growth, to find her authentic and true self. She lives with her husband in Austin, Texas. You can visit her website at http://www.irenewatson.com/.

THE SITTING SWING VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on September 2, ‘08 and end on September 26, ‘08. You can visit Irene’s tour stops at http://www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/ in September to find out more about her and her new book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at http://www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com/ on September 26!

Irene’s virtual book tour is being brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.

Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press; Reprint edition (July 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416532528
ISBN-13: 978-1416532521

Book Synopsis:

In a time of discovery and decadence, when the gold that poured endlessly into the port of Sevilla devalued money, marriage, and love itself, young Juan Tenorio was abandoned and raised by nuns. He grew up loving and worshipping all women, but a clandestine affair with one of the sisters forces him to leave the Church-and his plans for the priesthood-forever. Juan becomes a spy, as well as the world’s greatest libertine. But far from the heartless seducer that legend recounts, he seeks liberation and redemption as much as personal pleasure and gratification. He begins to keep a diary of his greatest adventures and the Arts of Passion he has mastered. The most perilous adventure of all-the irresistible fall into the madness of love with the only woman who could ever make him forget all others-finally compels him to confess everything.

Douglas Carlton Abrams’s magical debut novel captures the heart of the Spanish Golden Age and the secret life of the world’s greatest lover-Don Juan-who came to embody the spirit that would inflame the modern age.

This year has really been a great one for me, and let me tell you why. In the past, if someone would have suggested a historical fiction book to me I would have told them that it wasn’t my kind of book. All of these years I have steered clear of books of this nature because while in school history was the subject that I liked the least. It is amazing what books like this can do, as now I jump at the chance to read books about history, fiction or not.

I admit going in that I didn’t know a whole lot about the legendary Don Juan. Just the same information that most of the general public knows…a true ladies man but not one to stay with one woman for any period of time. This book certainly gives the readers a new look into this man – he truly loved women and his goal was to bring them pleasure by getting them to feel confident about themselves and their bodies. I loved the way this book was written, it sheds a new light on this story and really makes me want to dig into the history of Don Juan and find out more about him.

Although this book is about Don Juan, Douglas does an excellent job of depicting 16th century Spain. One of my favorite part in the book is when Fray Ignacio comes to the convent to speak to the nuns about there being a heretic among them. After he questions the nuns, he decides to take one of them-Hermana Jeronima back to the headquarters of the Holy Office in Sevilla where she would be questioned further. She was being taken to the Inquisition…how horrifying!

This book was an excellent read, and with its fast pace made for a delightful weekend read. I would highly recommend it.

About the author:

Douglas Carlton Abrams is a former editor at the University of California Press and HarperSanFrancisco. He is the co-author of a number of books on love, sexuality, and spirituality, including books written with Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar, and Taoist Master Mantak Chia. He lives in Santa Cruz, California, with his wife and three children. In his life and work, he is interested in cultivating all aspects of our humanity —body, emotions, mind, and spirit. His goal in writing fiction is to create stories that not only entertain, but also attempt to question, enchant, and transform.

Doug’s desire in writing the book was not only to resurrect this greatest of historical lovers and to give voice to his true motives; he was also moved to write a book that would explore the tension between lust and love and that would confront the human question of how any man or woman can find lifelong satisfaction in one committed relationship. To find out more about the origins of The Lost Diary and the myth of Don Juan, and to learn about forthcoming novels, please visit www.LostDiaryofDonJuan.com or www.DouglasCarltonAbrams.com.

THE LOST DIARY OF DON JUAN VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on September 2, ‘08 and end on September 26, ‘08. You can visit the Douglas’ tour stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in September to find out more about him and his new book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author with a recent release or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner will be announced on our main blog at www.pumpupyourbookpromotion.wordpress.com on September 26!

This virtual book tour is being brought to you by Pump Up Your Book Promotion and choreographed by Dorothy Thompson.

Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

Ramya!  Congratulations, your name was drawn for my copy of Bleachers by John Grisham!  I will be contacting you by email to get your info.

Thanks to everyone who commented, it means so much to have readers who care.  Please make sure to check back as I will have another contest up in the VERY near future:)

It’s time for a book giveaway! Education expert Hal W. Lanse is giving away a copy of his latest book, READ WELL, THINK WELL!

In order to win, here are the rules:

• You must comment below with your working email address so that we can contact you.
• If you blog about this contest, leave a comment, telling us where you are blogging about it and that gives you 2 entries!
• Contest starts today and ends on September 29. The winner will be announced on this blog on Sept. 30.

So, here’s another one of those duplicate books…shame on me, I know.  But, my disorganization is good for all of you because it means a chance for free books.

This is the hardcover version of this book – and this one I have read and loved it.  If you haven’t read it, or don’t know what it’s about, here’s the synopsis:

High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans.  Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into and unbeatable football dynasty.

Now, as Coach Rake’s “boys” sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake – or hate him.  For Neely Crenshaw, a man who must finally forgive his coach – and himself- before he can get on with his life, the stakes are especially high. 

How do you win, you ask?  Couldn’t be easier!

Leave a comment for 1 entry – please remember to leave contact information so I know how to get in touch with you.

Blog about this contest with a link back for 5 additional entries – that’s right – 5!  Just make sure to let me know where you are posting so I can check it out:)

I will draw a winner on Sunday, August 31st, and will post about it on Monday.  Good luck everyone!

Want to win more books?  Visit Zensanity and Scribe Vibe for your chance!

Book Synopsis:

A sixteen-year old girl holds a gun to her head at the scene of a grisly triple homicide.  She claims “The Stranger” killed her adoptive family, that hes’s been following her all her life, killing everyone she ever loved, and that no one believes her.  But Special Agent Smoky Barrett does.  Her team has been hand-picked from amont the nation’s elite law enforcement specialists and they are as obsessed and relentless as the psychos they hunt; they’ll have to be to deal with this case.

For another vicious double homicide reveals a killer embarked on a dark crusade of trauma and death: an “artist” who’s molding Sarah into the perfect victim – and the ultimate weapon.  To catch him, Smoky is going to have to put her own fragile, once-shattered life on the line.  For The Stranger is all too real, all too close, and all too determined.  And when he finally shows his face, Smoky had better be ready to face her worst fear.

Let me first preface this by saying – this book may not be for everyone.  I am a huge fan of shows like The First 48, and growing up in Wisconsin, we have had our fair share of nasty killers, most notably Jeffrey Dahmer.  Mr. McFadyen does something few authors have been able to do for me – he has actually made me cry during a portion of this book.  I will not go into details, but it involves the events of Sarah’s 6th birthday – heart wrenching, to say the very least.

As strange as this may sound, this review is hard for me to write.  Not because I don’t have a lot to say but because I don’t want to spoil this book for anyone.  This book is being placed in my top 10 books of 2008 for sure, and without going back to check my list I would say it was in the top 2 or 3.  Even though it is almost 600 pages long, once I started reading I had a VERY hard time putting it down.  His prose, in my mind, is comparable to one of the greatest writers of our time – Stephen King.  Like King, the description of not only the events, but of the characters, leaves no room for doubt – you feel as if you are standing there witnessing things firsthand, and like these characters are people that you really know.  This is something that is a rare find in an author, and should be truly commended, whether you like the subject matter of the book or not.

I think the hardest part for me was that initially no one believes Sarah.  This poor 6 year old witnesses something beyond my wildest imagination, and when trying to tell the police about it she is dismissed as confused.  My heart was literally breaking for this poor innocent child.  Once you read this, you will realize not only why she isn’t believed (the killer does a good job of covering his tracks and making things look other than what they are), and then you will realize how deep corruption can go.  He also demonstrates how far the human mind can go without actually breaking – Sarah’s journey is fraught with such evil, and yet she somehow keeps at least a shred of sanity. 

Don’t get me wrong, this book isn’t ALL about murder (although to be honest the vast majority is fairly gruesome).  The relationship between Smoky and her team is fabulous – even James who is “the odd man out”.  As Smoky herself says “He can peer into the mind of a killer and not blink.  He can gaze at evil full in the face and then pick up a magnifying glass to get a closer look.”  This is the same ability Smoky has, which makes her the best in the business.  And, she needs someone with that same ability to bounce ideas off of – no matter how difficult he is to work with.  Bonnie, Elaina, Alan, and Callie are all very developed and you grow to really get a feel for the relationship between all of them.  And despite all of the horror they have all been through…literally…this has helped them to form a bond of friendship and love that is beautiful.

On that note, I would like to talk about something in the book that I feel was my favorite part.  No, no, it really has nothing to do with the murders at all.  It has to do with Matt (Smoky’s dead husband) and Smoky’s legacy to their daughter Alexa (I must read Cody’s first book to find out what happened here…I must, I must, I must!!!).  They weren’t wealthy, but wanted to make sure they could leave her something if anything ever happened to them, something that maybe wasn’t worth a lot of money, but truly spoke of who they were as people.  And what might that be, you ask?  They create a library for her, and add to it whenever they can.  I have been doing the same thing for my daughters – granted, it started before they were born because I am such a bibliophile, but I think it is such a great idea.  What better gift to give anyone, than a library full of books?!  Love it, love it, love it!

Truly a must read for anyone – queasy stomachs beware!

About the author:

Cody Mcfadyen was born in Texas in 1968. He designed websites before selling his first novel, Shadow Man, in 2005. He has since had a second book – The Face of Death – published. Both were international best sellers. He lives in Southern California with his two black labs, often referred to as ‘The Black Forces of Destruction.’ He drinks coffee (copiously), plays guitar (badly), and reads (voraciously). He abhors adverbs in writing, except when used in short bios like this one.

For more information, visit www.codymcfadyen.com

I also want to thank Pump Up Your Book Promotion – you ladies ROCK!

Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |