Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Becoming Aware of the Forces That Hold Us or Release Us! Guest Post with Peter Taylor



Becoming aware of the forces that hold us or release us

In the mid-1980s I was teaching science in its social context as a new faculty member at a non-traditional undergraduate college. I began an ecology course with a brief review of our place in space before I asked students to map their geographical positions and origins. One student, "K," did not come back to earth with the rest of us, but remained off in her own thoughts. Some minutes later she raised her hand: "I always knew the sun, not the earth, was the center of the solar system, but do you mean to say..." K paused, then continued. "I'd never thought about the sun not being the center of the universe." From K's tone, it was clear that she was not simply rehearsing a new piece of knowledge. She was also observing that she had not thought about the issue but now she saw as obvious that the universe was not sun-centered. What other retrospectively obvious questions had she not been asking? What other reconceptualizations might follow? These questions pointed her along the path I hoped my students would take as critical thinkers-grappling with issues they had not been aware they faced, generating questions beyond those I had presented, becoming open to reconceptualization, and accepting that their teacher should not be at the center of their learning.

Since childhood star gazing in rural Australia I had known about the sun's marginal place in the Milky Way so I felt some superiority when K admitted that she had not realized this. To my chagrin, I subsequently discovered my own retrospectively obvious question about our place in space. I was reading Sally Ride's 1986 book on the space shuttle to my child, when I came to her description of astronauts regaining weight as they descended. The idea conveyed was that weightlessness was a result of distance from the earth. Yet the space shuttle orbits only 300 kilometers up where the earth's gravity is still 90% of its strength down on the surface. So I started thinking about how to explain weightlessness correctly in a children's book. Try this-think of swinging an object around on the end of a piece of string. To make it go faster, you have to pull harder; if you do not hold on tight, the object flies off into the neighbor's yard. Astronauts travel around the earth fast-at 7.5 kilometers per second. They feel weightless because all of the earth's gravitational attraction on them goes to keep them from flying off into space. The earth's pull on the astronauts is like your pulling on the string-but, while you may let go, gravity never stops acting. When the space shuttle slows down on its return to earth, less of gravity's force goes to keeping the astronauts circling the earth and what is left over is experienced as weight regained.

After rehearsing this explanation a few times, another kind of weightlessness occurred to me. The sun's gravitational attraction is keeping me circling around it-at 30 kilometers/second I figured out. On the earth I feel weightless with respect to the sun's gravity, but that force is acting nevertheless. I had never thought about this; I had considered myself a passenger on the earth, which the sun's gravity was keeping in orbit around it. I then realized that I am also zooming around the Milky Way galaxy, not as a passenger in the solar system, which the galaxy's gravitational attraction was keeping in orbit around it, but because the galaxy's gravity is keeping me orbiting around its center. It made me feel woozy to think of the sun and the rest of the galaxy "paying attention to me" all the time, keeping me circling at enormous speed through space-at over 200 kilometers/second, I soon learned. I wondered if every molecule in the galaxy was attracting every molecule of my body every moment. Was there some other way to think about gravity? Perhaps a further radical reconceptualization awaited me, possibly involving wooziness-inducing Einsteinian concepts such as curved space-time.

In recent years I have started courses and workshops on critical thinking by relating the reconceptualizations that occurred to K and myself. I usually follow the story with an activity. My goal is to have people respond to story and bring insights to the surface about how people can generate questions about issues they were not aware they faced. The activity begins, therefore, with a freewriting exercise in which each of us writes for ten minutes starting from this lead off: "When I entertain the idea that I haven't been asking some 'obvious' questions that might have led to radical reconceptualizations, the thoughts/ feelings/ experiences that come to mind include..." After this writing, we pair up and describe situations in which we "saw something in a fresh way that made us wonder why we previously accepted what we had." We then list on the board short phrases capturing what made the "re-seeing" possible. The factors mentioned differ from one time to the next, but they always represent a diverse mix of mental, emotional, situational, and relational items, e.g, "relaxed frame of mind," "annoyed with this culture," "forgetting," "using a different vocabulary," and so on. I conclude the activity by simply noting the challenge, which is common to many other questions in education, of acknowledging and mobilizing the diversity inherent in any group. Recently, however, now that I have lists from several occasions, I have started to wonder whether the factors could be synthesized into general directions. Would future audiences gain from my cutting through the diversity and presenting such a synthesis-or does this run against the grain of facilitating thinking about re-seeing?

A field-book of tools and processes to help readers in all fields develop as researchers, writers, and agents of change A wide range of tools and processes for research, writing, and collaboration are defined and described-from Governing Question to GOSP, Plus-Delta feedback to Process Review, and Supportive Listening to Sense of Place Map. The tools and processes are linked to three frameworks that lend themselves to adaptation by teachers and other advisors:

  • A set of ten Phases of Research and Engagement, which researchers
    move through and later revisit in light of other people's responses
    to work in progress and what is learned using tools from the other
    phases;

  • Cycles and Epicycles of Action Research, which emphasizes reflection and dialogue to shape ideas about what action is needed and how to build a constituency to implement the change; and

  • Creative Habits for Synthesis of theory and practice.

Researchers and writers working under these frameworks participate in Dialogue around Written Work and in Making Space for Taking Initiative In and Through Relationships. These processes help researchers and writers align their questions and ideas, aspirations, ability to take or influence action, and relationships with other people. Bringing those dimensions of research and engagement into alignment is the crux of taking yourself seriously. The tools, processes, and frameworks are illustrated through excerpts from two projects: one engaging adult learning communities in using the principles of theater arts to prepare them to create social change; the other involving collaborative play among teachers in curriculum planning. A final section provides entry points for students and educators to explore insights, experiences, and information from a wider world of research, writing, and engagement in change.


Peter Taylor:
Peter Taylor is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston where he directs the Graduate Program in Critical and Creative Thinking and the undergraduate Program on Science, Technology and
Values. His research and writing links innovation in teaching and interdisciplinary collaboration with studies of the complexity of environmental and health sciences in their social context. This combination is evident in his 2005 book, Unruly Complexity: Ecology, Interpretation, Engagement (University of Chicago Press).

Jeremy Szteiter:
Jeremy Szteiter is a 2009 graduate of the Critical and Creative Thinking program and now serves as the Program's Assistant Coordinator. His work has centered around community-based and adult
education and has involved managing, developing, and teaching programs to lifelong learners, with an emphasis on a learning process that involves the teaching of others what has been learned and
supporting the growth of individuals to become teachers of what they know.

Title: Taking Yourself Seriously: Process of Research and Engagement
Format: Print & Ebook
Genre: Personal & Professional Development, Research, Writing Skills
Publisher: The Pumping Station
Released: February 2012


Purchase Link:
http://thepumpingstation.org/books or regular online retailers

 

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Get Your Hot Little Hands Ready! Giveaway from PrintRunner - Perfect for Authors!


Perfect for you authors! Get your book, blurb and name on a post card to send out as swag or to leave your mark on the world.

PrintRunner's online postcard printing has been kind enough to offer up a giveaway to introduce their company. I think this is a great company and they have many other services that are perfect for authors, including  stickers, bookmarks and more. So check them out, Print online, fill out the rafflecopter and I will cross my fingers that you win.


Postcard Size : Postcards 5x7
Quantity : 100
Colors : 4/0 Front Only Printing
Paper : 14 PT. UV Coating on Front,
Rounded Corners : Yes
Proof : None
Ready to Ship In : 4 Business Days

*Giveaway is open to US Residents only, ages 18 years old and above.


Thursday, April 19, 2012

VBTC Tours: Dinner With Lisa by Rod L. Prendergast - Book Feature & Excerpt


In the disastrous economic times of the 1930s, Joseph Gaston, a young widower with four children, arrives in the small town of Philibuster seeking security for his family. Instead, he faces barriers everywhere. He does his best despite great adversity, but the strain of feeding and protecting his family whittles away his strength. Finally, destitution forces him to consider giving up his children in order to save them. Enraged by his situation, he attempts one last desperate act—on the night he learns about the mysterious Lisa.
Heart wrenching, humorous and historically authentic, Dinner with Lisa incorporates the crucial issues of the depression: poverty, unemployment, drought and racism. In the midst of love and loyalty, trickery and despair, the ultimate message of the novel is one of hope and the courage to survive even the worst odds.


Excerpt # 1

He looked up when Nolan suddenly exclaimed, “Dad!”
“What?” Joseph felt drained as he pulled the overalls from the suitcase.
“The baby isn’t moving!” Nolan sounded alarmed.
Clare had been crying all day; for the first time she was silent. “She’s sleeping,” Joseph said, his attention still on Sarah.
Nolan’s brown eyes were wide with panic. “But, Dad, she’s not breathing!”
The words brought Joseph instantly back to his feet. Bending over the baby, he studied her closely. Nolan was right. Clare showed no sign of life. Quickly Joseph put his face to Clare’s nose and mouth, and waited—prayed—for her to exhale. Nothing. Were her lips blue or was he imagining it? He wasn’t sure. “Christ!” he muttered, as he grabbed the limp infant from Nolan’s arms and shook her gently.
“Did she swallow something?” he barked at his son, startling nearby passengers.
“No,” Nolan said tensely, as he watched his father part the baby’s lips and investigate her mouth with his fingers.
Joseph balled up Cole’s overalls and placed them under Clare’s shoulders, arching her head back and opening her windpipe. In an effort to force air into her lungs, he drew her arms up and over her head. When that didn’t work he flipped her onto her belly, turned her head to the side, placed her hands beneath her chin, and lifted her elbows to expand her lungs. All this took less than a minute.
Joseph had never been so frightened. He had done everything he’d been taught in the army, but Clare still didn’t respond. Oblivious to the silence in the car and the distress of those around him, he began to strike Clare’s back. Again and again he struck, each time a little harder. By now the baby’s small hands and feet were grey.
“Help! Someone please help!” he screamed, looking around pleadingly. “My baby’s not breathing!”
The other passengers were frozen with shock. No one moved.





Follow the Tour

April 21 - Author Spotlight at Wise Words
April 24 - Author Spotlight & Book Feature at Lori's Reading Corner
April 26 - Book Featured at B'Tween Prose
April 30 - Interviewed at Writing Innovations E-zine
May 3 - Guest Blogging at Ami Blackwelder's Blog
May 7 - Reviewed at Ereading on the Cheap
May 9 - Interviewed by Louise James
May 11 - Author Spotlight & Book Feature at This Author's Life
May 15 - Interviewed at BK Media Entertainment
May 17 - Interviewed at From the Mind of Omegia

R. L. (Rod) Prendergast was the entrepreneurial kid you saw on your neighbourhood street selling lemonade on a hot summer's day. Recognizing young Rod's preoccupation with money, his mother bribed him to read with an offer of 25 cents per book—and instilled in him a lifelong love of reading. Although he continued down the path of industry—he started and sold his first business before completing his Bachelor of Commerce—he continued to read voraciously. After a number of years working in sales, marketing and management for several companies he spent a year's sabbatical surfing and reading in New Zealand and, free of business pressures, he began to write. Those first words became the backbone of The Impact of a Single Eventwhich was long listed for the Independent Publishers Book Award for literary fiction, and which became a national bestseller in Canada. Spurred on by the success of his first novel, he took another sabbatical and wrote Dinner with Lisa. He is currently working on his next book.




Tuesday, April 17, 2012

VBT Tours: Go Publish Yourself by Katie Salidas



Katie has done it again! Even with a new baby, though he's getting big, she's released another book. Stepping out of the Urban Fantasy Realm, Katie is here to help you, Go PublishYourself!

Welcome Katie!


BK: Tell us a little bit about your new release...

KS: Go Publish Yourself! will help you avoid the common stumbling blocks and get you on the road to successful self-publishing. This handy dandy guide is filled with insider’s tips and tricks, and it will unscramble the world of self-publishing into simple, easy-to-follow steps.

BK: You have written the Immortalis Series, an Urban Fantasy, how different was it to write this book compared to the series?

KS: Writing non-fiction is a totally different experience. With fiction, you can make up worlds and design characters. Non-fiction (now this is going to sound boring, but it’s not) is very straight forward. You lay out the facts and make them clear for the reader. It’s less imaginary and more technical. Trying to do it without it reading like stereo instructions is the where you can add a bit of flair.

BK: Katie also just released the 4th installment in the Immortalis series, Soulstone, congratulations Katie :).

KS: Thanks! I’m thrilled to have that one out! I can’t wait to see what readers think of it.

BK: What inspired Go Publish Yourself?

KS: It started as a collection of blog posts. I spent about 6 months writing on topics about self-editing, self-publishing, and marketing. The posts were very popular and the feedback I received was wonderful. It was then that my editor suggested I put everything together in a nice easy-to-read format. That’s when Go Publish Yourself took shape. It’s a handy dandy quick reference guide for all levels of self-publishers.

BK: What, in your opinion is the first thing a new author should do before Self-Publishing?

KS: Well, before considering self-publishing, you must have a complete manuscript. I know that sounds a little “Duh,” but it’s a serious step. Before you even think of sharing your work with the world for profit, you better be sure it’s ready. It needs to be complete: have a beginning, middle, and end, as well as be beta tested so-to-speak. You should have that complete manuscript worked over by a critiquing group or partner to ensure the story is good and the plot isn’t full of holes. Self-publishing should only be considered when you know you have a product to publish first. In other words, don’t think “Hey, I’m going to write and publish a book,” before you’ve written the first words.

BK: What is the most common mistake you see authors do when Self-Publishing?

KS: In my opinion, it’s forgetting to take that first important step. Having your work looked at by another person. I can’t stress enough how important it is to have your work critiqued. Yes, it takes time out of your production schedule, but having a separate pair of eyes (from a person not invested in the story or the author… no letting your mom critique your work) does wonders for your work. A critiquer will spot the plot holes, the inconsistent characters, and the unbelievable scenarios in your work that could lead to a bad review. Once they spot them you can fix them and make the story really shine. Next comes editing and that is the second biggest mistake I see in self-publishing. Critiquing and editing are not the same thing but new authors often treat them as the same. You must have a qualified editor look at your work after it has been through the critiquing phase. And as you’ll see in my book, I have a few very reasonably priced editors listed. It doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to produce a good book.

BK: How often should an author be marketing their work in a 24 hour period?

KS: I don’t think it’s a question of actual time spent. It’s more about how you approach marketing. There are different types of marketing. You have active marketing. For example, tweeting about your book. That’s the kind of marketing that should be done sparingly. Just a couple of times a day (and when I say a couple, I mean 2) It is necessary to make your work available and link it far and wide, but people tend to tune that stuff out. Do it too much and it becomes spam and then you piss off potential readers and they stop following your forever. Then there is passive marketing. Let’s say I am active on a message board. In my signature I have a link to my amazon.com page. Every time I make a post on this particular message board, my signature is visible. If people like what I say, they may want to check out my work. They might click the link. That’s the kind of marketing that people should be focusing on. Connecting with readers on a personal level and gaining their trust and interest. This blog post is also a form of passive marketing. I hope that you’ll find it interesting and informative, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll want to learn more. =)

BK: Where do you recommend an author go to publish their work?

KS: That’s really dependent on what formats they want to be published in. But, for arguments sake, I’d suggest starting with ebooks and Kindle. Kindle is one of the easiest to setup and the most widely known of the ebook devices and Amazon is the biggest etailer out there.

BK: What is one thing you learned through writing Go Publish Yourself?

KS: That the learning process never ends. While having my work beta tested, I was able to see the advice I was giving put into practice. My readers came back and told me what worked and didn’t. That let me go back and revise prior to production of the book.

BK: You've recently had a new baby, Hunter, how do you fit your writing in while juggling everyday life?

KS: In short – I don’t. Sadly, I haven’t written anything new since Hunter was born 4 months ago. That’s not to say I won’t get anything written soon, I just haven’t figured out how to juggle my schedule.

BK: How are you liking being a Mom all over again?

KS: The jump from one kid to two has been interesting. I’m a lot more relaxed about having a newborn in the house than I was when my daughter was little, but learning to split my attention between two kids has been hard. They always want my 100% attention to themselves. LoL. But it’s great, and I love both of my kids.

BK: Please tell us where readers can connect with you and purchase your works...

KS: You can always find me on Facebook. I practically live there.
And on my personal website
or on my publishing site


BK: Katie, as always it's been a pleasure having you with us. Is there any upcoming projects or events you'd like to share before we let you get back to your life?

KS: BK thank you again for having me! I love popping by to chat with you! And I hope to be back soon with more exciting news. For now, the focus is on Go Publish Yourself! and Soulstone, but as soon as I have something new in the works, you’ll be the first to know!

Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy life to chat with us today Katie. Good luck in the future and we will continue to look forward to your work.

Self-Publishing made simple. Get your polished novel ready for Kindle, Nook, or Print in thirty days or less.

Avoid the common stumbling blocks and get on the road to successful self-publishing. This handy dandy guide, filled with insider’s tips and tricks, will unscramble the world of self-publishing into simple, easy-to-follow steps.


What’s in the book?
Common Misconceptions
The Business of Self-Publishing
Basic Costs & Budgeting
Publishing Formats: Epub, Kindle, Smashwords, & Print
Cover Art
Interior Layout
Pricing
Printing and Distribution
Marketing Basics: Platform Building, Book Signings, Blog Tours, etc.

And much more!


Don’t make rookie mistakes. Learn from an insider!

Katie Salidas is an author with several successful self-published titles. Each of her titles was created in the DIY (Do It Yourself) style, without the aid of author service companies. Through trial and error she has gained the knowhow to successfully publish print and ebooks. Go Publish Yourself! has that knowledge assembled into an easy-to-use format, packed with no-nonsense tips and quick and dirty tricks, so you can take your novel to the next level.

So, what are you waiting for? Go Publish Yourself!



I am Super Mom!

Endowed with special powers and abilities, beyond those of mortal women, I can get the munchkin off to gymnastics, cheerleading, Girl Scouts, and swim lessons. I can put hot food on the table for dinner while assisting with homework, baths, and bedtime… And, I still find time to keep the hubby happy (nudge nudge wink wink). I can do all of this and still have time to write my novels.

Sorry… I can’t even write that with a straight face.

Lies all lies.

Here’s the reality. I’m a sleep-deprived, overworked, mom who just doesn’t know the meaning of the word balance. I try so hard to do it all, (be super mom, wife, & author) and at the end of the day I fall face forward into the couch.

Yes, you read that right, I tend to sleep on the couch. It’s a point of frustration for my hubby and a thing of comedy for my daughter. Imagine waking up to your little child yelling, “Mom slept on the couch again!!!”
Because being supermom (or trying to) means a lot of time devoted to family, writing is often done when said family is peacefully snoozing away. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen asleep with my laptop, on the couch. It just happens. Then, bright and early at 7am either my hubby (on his way to work) or my daughter (getting ready for school) wakes me up.

Writing is my passion. It’s a part of me. More than just a hobby, it’s a compulsion. I have to do it. If I don’t do at least one writing related thing each day I get cranky.

Hopefully, my passion can be your entertainment!

Over the last two years I have written and published (via my publishing company, Rising Sign Books)

April 19 - Interview & Reviewed at Immortyl Revolutions
April 23 - Reviewed at B'Tween Prose, Faerotic Prose, Loves 2 Read
April 25 - Guest Blogging at Alchemy of Scrawl
April 27 - Interview & Reviewed at AZ Publishing Services
May 1 - Guest Blogging with Cindy Vine
May 4 - Interviewed at Reviews & Interviews
May 5 - Interview, Fun Facts & Review at Books Are Cool
May 7 - Guest Blogging with Louise James
May 9 - Reviewed at Ereading on the Cheap
May 10 - Guest Blogging at Brenda-Steve's Blog
May 11 - Guest Blogging at
MK McClintock's Blog
May 14 - Guest Blogging at For The Love of Reading
May 14 - Reviewed at AZ Publishing Services & Interviewed at KWOD Radio





Thursday, April 12, 2012

VBTC Pit Stop - Cesar's Fav Five




My Top Five Favourite Authors!

Number One > J. K. Rowling
Ok so who doesn't love the Harry Potter series, I will admit that it did take a while to get around to reading them, but once I did, it shot up there to one of my most favourite series. The films drew me into the books, but the book were so much more. What I love about Rowling’s writing is that it truly unique, and you get so engrossed with the characters because you have watched them grow up.

Number Two > G. Norman Lippert
Yes that’s right, as soon as I was done with the Harry Potter series, I was still wondering how the story would continue on. Then I came across the James Potter fan-fiction series. It continues the story on, introducing many new loveable characters, and best of all, it was free to download on Goodreads. Pity there is only three books completed yet. Lippert's writing is not unique as it follows similar style to the original series, but his ideas for plots and new characters are totally in his own style and I couldn't put the books down until they were done.

Number Three > M. J. Webb
Fast moving intense three part Young Adult Fantasy series. At first, I was wary with how his writing quickly moves from one dilemma to the next yet it totally works. The central characters reminded me a little of Lord of the Rings, which is never a bad thing. Its an epic series, hopefully the last book in the series will be out soon so that I can answer all those 'what next' questions.

Number Four > Tony Humphreys
Ok as far as self-help books go, I think this author is the best. Many years ago, one of her books changed my life, and now I use the books to help develop characters in my stories. They simply understand the true nature of the human mind.

Number Five > George R. R. Martin
Martin is an expert at making very long-winded-stories that somehow manage to prevent you from getting bored, its ironic but true. The writing is unpredictable, intense and carries a lot of depth and detail.

Do you like any of these authors too? Who's you're favorite?

This collection of 250 poems was written by Cesar during his late teens, and each piece of writing was originally intended to remain as a personal record of his journey with God. Yet the collection at some point became much more than mere thoughts about the world and God; they developed into poems, lyrics and poetry on a full range of subjects.
Then the writing stopped and the pages of thought and devotion were lost to time, gaining nothing but dust in an attic. That is where Cesar found them thirteen years later, and he chose to publish them as a testament to the influences which once surrounded his life, and as a dedication to God for his faithfulness.
The book is also dotted with hand drawn sketches which adds an additional level to the book.



Excerpt:

Haunted shame, distant pain
Hidden deep, am I sane
Can I make them hands stop
Fade away into the shade
Softest of songs drift above
Peace inside, peace within
Mumblings made to story tell
Drive this home, hope you’re well
Flying away you look down
Turn those hands and see the dirt
Nothing washes, nothing cleans
Burying deep my drifted dreams
Build me a wall and make it strong
So I can fall, trip, trip and fall
Swimming no limbs, flying no wings
Drift here to see my drunken words
House washed away by my broken tears
Soul taken by the rising flood
To carry me home, twisted fate




Goodreads Book Giveaway

Prayers Poems Songs by Cesar

Prayers Poems Songs

by Cesar

Giveaway ends May 13, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
Enter to win

About CesarCesar has a very experienced background in the spiritual world. He was brought up in a Christian family, but branched out from that base as he got older, seeking answers about the world around him, and the spiritual world around him. In his mid-twenties dramatic events occurred in his life which challenged his very existence, but he learned from these experienced and most of learned that how that life is not just in our own hands. Now Cesar is a firm believer that everyone has their own path to walk in life, and part of that walk is all about the choices that you make. Some people choose a good life and some a wicked life, but most of us live the life in the middle, influenced by the world around us and our own upbringing, Cesar understands that life is simply not black and white.









Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Black Opal Books: Author Spotlight with Empi Baryeh - Chancing Faith




Empi Baryeh has been writing since the age of thirteen after stumbling upon a YA story her older sister had started. The story fascinated her so much that, when she discovered it was unfinished, she knew the task of completing it rested firmly on her shoulders. And somehow the ideas and the words for the rest of the story began to pour into her mind. She's been writing ever since. It wasn't until another thirteen years later, however, that the romantic in her geared her toward romance. She now focuses on heart-warming multicultural romance with enough passion to enthral readers who want a little sizzle with their romance. She lives in her native country, Ghana, which provides the exotic setting for most of her novels.





Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by my blog tour. I feel honoured to have been invited over to celebrate the release of my second novel, Chancing Faith. If you’ve been following all my tour, then you probably read the piece I did about writing the other POV – i.e. a woman writing the male POV and vice versa. It occurred to me that my excerpts have all been in my hero’s POV, so today I’m unveiling a new snippet in my heroine’s POV.
I do enjoy writing the female POV. You’d think that being female and writing the female POV will make all the women in my stories sound the same, but it is fascinating to discover what each heroine comes up with as I write about her. Naaki happens to be one of my favourite heroine’s and it gives me much pleasure to share a little bit about her with you.
Here we go. A sneak peek into Chancing Faith and a new excerpt;



Blurb

 HE DIDN’T DO SHORT-TERM RELATIONSHIPS…

American ad exec, Thane Aleksander, doesn’t date co-workers either—until business takes him to Ghana, West Africa, and he meets Naaki. Now he’s at risk of breaking all the rules. Can he stop this headlong fall before it’s too late?

UNTIL HE MET HER!

Naaki Tabika has a burning need to prove, to herself and others, that she’s more than wife and mother material. To do so, she’s prepared to give up everything for her job. Meeting Thane, however, makes her want to get personal. But falling for her boss could destroy her career. Will she be willing to risk it all for the one thing that can make her truly happy?

Two divergent cultures, two different races, two career-driven professionals, only one chance at true love—will they find the faith to take it, or will their hearts be sacrificed on the altar of financial success?


Excerpt:

A light tapping sound made her sit up with a frown. Was that a knock? It sounded like it came from the adjoining door. A wave of unwelcome excitement stole into her. She chided herself. What would he be doing knocking on the door? Really. In his book she was a nuisance. Period. She leaned back in the chair, but the soft knock came again. No, she wasn’t imagining it, she decided, and went over to open it.

The sight of him made her heart flutter and she swallowed, caught off guard by just how heart-stoppingly handsome he was. Had he been that good-looking before or had he become—if it were possible—even more so? The t-shirt hugging his torso and well-toned arms made her wonder how often he worked out. Wearing it with corduroy trousers, he oozed a maleness that was almost intoxicating—a maleness that made her feel incredibly female.

Hi.” She couldn’t tear her eyes away even as she tried to remind herself that she didn’t like him.

I ordered room service. It looks like I got too much for one person,” he explained, sounding apologetic. “Would you consider having dinner with me?”

Naaki shook her head. She had to be dreaming, imagining that her gorgeous would-have-been boss—had it not been for her unintelligent declaration of his lack of manners—was asking her to have a meal with him.

***
Did you enjoy that brief look into my heroine’s head? If so, I hope you would consider buying the book and spending more time with her as she discovers the love of her life.

Buy Links:


And now a little bit about me:
I’m an author of sweet and sensual African and interracial romance, which happens to be my favourite genre of romance to read.I have two novels out: Most Eligible Bachelor, from Evernight Publishing, and my latest release, Chancing Faith, an interracial romance from Black Opal Books. I live in Accra, Ghana, where both stories are set.

My interest in writing started around the age of thirteen after I stumbled upon a YA story my sister had started. The story fascinated me so much that, when I found out it was unfinished, I knew I had to complete it. Somehow the rest of the story began to take shape in my mind and I’ve been writing ever since.

Where to find me online:

Thanks again for helping me celebrate the release of Chancing Faith. Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win your choice of and e-copy of either of my books.
Cheers,
Empi

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