Rip The Sky – Mark Packard #NewRelease #BlogTour #Review #Giveaway @LoneStarLit

RIP THE SKY
by
Mark Packard
Speculative Fiction / Fantasy / Science Fiction
Publisher: Bluestreak Publishing
Page Count: 317 pages
Publication Date: August 21, 2023
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After a shocking courtroom tragedy, a disturbed Vietnam veteran and the vindictive judge who sent him to prison become an unlikely pair of time travelers in a chaotic multiverse. The fallen angel who rescues them wants to guide them to a radiant new life. But first they must return to the scene of a ghastly crime.

Billy Worster was a naïve teenager ill-prepared for the gruesome realities of war. The sole survivor of a deadly massacre in a Vietnamese jungle, he avoided certain death only because he ran away when the shooting started. Riddled with guilt, he comes home to a dusty Texas farm with post-traumatic stress disorder and the crazy notion that he can fly in and out of parallel worlds.

As Billy struggles with addiction and questions his sanity, he is arrested on a drug charge and ends up in the courtroom of Judge Madeline Johnston, a bitter old judge tormented by a dark secret surrounding her father’s death. She callously tosses Billy into prison, but when a greedy executor files a lawsuit to steal his inherited land, Billy is hauled back to her courtroom in chains, where a stunning twist of fate launches them into the sky on an odyssey of discovery and healing.

Spanning forty years from the jungles of Vietnam through infinite, parallel worlds, Rip the Sky examines how the power of forgiveness can lead us toward a better life, no matter how many worlds we may live in.

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Mark Packard spent the last 38 years as a trial attorney and is now retired from the courtroom and working as a mediator. In a life before lawyering he was a journalist and regrets waiting far too long before returning to his roots to write his first novel, Rip the Sky. Though he knows he should have jumped off the merry-go-round years ago, he hopes to hang around long enough to craft a few more tales. Connect with the author:
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ONE WINNER
Signed hard copy of RIP THE SKY & $50 Amazon gift card
(US only; ends midnight, CST, 10/13/23)

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August #BookReviews! @maeclair1 @ellejamesauthor @colleenhoover – Lucy Score – Sharon Sala

The sweltering month of August is ending, and we've been blessed with temps in the upper nineties this past week instead of over 100 every day. Maybe fall really is on the way! If you didn't get to view it last night, tonight is the official BIG blue moon that will not happen again until …

Whiskey on Our Shoes #NewRelease #LSBBT #BlogHop #Review #giveaway @LoneStarLit @TonyaPreece

WHISKEY ON OUR SHOES
by
Tonya Preece
Contemporary Romance / New Adult
Publisher: Champagne Book Group
Page Count: 238 pages
Publication Date: February 12, 2023
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Eva dodges the fans, media, and gossip that follow her supermodel mom and rock star family members by wearing disguises. After an aimless gap year, she struggles to figure out what she wants from life. She moves in with her famous guitar god brother in Austin while he recovers from a drunken stage stunt accident and tries to stay sober. When a hot Texas cowboy named Alex takes Eva by surprise, she risks her safety and security of anonymity by letting him into her unconventional life.
Alex is captivated by Eva and promises to protect her privacy. Yet he has a secret of his own—the fling he had with an older woman is fraught with scandalous potential for him and now Eva. He broke free of that mistake months ago, or so he thought. As things heat up with Eva, his old flame returns and won’t leave him alone.
Just when Alex thinks he has the reins on the situation, his ex teams up with a gossip reporter hell-bent on invading Eva’s privacy. The resulting exposé, with a sly spin on a recent encounter with his ex, is Alex’s worst nightmare, and Eva’s unsure what to believe. Can she face the world with Alex at her side or will she return into hiding?
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Tonya Preece writes romance and contemporary young adult fiction and incorporates music into all her books in one way or another. She lives near Austin, TX where she’s a small business manager for a forensic engineering firm. She and her husband enjoy traveling, live music, wine, and spoiling their fur babies.
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THREE WINNERS
Grand Prize: autographed paperback & $10 Amazon gift card;
2nd Prize: autographed paperback;
3rd Prize: eBook
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May #BookReviews! @SueColetta1 @LBroday @LindaGriffinA @JacqBiggar @melodycalder1 @m_morganauthor

Goodreads tells me I'm on track for meeting my reading goal for 2023, and what fun I'm having! PURCHASE LINK MY REVIEW: From the stunning cover to the last page of the story, Restless Mayhem drew me in for a fast-paced ride! This author merged ancient Native American ceremonies and traditions with modern times in …

Ricochet – #NewRelease @97_taylormoore @HarperCollins @NetGalley #BookReview

Having read the first two books in the Garret Kohl series, I jumped at a chance to read the third, and I was not disappointed! I received a copy of this book via HarperCollins and NetGalley. All opinions expressed here are my own. PRE-ORDER LINK MY REVIEW: Garrett Kohl is completing his final mission and …

Ghostly Bugles – #NewRelease #Giveaway @LoneStarLit @knightml_author

It is an honor to feature a new Historical Fiction release from this author! Read to the end to see my review, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

 

GHOSTLY BUGLES
by
Max L. Knight
 
Historical Fiction / Texas History
Publisher: Wild Lark Books
Date of Publication: February 23, 2023
Number of Pages: 210 pages
 
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Do the souls of the dead reach out from beyond the grave? Do echoes of the past resound through the ages? Are such insights a privilege or a curse? An old man grapples with these questions and his own mortality as he re-examines one of the most famous battles in history – the Alamo.
 
The 1836 siege and battle, as well as current efforts to restore Alamo Plaza to hallowed ground and create a world-class attraction unfold as the old man tries to make sense of his memories, dreams, and perceived outreach by the dead whose souls cry out to him for inclusion and recognition. Beyond the myth and the legend are their stories as well as his own.
 
Ghostly Bugles is a fictional re-creation of the Alamo story, rich in historical detail with a unique paranormal element. The narrative combines elements of the traditional storyline with contemporary efforts to “Re-imagine the Alamo.” The dual timelines balance our understanding of this world-renowned event and provide new perspective and appreciation for the courage and sacrifice of everyone involved – Texian and Tejano defenders and Mexican soldiers.
 
 
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MAX L. KNIGHT was born in Panama and grew up in the Canal Zone and in San Antonio, Texas, where he and his wife reside. In addition to degrees from Texas A&M University and Campbell University, Max served twenty-four years in the United States Army (1973-1997), retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
 
He became the first Alamo Docent in 2004, but the tragic events of 9/11 compelled him to reactivate his security clearance and, when the approval finally came through, he returned to work in support of U.S. Counterintelligence operations. A stage IV throat cancer diagnosis in 2014 abruptly ended that phase of his life, and he turned to writing to help him get through the chemo, radiation, and surgeries. Max is currently cancer free.
 
His other works include Silver Taps, Palo Duro, and Tarnished Brass.
 
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TWO WINNERS:
Signed copy of Ghostly Bugles
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 5/25/23)
 
 

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April #BookReviews @JenMcMurrain @dlfinnauthor @Virgilante Elizabeth Gauffrau Leona Nichole Black

Welcome to my April book reviews! I hope you find something here you can't live without. 🙂 PURCHASE LINK MY REVIEW: As a long-time student of Tarot, this book caught my eye. What I found between the pages is a fresh new look at the practical everyday use of tarot cards presented in a truly …

Confessions of a Knight Errant #NewRelease @LoneStarLit

 
CONFESSIONS OF
A KNIGHT ERRANT
by Gretchen McCullough
 
Humorous Fiction
Publisher: Cune Press
Page Count: 240 pages
Publication Date: October 18, 2022
 
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Confessions of a Knight Errant is a comedic, picaresque novel in the tradition of Don Quixote with a flamboyant cast of characters.

Dr. Gary Watson is the picaro, a radical environmentalist and wannabe novelist who has been accused of masterminding a computer hack that wiped out the files of a major publishing company. His Sancho Panza is Kharalombos, a fat, gluttonous Greek dancing teacher, who is wanted by the secret police for cavorting with the daughter of the Big Man of Egypt.

Self-preservation necessitates a hurried journey to the refuge of a girls’ camp in rural Texas. Then a body turns up nearby that is connected to Middle East antiquities, and they are on the run once more.

 
 
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Gretchen McCullough was raised in Harlingen Texas. After graduating from Brown University in 1984, she taught in Egypt, Turkey, and Japan. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and was awarded a teaching Fulbright to Syria from 1997-1999.
 
Her stories, essays and reviews have appeared in The Barcelona Review, Archipelago, National Public Radio, Story South, Guernica, The Common, The Millions, and the LA Review of Books. Translations in English and Arabic have been published in: Nizwa, Banipal, Brooklyn Rail in Translation, World Literature Today, and Washington Square Review with Mohamed Metwalli. Her bilingual book of short stories in English and Arabic, Three Stories From Cairo, translated with Mohamed Metwalli, was published in July 2011 by AFAQ Publishing House, Cairo. A collection of short stories about expatriate life in Cairo, Shahrazad’s Tooth, was also published by AFAQ in 2013.
 
Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at the American University in Cairo.
 
 
 
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ONE WINNER!

In Confessions of a Knight Errant, readers get a taste of the Hill Country. One winner will, too, with a one-pound bag of pecans from Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Company!
(US only; ends midnight, CST 4/28/23)
 

Winning Maura’s Heart #NewRelease @LBroday @LoneStarLit

I am so thrilled to get to tell you a little about my sister’s brand-new book! Take a look!

WINNING MAURA’S HEART
The Hangman’s Daughters Series, Book # 1
by
LINDA BRODAY
Western Romance / Clean & Wholesome / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Severn House
Date of Publication: March 7, 2023
Number of Pages: 256 pages
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The Calhoun brothers are identical twins but on opposite sides of the law. Cutter is a deputy Marshal, Jonas an outlaw. When Cutter attempts to break his brother out of a notorious gang, they are shot, and Maura finds one of them wounded, close to the mission – but which brother is it?
Maura Taggart is an outcast, the daughter of a hangman and tainted by association – no reputable man wants her as his wife. And now she is homeless, along with her sister and the group of children in their care. Armed with pure grit, she finds a nearby mission where the nuns agree to take them in and set up an orphanage. But trouble is just around the corner . . .
As the stranger regains his strength under Maura’s care an attraction between them grows, yet how far can she trust him? And why has he brought trouble to their door? With the orphanage under threat can Maura trust this handsome stranger both with their safety and with her heart?
UNIVERSAL PURCHASE LINK:
I’m a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of western romance novels and short stories. Watching TV westerns during my youth fed my love of cowboys and the old West and they still do. On a still day, I can often hear the voices of American Indians, Comancheros, and early cowboys whispering in the breeze here on the high West Texas plains. We refer to this land as “cowboy” country and men here still ride the range just as cowboys of old. My stories focus on family life and almost all have children.
 
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THREE WINNERS:
GRAND PRIZE: tote including signed copy of Winning Maura’s Heart, strawberry & chocolate tea, Cowgirl hand lotion, bath bombs, personalized cup;
2nd Prize: eBook copy Winning Maura’s Heart;
3rd Prize: $15 Amazon gift card
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Murder’s Legacy (A Tori Winters Mystery Book 2) @anita_dickason @LoneStarLit

I am thrilled to bring to you the second book in the Tori Winters Mystery Series! Take a look!

MURDER’S LEGACY
A Tori Winters Mystery, Book 2
by
Anita Dickason
Mystery / Amateur Sleuth / Women Sleuths
Publisher: Mystic Circle Books
Date of Publication: February 17, 2023
Number of Pages: 378 pages 
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Secrets that defy time!
An inconceivable disaster brings Tori Winters’ plans for the historic house she inherited to a traumatic standstill. A section of the escape tunnel built by her great-grandfather, a notorious Dallas gangster, has collapsed. Within the rubble, there is a gruesome discovery. A skeleton with a bullet hole in the skull.
The shocking cave-in triggers an ominous scheme to condemn her property as accusations arise that the tunnel is dangerous.
Embattled, Tori soon discovers that more than the destruction of the house is on the line. It seems she can’t escape the past. It keeps clawing its way into her life with deadly consequences.
Who hides in the shadows with a motive for murder? And … is Tori the target?
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhcQjUUKzR8]
Award-winning Author Anita Dickason is a twenty-two-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. She served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics detective, advanced accident investigator, tactical officer, and first female sniper on the Dallas SWAT team.
Anita writes about what she knows, cops and crime. Her police background provides an unending source of inspiration for her plots and characters. Many incidents and characters portrayed in her books are based on personal experience. For her, the characters are the fun part of writing as she never knows where they will take her. There is always something out of the ordinary in her stories.
In Anita’s debut novel, Sentinels of the Night, she created an elite FBI Unit, the Trackers. Since then, she has added three more Tracker crime thrillers, Going Gone!, A u 7 9, and Operation Navajo, which are not a series and can be read in any order, and Deadly Business, a crime thriller.
As a Texas author, many of Anita’s books are based in Texas, or there is a link to Texas. When she stepped outside of the Tracker novels and wrote Not Dead and the Tori Winters Mysteries series, she set them in the small Texas communities of Meridian and Granbury, respectively.
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THREE WINNERS:
eBook copy of Deadly Keepsakes, Tori Winters Mystery #1
+ tote bag & personalized coffee mug
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 3/24/23)