Welcome to the Blog Tour for Hooked On You by Kathleen Fuller, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Title: Hooked On You
Series: Maple Falls Romance #1
Author: Kathleen Fuller
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: May 11, 2021
Genre: Contemporary Romance (clean/sweet)
She never wanted to come back. He never wants to leave. The town of Maple Falls has plans for them both.
Riley McAllister is living the dream in New York City . . . if the dream means being a struggling mixed-media artist, part-time food delivery driver, and having a carefully curated social media to hide all of the above. She refuses to admit defeat and move back to small-town Maple Falls, but when her grandmother breaks her leg sliding into third base during a softball game (she was safe, by the way), Riley reluctantly agrees to go home and help the woman who raised her—while secretly hoping she can convince Mimi to sell her house and yarn shop and move in with a good friend. Then Riley can return to her new life in NYC, on her own and for good.
But Mimi has her own plans, which include setting Riley up with local baseball star Hayden Price, who returned to Maple Falls after an injury ended his major league career. Now he works at his father’s hardware store, coaches the church softball team, and worries about the declining town. It’s not the life he dreamed of having.
With a little meddling and a lot of kindness from the town, Hayden and Riley find themselves unexpectedly falling for each other as they discover the true meaning of home.
Welcome to Maple Falls, where everyone knows your name and your business.
With over a million copies sold, USA Today Bestselling author Kathleen Fuller is the author of several bestselling novels, including the Hearts of Middlefield novels, the Middlefield Family novels, the Amish of Birch Creek series, and the Amish Letters series as well as a middle-grade Amish series, the Mysteries of Middlefield. Visit her online at KathleenFuller.com
(3) winners will receive a print copy of Hooked On You by Kathleen Fuller!
Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight May 17, 2021 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on May 24, 2021. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Post in partnership with iReadBookTours and Sally Beale. All opinions are my own.
Join us for this tour from May 10 to May 21, 2021!
Book Details:
Book Title: The Adventures of Mollie & Ollie: Moving Day by Sally Beale Category: Children’s Fiction (Ages 3-7), 38 pages Genre: Children’s Picture Book Publisher: Mascot Books Release date: March, 2021 Book available in hardback Content Rating: G for everyone.
Book Description:
Every child experiences change in their life. Moving can be difficult, but in
this Mom’s Choice award-winning book, when eight-year-old Molly Day meets a new friend, a magical owl named Oliver Winston Howell III, her move to a new house in a new town becomes easier than she expected. Be on the lookout for Molly and Ollie’s next adventure!
The Adventures of Molly & Ollie: Moving Day was inspired by Beale’s own experiences as a young child. Her father’s occupation required that her family move across the country every two years. Beale’s childhood was filled with adventures that captured her imagination in each new home. She continued her passion for adventure while raising her two daughters and working as a costume designer for local theaters. Now she is channeling her sense of fun and her youthful spirit into her children’s stories. Beale is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). The Adventures of Molly & Ollie: Moving Day, a Mom’s Choice Award winner, is the first book in the Molly & Ollie
series.
On a Saturday morning, I woke up early. The freshly brewed coffee was waiting for me; it was so comforting. I cannot remember a time that I did not drink coffee in the mornings…even as a child on “wash day” I would have a cup with my mom (it was mostly milk!). I took my second cup of coffee upstairs to my office and sat at my desk. My children’s book, The Adventures of Molly & Ollie: Moving Day, was almost ready to send to the publisher.
I reached for my worn notebook and took it with my coffee to the futon in my office. That was where I pondered all kinds of ideas and challenges. Nostalgia set in as I flipped through the pages. It contained all my thoughts for a story about a little girl having to move—a subject I am familiar with. I find the planning pyramid, with its jagged lines going up the page and down for the plot arc. I looked over the notes to see how close the book came to the plan.
When I came across the research notes for Molly’s animals, it made me smile. I looked over at the shelf full of toy animals that continually gave me inspiration and encouragement (and still do!). The research on animals was so important. Each one of Molly’s animals needed to be special in their own way and not picked at random.
Towards the back of the notebook, I found the character notes for both Molly & Ollie. I had not read those notes for a while. Re-reading them now, made me realize how important it was to know who they were for the action and voice of the story.
I took a few moments to reflect over this process of writing a children’s book. I looked up and smiled at my large white board that my husband made. The 28 pages for the book was marked off as a grid. It worked perfectly for establishing the flow of the story. Different colors for different elements and crude drawings for possible illustrations.
I went back to my desk and opened my computer. I read the manuscript one last time…then clicked send.
My Review
The Adventures of Molly & Ollie Moving Day is going to be loved by many children. Moving away can be so traumatic for children as they leave their friends and everything they’ve grown to know and love. In this adorable book, Molly is a little girl who is saying goodbye to everything. She looks around at the boxes in her room and sees a box marked Molly’s Books, Molly’s Clothes, Molly’s Animals, and one box marked, “Open Me First.”
Molly is very sad because everything will be different. Just then the doorbell rings and her friend comes over and brings a yummy plate of chocolate chip cookies. As she later waves goodbye to her friend she says everything will be different.
When she arrives in her new town, the car pulls up to her new home. It does look different. But, when she goes upstairs it’s nice to see that someone marked her door, “Molly’s Room” in bright purple letters. She goes in and there are the boxes of her Animals, Clothes, and Books. There is also the box marked Open Me First.
Molly is startled to hear a “Who” sound. She turns around to see an owl in the window. She answers the owl when he says, Who are you? She asked the owl who he is, too. He said his name is Oliver Winston Howell III, but Molly calls him Ollie, for short. She is sad and tells Ollie how everything is different. Your children will want to read this book and find out how Molly and Ollie become good friends. It will be fun for them to learn how although things are different, they are also the same.
What They Want Us to Know: Messages of Hope, Meaning and Unity From the Animal Kingdom
by Shawndra Mcwhorter
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GENRE: Non-fiction Inspirational
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BLURB:
What They Want Us To Know: Messages of Hope, Meaning and Unity From the Animal Kingdom.
Have you ever wondered what animals would tell us if they could? This book will give you that chance to find out! By being able to receive downloaded messages from wild and domestic animals, Shawndra translates their messages for us. These animals have shared powerful messages of unity, connection and purpose, and steps that each of us are able to take to deepen the connection, find more meaning in our lives, and become the humans that the animals know we can be. You’ll hear messages from 12 different animals on what they want us to know in order to live a more profoundly amazing life. You’ll be given the opportunity to learn ways to be more compassionate, tolerant and heart-centered, to the animals and to each other.
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Excerpt One:
Chapter Seven Hippopotamus
HIPPO WAS THE FIRST TO open the door to what I could be, something that has made me more connected to my higher self than I ever thought possible. After Dr. Jeri Ryan had helped me communicate with my dog Joey, I took her animal communication class and Hippo was the first one that I connected with telepathically. I can still vividly remember how I felt when I tuned in to Hippo. It felt completely different from speaking to a human or even daydreaming. I was connected to something outside myself that I didn’t even know was there but that felt instantly familiar. It felt more real and genuine than most of the conversations I’ve had with humans. It felt clear, honest, kind, and deeper than what I was used to with most humans. And it happened in a matter of minutes, not months or years of building trust. While Joey was the catalyst to bring me to this moment, Hippo was the one who I listened to for the first time and who opened my heart to more awareness of this new path.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Shawndra McWhorter has been an animal communicator since 2000, and is also an Usui and KarunaⓇ Reiki Master, working with humans and animals. Shawndra has helped more than 500 animals and their humans with her communication and healing skills. Shawndra is a past president of Washington State Animal Response Team (WASART), and also serves on the Board of Directors with Kindred Souls Foundation, both 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations dedicated to helping animals. Shawndra began her disaster animal rescue work in 2005, after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, where she deployed outside of New Orleans, LA to help rescue and care for the animals left behind. She has deployed to Chile, Peru, and to several states in the US volunteering helping animals recover from disasters. Shawndra also volunteered with Wolf Haven International in Tenino, WA for nearly eight years, and is still active in supporting their mission. She is the owner of Sanskrit Healing, using her skills to help humans, animals and the environment find balance. Shawndra has spent most of her life helping others and won an Emmy for a documentary that she directed and edited on illegal aliens in Southern California. Her approach is to educate and help others make mindful, ethical choices based on facts and data. Shawndra currently lives in Washington State with her dog Norman, who survived the EF5 tornado that hit Moore, OK in 2013.
Join us for this tour from May 17 to June 4, 2021!
Book Details:
Book Title: FLYING AGAINST THE ODDS: One Man’s Journey to New Ways of Healing by Jean-Jacques Trochon with Heather Whitehall-Trochon Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 249 pages Genre: Memoir Publisher: Ikhaya Publishing Release date: November 2020 Format available for review: print (Internationally), ebook (mobi, epub) Tour dates: May 17 to June 4, 2021 Content Rating: G. Memoir for General Audience.
Book Description:
“IT TAKES A DIFFERENT KIND OF THINKING TO SOLVE A PROBLEM THAN THE KIND OF THINKING THAT PRODUCED THE PROBLEM.” —Albert Einstein
JJ had a devastating problem. At age fifty-one, he was diagnosed with stage four cancer and given three years to live. Rather than accept that outcome, JJ did what he always does: he set out to find a solution. Desiring to look beyond traditional treatments and their often harmful side effects, he put his unconventionally wired mind to work. JJ was
relentless as he investigated alternative therapies and pursued global trailblazers in cancer research. Moving from the role of patient to patient-researcher, he became a trailblazer in his own right, being
sought after for his latest findings. Ultimately, JJ brought together the most innovative international minds at the Rethinking Cancer 2017 conference in Paris. Together, they found common ground, and they continue to create integrative, synergistic approaches to treatment. Today, almost a decade after his diagnosis, JJ has defied the odds and
is cancer-free. Recently retired from his career as a commercial airline captain on the Airbus A380, he now devotes himself to sharing his ongoing research with scientists and patients. JJ’s story illustrates how looking at things differently often enables us to see them in a whole new light.
Jean-Jacques Trochon (or JJ as he is more commonly known) spent thirty-two years as a commercial airline pilot for Air France. A French national, he enjoyed an early childhood in Tahiti before finishing his schooling in France and the USA. In 2003, JJ was diagnosed with aggressive kidney cancer and subsequently underwent the removal of his left kidney. In 2012 and 2014, he underwent further surgeries following the discovery of multiple metastases in both lungs. Despite being given a slim chance of survival, JJ again returned to work in 2016. He captained the world’s largest commercial aircraft, the Airbus A380, until his retirement in spring 2020. Today, Jean-Jacques devotes his spare time to helping other cancer sufferers and spreading the word about his revolutionary approach to the disease. He was the initiator of Rethinking Cancer 2017, a groundbreaking conference held in Paris on September 21, 2017, at Institut Gustave Roussy, the leading cancer center in Europe.
Heather Whitehall-Trochon is a lover of languages and translator of French and German into English. A British national, she completed studies in fashion journalism at the London College of Fashion before moving to Munich, Germany, where she worked in public relations for fashion and film. After relocating to Vienna, Austria, she had a brief stint as an editor at the Associated Press, prior to becoming a freelance translator and seasoned backpacker. Heather met JJ in Paris in 2007, marrying him the following year. The couple, together with their cat, Zulu, have now settled in Biarritz, France.
Publisher’s Synopsis: Why would anyone need six thousand doughnuts?
Big family…little house… Fifth-grader Abe Mitchell is fed up with sharing. All he wants is something to call his own. And he just might get it when he finds a loophole in the fine print of a doughnut shop coupon. Abe thinks it entitles him to a fresh-baked mountain of crullers, dunkers, and chocolate-frosteds. But cashing in means war with Marlene Paczki, the daughter of the doughnut shop owner and Abe’s new crush.
Thomas Tosi is a writer/filmmaker who, together with his wife, Heidi, has produced an award-winning children’s website, educational multimedia games, and dramatic films which have aired on national television, PBS affiliate stations, and screened in numerous film festivals. He was born and raised in New Hampshire, where he and Heidi still reside. He takes pride in the fact that they now live in a solar-powered home where they grow and can organic vegetables.
Meaghan Tosi, after being born on April Fools’ Day in New Hampshire, has collected a BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design. She illustrated this book and the graphic novel Squashed alongside author Thomas Tosi. She has also self-published DWEEDY: The Imagined Adventures of My Deceased Cat. She now lives in Portland, Oregon, for the art, coffee shops, vegan food, and the constantly lingering smell of rain.
This is just the type of book that children will love to read again and again. The children will be drawn to the cute illustrations with the funny expressions. There is nothing more enticing to middle grade boys and girls than this silly kind of humor.
The story is narrated by a little boy named Abe who has a big family and a small house. He has three sisters and twin brothers. They’re all forced to live upstairs in the attic room, because their cousin Celia is moving in. She’s a college student who lost her dorm room and takes the girl’s room. They all end up together with a sheet curtain hanging between the two sides of the room.
Abe’s dad has a cup of coffee with a peel-off reward for a free doughnut. On the back of the reward card some legal words say that it is the equivalent of 1/20th of a penny. Abe comes up with the idea that this means he should be able to buy 6,000 doughnuts with only $3. He and his student-lawyer cousin show up at the doughnut store and try to cash in. The owner says no and and after some arguing the owners daughter, Marlene throws doughnuts at Abe. Then, everyone in the restaurant gets involved in a huge food fight.
After a video of this food fight goes viral, the Judge Sally tv show offers to bring the two sides on to settle the argument. Celia is going to serve as Abe’s lawyer. The doughnut shop owner has a lawyer given to him by the doughnut store chain, and they are countersuing Abe. This could turn out well or it could be a disaster. What do you think will happen? You’ll want to get this one for your children or grandchildren, because it’s really funny!
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a hardcover Six Thousand Doughnuts prize pack!
One (1) grand prize winner receives:
A hardcover copy of Six Thousand Doughnuts, autographed by Thomas Tosi
A high-quality ceramic Six Thousand Doughnuts diner mug featuring the Sweetly Crisp doughnuts logo.
Three (3) grand winners receive:
A hardcover copy of Six Thousand Doughnuts, autographed by Thomas Tosi
The giveaway begins May 19, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends June 19, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.
This post is in partnership with The Children’s Book Review and Next Pivot Point.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Little Allies: A Children’s Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally
Written by Julie Kratz
Illustrated by Edwards Maiello
Ages 5-10 | 74 Pages
Publisher: Next Pivot Point | ISBN-13: 978-1736515907
Publisher’s Synopsis: As Ally navigates through her school day, she watches her classmates face bullying and discrimination. Ally realizes that they all want the same thing – to be accepted as they are. Ally learns an important lesson, brought to light by her teacher, that our differences make each of us unique and special, and that we can be an ally to others to help them navigate through life.
Little Allies is a touching tale that reminds us of the importance of accepting each other, celebrating our differences, and working to become an ally. The colorful pictures show Ally’s willingness to stand by her friends, even when she doesn’t know how else to help. Adults in the story are also important allies, helping kids navigate challenges, learn ways to support, and cherish their uniqueness.
The bonus material at the end of the book will spark discussion at home or in the classroom.100% of online book sale proceeds will be donated to a nonprofit or organization focused on children’s diversity and inclusion development or providing equitable access to opportunities for all children.
Julie Kratz is a highly acclaimed TEDx speaker and inclusive leadership trainer who led teams and produced results in corporate America. After experiencing many career “pivot points” of her own, she started her own speaking business, focused on helping leaders be more inclusive. Promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, Julie is a frequent keynote speaker, podcast host, and executive coach. She holds an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, is a Certified Master Coach, and is a certified unconscious bias trainer.
Monday, May 17, 2021The Children’s Book ReviewA book review ofLittle Allies: A Children’s Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally
Tuesday, May 18, 2021The Fairview ReviewA book review ofLittle Allies: A Children’s Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally
Wednesday, May 19, 2021Shooting Stars MagazineA book review ofLittle Allies: A Children’s Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally
Thursday, May 20, 2021Lisa’s ReadingA guest post by authorJulie Kratz
Sunday, May 23, 2021Barbara Ann Mojica’s BlogA book review ofLittle Allies: A Children’s Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally
Monday, May 24, 2021Satisfaction for Insatiable ReadersA book review ofLittle Allies: A Children’s Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally
Tuesday, May 25, 2021J.R.s Book ReviewsA book review ofLittle Allies: A Children’s Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally
Tuesday, June 1, 2021Mommy RamblingsA book review ofLittle Allies: A Children’s Story about Inclusion, Diversity, and Becoming an Ally
When I reflect on my why for my diversity and inclusion work, the real reason I do what I do is not to help organizations maximize innovation, revenues and profitabilities, but to educate and be a part of making workplaces more inclusive for the next generation. For me, it’s about my daughters’ experiencing a world that truly embraces them. It is important that they see themselves reflected in organizations that they work for and they feel like they are seen, heard, and belong at the same rate as others. Read More….
GIVEAWAY
Enter for a chance to win a Little Allies ART-Stravaganza prize pack!
One (1) Grand Prize Winner Receives:
A copy of Little Allies, autographed by Julie Kratz
A $50 Target gift card
An ART-stravangza kit for your budding artist including:
A Sketchbook
Skin Tone Colored Pencils
Crayola Multi-Ethnic Skin Tone Washable Tempera Paints
Paint Brushes
Crayola Skin Tone Multicultural Crayons
Crayola Skin Tone Multicultural Markers
Two Winners Receive:
A copy of Little Allies, autographed by Julie Kratz
A Little Allies Slap Bracelet
A Little Allies Sticker
The giveaway begins May 17, 2021, at 12:01 A.M. MT and ends June 17, 2021, at 11:59 P.M. MT.