#TexasAuthor

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Amethyst, The Shallows Pop-up Blog Hop @AbernathyKellye @LoneStarLit

I am happy to spotlight an author today who writes YA with a touch of magical realism. Please welcome Kellye Abernathy!

AMETHYST, THE SHALLOWS
by
Kellye Abernathy
 
YA / Magical Realism / Coming of Age
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Page Count: 296 pages
Publication Date: February 6, 2024
 
 
Scroll down for a giveaway!
 
“This is a night for being brave.”
 
In the aftermath of a devastating sickness that shatters their close-knit beach town, six lonely kids are drawn together during the unpredictable autumn equinox. Among them are fourteen-year-old Lorelei, who yearns to be an oceanographer, and her peculiar younger brother, Tad, who possesses an otherworldly curiosity.
 
 
When Lorelei has a strange and almost deadly encounter in a sea cave, her loyal boyfriend, Casey, cannot reconcile her fantastical experience with the rational world. Condi, Lorelei’s best friend, understands ocean magic but isn’t free to share what she knows. Kait, a girl from Ireland, regrets her impulsive move to America–all because of an odd occurrence involving her deceased boyfriend’s lost surfboard. When tides turn and the moon shifts, Isaac, the new kid in town who despises the ocean, is forced to face the truth–a profound and powerful magic lives in the deep.
 
 
Guided by a wise surf master, mystical old women known as the Beachlings, and an open-hearted grandmother, six kids embark on transformative adventures that challenge their beliefs about possibilities and the intense nature of love.
 
Amethyst, the Shallows is the companion novel to The Aquamarine Surfboard.
CLICK TO PURCHASE:
 
Kellye Abernathy’s passions are writing and serving trauma survivors as a yoga teacher and practical life skills advocate. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Kansas. Her home is in land-locked Plano, Texas—where she’s dreaming of her next trip to the sea!
 
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THREE WINNERS receive autographed two-book sets
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 4/19/24)
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Frowns and Gowns The Mischief Series Book 5 @AmandaMThrasher @lonestarlit

FROWNS AND GOWNS
The Mischief Series, Book 5
By AMANDA M. THRASHER
 
Children’s Chapter Book / Fantasy / Fairies
Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press
Page Count: 236
Publication Date: September 12, 2023
 
Embark on a Magical Adventure with Lilly, Boris, and Jack!
Get ready to join Lilly, Boris, and Jack on an unforgettable journey filled with excitement, laughter, and a touch of mayhem. Brace yourself for a whirlwind of mishaps as these three fairies plan a magnificent magical ball, only to encounter an unforeseen disaster! Experience the magic of friendship with Lilly, the quick-witted and resourceful fairy, Boris, the mischievous fairy with a heart of gold, and Jack, the troublemaker with a curious, adventurous spirit on their latest adventure.
 
 
Throughout, Lilly, Boris, and Jack teach the true meaning of friendship and teamwork. Together with their friends, they’ll overcome challenges, learn valuable lessons, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Don’t miss out on this enchanting tale!
CLICK TO PURCHASE:
 
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apn7Vm-RRRI?si=6k3G90-Lo7IXM0MS]
 
 
Award-winning author Amanda M. Thrasher was born in England and moved to Texas, where she lives with her family. She writes YA, general fiction, middle grade, early reader chapter, and picture books. She is the founder and CEO of Progressive Rising Phoenix Press.
 
PROGRESSIVE RISING PHOENIX PRESS
 
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
TWO WINNERS
receive autographed, paperback sets
of all five books in The Mischief Series + $25 Starbucks gift card
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 3/28/24)
 

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To Rescue A Witch – Lisa A. Traugott @LoneStarLit #NewRelease #BookReview

TO RESCUE A WITCH
by
Lisa A. Traugott
Historical Fiction / Action & Adventure / Witch Trials
Page Count: 398 pages
Publication Date: March 1, 2024
It’s 1739. An abused girl accused of witchcraft must be defended by a man married to an actual witch.
William MacLeod, a fierce Scottish lawyer with a kind heart, takes on a daunting task—rescue young Annaliese from the clutches of her tormentors in the untamed wilds of Virginia colony and deliver her safely to her aristocratic father in London. But lurking in the shadows are enemies eager to expose MacLeod’s own wife, Fiona, as a witch with a dark secret.
Their perilous journey takes an unexpected turn when their ship wrecks, and Annaliese’s haunting nightmares and unexplained Devil Marks trigger suspicion among the crew. Tension peaks when MacLeod must become Annaliese’s unwavering protector in a witch trial, where Fiona’s clairvoyance and a murder are unveiled.
To Rescue a Witch navigates themes of betrayal and redemption, in a spellbinding narrative that blends history, magic, and the unyielding resilience of the human spirit.
Lisa A. Traugott is an award-winning author and World Championship public speaker semifinalist and spoke five lines on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She lives in Austin with her husband, two kids, and English bulldog, Bruno.

Website ◆ Blog ◆ Facebook ◆ Amazon
Goodreads ◆ BookBub ◆ Instagram

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THREE WINNERS


Autographed paperback copies
of TO RESCUE A WITCH
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 03/29/24)
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The Knotted Ring #NewRelease #BookReview @lonestarlit @MyraHMcIlvain #Giveaway

THE KNOTTED RING
BY MYRA HARGRAVE MCILVAIN
Historical Fiction / Family Saga / Historical Romance
Publisher: Next Chapter
Page Count: 412
Publication Date: December 7, 2023
Scroll down for Giveaway!
Susannah Mobley, expecting a baby by her lover, a slave owned by her family, submits to an arranged marriage to Hezekiah James who is headed to Texas to claim a Spanish land grant. Caught in a series of lies about the origin of a beautiful ring woven from her red hair and the circumstances of her pregnancy, Susannah embarks on the harsh trip to Texas, grieving for her lost love and determined to control her destiny.
On the wagon train journey, Hezekiah is tested by his beliefs and strengths with his slaves and Native Americans, as well as a strange Mad Stone. His determination to build a plantation as fine as Susannah’s home place and to make the best decisions for Susannah fails. Susannah will have to decide if she can live with the consequences of her lies and open herself to this man who shows every form of contrition or if she will allow longing for what she cannot have to destroy her life.
~~~
The Knotted Ring is currently a semi-finalist status
in the Laramie Awards for Western and Americana Fiction.
“An often engrossing and well-handled story of the 19th century.”
—Kirkus Reviews
~~~
CLICK TO PURCHASE!

Barnes & Noble │ Google │ Kobo

Myra Hargrave McIlvain, a sixth-generation Texan, is a storyteller who has written Texas historical markers (yes, real people write those things lining Texas highways), articles for newspapers and magazines such as Texas Highways, and six nonfiction books about famous and infamous Texas characters and places.
McIlvain found her real love when she wrote her first historical fiction. All her tales take place in Texas during major periods of its history. However, The Knotted Ring was inspired by an old family story, and in her search to understand what may have happened, she imagined their lives set in a time that she knew well––the establishment of the first Anglo colony.
McIlvain views history as the story of a people; the people she knows best have made Texas home.
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THREE WINNERS
1st Prize: Autographed hardcover & tote bag; 2nd Prize: Autographed paperback + candle; 3rd Prize: Autographed paperback
(US only; ends midnight, CST, 02/29/24)
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Amethyst, The Shallows #BookBlitz @LoneStarLit @Abernathykellye

AMETHYST, THE SHALLOWS The Companion Novel to The Aquamarine Surfboard By KELLYE ABERNATHY Young Adult / Magical Realism / Coming of Age Publisher: Atmosphere Press Pages: 296 pages Publication Date: February 6, 2024 NEW RELEASE! "This is a night for being brave." In the aftermath of a devastating sickness that shatters their close-knit beach town, …

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Courting Miss Emma #NewRelease @LBroday @LoneStarLit

I love it when I get to promote one of my sister’s new books! I loved this story.

COURTING MISS EMMA
The Hangman’s Daughters, Book 2
by
Linda Broday
Western / Clean & Wholesome / Sweet Romance / Historical Fiction
Publisher: Severn House
Date of Publication: November 7, 2023
Number of Pages: 203 pages
Scroll down for Giveaway!

Texas, 1868. Emma Taggart has finally found a place to belong – setting up Heaven’s Door orphanage with her sister Maura was a new beginning for her – and one she will do anything to protect.
When guarded ex-army man Stone Landry buys the neighboring land and moves in – camels and all – Emma’s world changes forever. He is an infuriating man who instantly gets under her skin – in ways she never dreamed possible, and despite herself, Emma starts to wonder if, just maybe, he is man enough to take on a Hangman’s daughter . . . But their newfound connection is quickly tested by violent night raids, kidnappings, and underhand tricks by powerful rancher Zeke Parker, who is intent on running them out of town and taking the land he deems to be his. Can Emma find enough courage to trust in Stone to give her the life, the family, she’s always dreamed of?
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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FOUR WINNERS:
1st $25 Amazon gift card;
2nd autographed hardcover copy of WINNING MAURA’S HEART;
3rd eBook copy of COURTING MISS EMMA;
4th audiobook of ONE SHOT AT LOVE.
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 11/17/23)

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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
Scroll down for a giveaway!

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.

XTRA Promo
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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Mumentous by Amy J. Schultz Book BlogTour @LoneStarLit #giveaway

MUMENTOUS: Original Photos and Mostly-True Stories about Football, Glue Guns, Moms, and a Supersized High School Tradition That Was Born Deep in the Heart of Texas by Amy J. Schultz Nonfiction / Photo-Driven Memoir / Women’s History / Pop Culture / Texana Publisher: Atmosphere Press Page Count: 178 pages Publication Date: April 25, 2023 Scroll …

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For the Minds and Wills of Men #BlogTour @LoneStarLit

I am super excited to share this book from Jeff Lanier with you. Don’t miss my review below!

FOR THE MINDS

AND WILLS OF MEN
by
Jeff Lanier
 
Mystery / Art History
Publisher: Boyle & Dalton
Date of Publication: October 16, 2022
Number of Pages: 310 pages 
 
Scroll down for Giveaway!
 
 
A gripping, historical art mystery set in 1950s New York, For the Minds and Wills of Men is a story of art, love, and Cold War fear, suspicion, and betrayal.
 
MANHATTAN, 1953. Fear of communist subversion and espionage are tearing America apart. Abstract expressionism is on the verge of exploding, making New York the cultural epicenter of the world. While recovering a stolen Jackson Pollock for a wealthy client, art insurer Will Oxley falls for the client’s daughter, Liz Bower, who leads him deep into the rebellious and seductive world of the abstract expressionist painters, their Village bar haunts and East Hampton binges. But when Will learns the painting-and Liz-may be hiding communist secrets better left hidden, he finds himself torn between exposing the girl he loves or risking his life by trusting her instead. Realizing nothing is as it seems, Will is caught between communist espionage, secret government programs, and the grip of cold war fear, suspicion, and betrayal where trust is all he has left…
 
With post-World War II New York, 1950s avant-garde art world, and the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings as background, the novel tells the story of abstract expressionism and mid-century American politics- through the thrilling search for a stolen Jackson Pollock.
 

PRAISE FOR FOR THE MINDS AND WILLS OF MEN

*2023 INDIEREADER AWARD WINNER: 1ST PLACE FICTION*


“Lanier brilliantly evokes the energy and excitement of the New York art world in this Cold War thriller with an artistic twist. Along the way, he gives us fascinating insights into Abstract Expressionism and the power of art to communicate values and ideas.”

–Ross King, Acclaimed art historian and New York Times bestselling author of The Judgment of Paris, Brunelleschi’s Dome, and Michelangelo and The Pope’s Ceiling.

Click to Purchase!
 
 
 
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8u-gm12tVB8]
 
 
Jeff Lanier is an award-winning author. He earned bachelor’s degrees in history and art History at the University of Texas, Austin, with a focus on the History of American Culture through Art and Literature. He has a master’s from Rice University, is a member of the American Society of Aesthetics, and currently lives in Houston with his wife and three children.
 
◆ WEBSITE ◆ INSTAGRAM ◆ AMAZON ◆ GOODREADS ◆
 

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ONE WINNER:
Autographed hardcover copy of
For the Minds and Wills of Men
(US only; ends midnight, CDT, 8/4/23)
 
 

Continue reading “For the Minds and Wills of Men #BlogTour @LoneStarLit”

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