I’m thrilled to announce my poetry chapbook, When Dreams Become Memories, will be released on April 22, 2022!
Although I’ve written many of them, I’ve never needed a plot to make me happy. I’m fascinated by the lives of regular, everyday people. That’s what you’ll find in this short poetry chapbook — fifteen 50- and 100-word slice-of-life stories that touch on Aging, Beauty, Alzheimer’s and other issues.
For me, and probably most of us, this quote is absolutely true. And today, the change I’m happy to report is that I have transferred my author blog to another blog called: My Crunchy Granola Yoga Journey. 🙂
This current blog isn’t going anywhere, but if you’ve enjoyed my posts about all things beyond (and sometimes including!) books, I hope you’ll join me at the other blog. You can follow me here: https://mycrunchygranolayogajourney.com/
Curious? Here’s what My Crunchy Granola Yoga Journey is about:
This blog is about my journey, using yoga as a tool. I’ll be blogging about practicing yoga & meditation, the 8 limbs, trying to live yoga on & off the mat, as well as discussing products (and anything!) I find that helps me live a happier, more productive life, and hopefully, helps you live a happier more productive life as well! Thanks for stopping by! For my author website, please visit: https://cathrinegoldstein.com/
As always, thank you for stopping by! I do hope you’ll join me on My Crunchy Granola Yoga Journey.
Runaway Train (Runaway Train #1) by: Lee Matthew Goldberg Release Date: April 29, 2021 Genre: YA
Summary: They told me I was an out-of-control train about to crash…
Everything changed when the police officer knocked on the door to tell me – a 16-year-old – that my older sister Kristen had died of a brain aneurysm. Cue the start of my parents neglecting me and my whole life spiraling out of control.
I decided now was the perfect time to skip town. It’s the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain runs the grunge music scene and I just experienced some serious trauma. What’s a girl supposed to do? I didn’t want to end up like Kristen, so I grabbed my bucket list, turned up my mixtape of the greatest 90’s hits and fled L.A.. The goal was to end up at Kurt Cobain’s house in Seattle, but I never could have guessed what would happen along the way.
At turns heartbreaking, inspiring, and laugh out loud funny, Runaway Train is a wild journey of a bygone era and a portrait of a one-of-a-kind teenage girl trying to find herself again the only way she knows how.
Lee Matthew Goldberg is the author of the novels THE ANCESTOR, THE MENTOR, THE DESIRE CARD and SLOW DOWN. He has been published in multiple languages and nominated for the Prix du Polar. His first YA series RUNAWAY TRAIN is forthcoming in 2021 along with a sci-fi novel ORANGE CITY. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, his writing has also appeared in The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Underwood Press and others. He is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of Fringe, dedicated to publishing fiction that’s outside-of-the-box. His pilots and screenplays have been finalists in Script Pipeline, Book Pipeline, Stage 32, We Screenplay, the New York Screenplay, Screencraft, and the Hollywood Screenplay contests. He is the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series and lives in New York City. Follow him at LeeMatthewGoldberg.com
Today, I’m happy to host the book tour of, Too Young to Die in the Garden of Syn, by Michael Seidelman!
Too Young to Die in the Garden of Syn (Garden of Syn #3) By: Michael Seidelman YA Fantasy Release date: March 30th Publisher: Chewed Pencil Press
Summary: The stakes could not be higher in the epic conclusion of The Garden of Syn trilogy.
Synthia (Syn) Wade discovered a secret world known as the Garden, where illness and death do not exist. Because of the tragic events that occurred in the Garden, Syn vowed never to return, even as cystic fibrosis threatened her young life. But when Syn faces the ultimate betrayal and a malicious adversary closes in, she is forced to escape her world and reluctantly return to the Garden.
However, her ruthless foe is not easily thwarted. Flanked by a deadly army, this dark force manipulates its way into the Garden with the goal of ultimate destruction. Facing great adversity, Syn must risk her life to protect the Garden and all those living within its borders.
Will Syn save the Garden and those she holds dear from the storm cloud of evil? Or will she discover that no one is Too Young to Die in the Garden of Syn?
When Michael Seidelman was growing up, his passions were reading, watching movies, enjoying nature and creative writing. Not much has changed since then.
Working in Online Marketing for over ten years, Michael felt it was time to pursue his passion and began writing The Garden of Syn trilogy.
Michael is excited about the upcoming release of the third and final book in The Garden of Syn series and beyond the trilogy, he has more books in the works that he can’t wait to share with the world!
Michael was born in Vancouver, BC Canada where he continues to reside.
Today on the blog, I’m thrilled to host the Book Tour for Finding Fate by Keelan Storm!
Finding Fate by: Keelan Storm Genre: YA Fiction Publisher: Jaiten Press; 2nd edition Release Date: February 20, 2021
Tagline: Her whole world fell apart. When she tries to piece it back together, will she stumble or soar?
Blurb: Isabel Dearly is tired of feeling depressed. Still grieving over the death of her father from cancer seven months ago, the seventeen-year-old has immersed herself in dance. But just as she’s starting to emerge from the darkness, she’s brutally betrayed by the handsome boy she’d only recently begun to date.
Rescued by her best friend, Isabel falls into his arms… and his bed. And when the consequences threaten her career options, she fears she may never be happy again.
Can Isabel figure out her future when the complications of the present refuse to let her go?
So tell me, how did the idea for the series come about, and how has it developed between book one and two?
I got the idea for the series several years ago when I was first married. I was struggling with insomnia one night, and I remember glaring at my husband who was snoring away on the other side of the bed, and my brain started wandering as I prayed for sleep. At some point, an idea of for the characters popped in my head.
I remember thinking, “Oh, hey, what if there were these twins, and they were best friends with these two guys. Oh, it would be awesome if they had all grown up together, even as neighbors. Maybe one of the twins dates one of the guys. The other one can start to date the other guy…” and on my thoughts went. I got excited about the idea and was worried that I’d forget about it after finally falling asleep, so it was around four in the morning, and I pulled out a notepad and pen and started jotting all of it down.
At the time, I wasn’t aware that it was going to be a series. I wasn’t even aware that it was going to be a whole book. I just knew that I was in love with the idea and wanted to see where it went. So, I started writing and just let the ideas flow. When I finished writing the first book, I was so in love with my characters that I didn’t want to let their story end yet. Hence, book two…
Book two gave me a chance to explore more about Jet and Annie, since book one is so focused on Isabel and Tucker. A new main character is actually entered into book two as well to enhance this couple’s, and the group’s, story. Jet was actually very underdeveloped in my first draft of book one. Writing book two allowed me to go back and add more substance to his character. It’s where I really learned who he was.
Is there anything unique about your series?
Actually, when I first wrote the books, I had no idea I was doing anything differently than the norm. I was just writing the story the characters told me to. But yes, the series is unique in that its written as a four point-of-view romance. (Six point-of-view romance in later books.)
The series is in a way structured like a TV show in book form, much like a teen soap opera. It’s been described as packed with drama and emotionally heartfelt moments. It really is about teens finding their way through life as they grow into adults.
How many books will be in this series?
This is a difficult question. My original plan (once I realized I was going to make it a series) was to write four books. Yet, I’ve learned that with the way I write, more and more ideas develop as I go. I’m actually writing book four at the moment, and one of the main ARCS of the story is something I had never considered doing with the characters. Sometimes, the characters just decide they don’t like what I originally had planned and do their own thing.
I know ultimately where the books are headed, though. I know the end game of the series. It’s just a matter of what journey will the characters lead me through as I get there.
I’ve got one version that will wrap things up in six books and another in my head that will wrap things up in nine books. For me, it truly is a “Let’s see where this goes.”
If anything, I’ve learned as a writer that if I over-plan, my writing suffers. My characters and their story need room to develop as I go.
What do you have in store for your characters, if you can tell me that is?
I don’t want to give too much away. I’ve had a lot of feedback from readers that a lot of what I put into the pages is unpredictable. There’s some events that you expect or you know will ultimately happen, but I work in a lot of twists and turns along the way that surprise people in how they get there. I don’t want to lose that surprise element, but I’ll offer a couple of things:
We follow these characters through their senior year of high school, a couple of years of college, and the last book will be moving into their early adult years post-college.
Each main character will have at least one serious thing happen to them along the way. Some events will be more severe than others, but ultimately, this series is a coming-of-age journey for a group of close teenage friends, showing how they stick together in various and numerous life trials, including but not limited to: love, loss, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and more.
Throughout the series, we’ll see three different weddings as book one starts with four main characters and we build to six main characters by book three.
The main antagonist of the series, Wesley… there is so much more involved with this character than readers will even know to anticipate. So much happens behind the scenes with him, so much is hidden in the pages… readers will be blown away when things are revealed in the final books
Do you have any future writing projects you can tell me about?
My current plans for future writing is to create a spin-off series of my characters. I have one that could focus on their younger siblings that’s growing in my head. There’s another idea for a series involving the main characters’ children years later. I’ve even considered a few standalones for some supporting characters, such as the twins’ mom Bridgette, their friend Hector, Isabel’s dance partner Leo, and a few others.
Did you find writing any particular scenes difficult, and if so, which ones and why?
In book one I don’t recall finding any scenes difficult to write. Book one truly was an exploration for me. Seeing where things went. I finished writing book three this past August, and there was a chapter or two I put off writing for a couple of weeks because it’s a ‘not so great’ scene for Tucker. I was mad that he was going to do something, but it was necessary for his character development, and he does learn from it, but it was hard for me to get it down on the page. I even had to delete my first few attempts until I got it right.
Is there any character in your series you feel you relate most to, and if so, why?
In my head, I relate most to Isabel. She’s mostly very introverted, and the way that she thinks and deals with things is very similar to myself. (Though we do have different interests.) Her overall personality makes it very easy to write her character for me.
Do you have a favorite couple or a favorite character, and if so, why?
I can’t say I can name an ultimate favorite character or couple. It kind of depends on what’s happening in the stories at the time. Sometimes, I love Isabel and Tucker and can’t wait to write more of them. Sometimes, they drive me crazy with what they’re going through, (though it’s necessary) and I love exploring Annie and Jet’s story instead. In book three, we start to see a bond grow between a couple of newer main characters, and I had an immense amount of fun writing and exploring their scenes and potential relationship.
Do you have any rituals or routines for when you write?
I’ve always been a ‘need silence to focus and work’ kind of person. Because of this, I typically have to wait until my kids are in bed in the evenings to get the chance to write. That or the occasional evening when they are spending time at their grandmother’s house. Sometimes, I even get lucky and my husband will take the kids outside to play or even take them to the park to give me a few extra hours on the weekends.
What do you do when you get writer’s block?
Oh, writer’s block, my one true foe, lol. Because I can’t overly plan without writing myself into a corner, I do occasionally have writer’s block. Sometimes, it’s a matter of I have to make sure what I’m considering works with the major goal points throughout the series. Sometimes, I get stuck just trying to figure out what is the best way to start or end a scene. (Starting a new scene or chapter can be the worst.)
When this happens, I have a few go-to’s. I’ll often take a drive down a back country road, let the radio play and my mind wander until inspiration strikes. My hubby is also typically a good ear for running ideas by if I have a couple of ideas I can’t decide between. (By this point in my series, he knows my characters as well as I do, lol. Poor guy.) My sister is always a quick and helpful phone call away when I need her as well.
Author Info: An author of young adult and coming-of-age romance, Keelan Storm brings readers pages packed with drama, heat, and emotionally heartfelt moments you won’t want to put down. With her soap opera style Tied by Fate series, you’ll find unwavering friendship, unpredictable twists and turns, swoon-worthy romance, and a fun cast of characters you can’t help but adore.
Keelan lives in Texas with her husband and two children, and when she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, taking midnight drives, pretty much anything teal, and inhaling unhealthy amounts of iced coffee.
Star-Crossed Dragons by Chris Cannon Entangled Publishing Release Date: Feb. 1, 2021
Summary:
Ice-princess, Sara Sinclair, is the most un-Blue Blue Dragon of her Clan. And now her parents signed a marriage contract to an absolute asshat. Sara has no interest in being one half of a snobby Blue power couple. In fact, all she can dream about is biting her obnoxious fiancé’s head off and burying him in the garden. Since that can’t happen, her future seems like a lost cause, until she meets Ian, a fire-breathing Red Dragon—who is everything her fiancé is not.
Now Sara’s jumped from the frying pan into the fire because dating outside of your Clan is against Directorate law. Ian could be thrown in jail or executed without a trial. But now that she knows what love feels like, she can’t imagine being with anyone else.
Author Info: Chris Cannon is the award-winning author of the Going Down In Flames series, the Boyfriend Chronicles, and the Dating Dilemma series. She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and several furry beasts. She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures or romantic comedies. You can find her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com
Summary: Several centuries ago, a group of ecologists escaped the breakdown of a society ravaged by climate change by vanishing into giant, genetically engineered forests in the North American west. Dwelling among vast canopies that hover several thousand feet above the earth, their descendants fear the cannibals roaming far beneath them and cling to the teachings of their sacred text, The Book of Silvanus. Sixteen year-old Ostrya considers it a burden to train as the canopy’s next doctor. But her life’s work has been preordained—and she’s desperate to reclaim her mother’s love. When a cataclysmic storm wracks the canopy, Ostrya begins to face her doubts about the teachings of the book and the laws of the canopy. If she is to survive, she will have to decide if her destiny is in the treetops or on the forest floor…
D.M. Darroch is the author of the Inventor-in-Training series as well as other speculative fiction stories. Her books weave together nature and science with adventure and often a touch of humor. Danelle lives in Washington State, USA and enjoys long walks in the forest. Her website is: https://www.dmdarroch.com.
Today I am so excited to be hosting the Book Tour for Throne of Lies by Sara Secora!
Throne of Lies Sara Secora YA Fantasy
Summary: For seventeen-year-old princess Amethysta Serelle, the royal life is anything but enchanting.
She finds herself forever torn between duty and desire—desperately craving freedom, yet bound by the burden of her bloodline. With the realm of Vataenya divided by intolerance, and stained by a veiled and violent past, none take kindly to those who are different. For Amethysta’s sake, her mother must conceal her daughter’s mystifying secret from all—including from Amethysta herself.
Once driven to her wit’s end, Amethysta sets out on an unrelenting search for answers that will leave her teetering on the very edge of anguish and strife. With each harrowing turn, Amethysta encounters devastating loss, uncovers the mortifying unknown, and comes face to face with the calamitous heartache that awaits her. All the while, an enigmatic blue glow sleeps below the surface, ready to unfold a world of chaos.
The Cutting Edge meets Friday Night Lights in a sizzling new hockey romance from bestselling authors Kelly Anne Blount and Lynn Rush!
In the Penalty Box by Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount Genre: YA Contemporary Release Date: January 5, 2021 Entangled Teen
Summary:
Willow: Figure skating was supposed to be my whole world. But one unlucky injury and now I’m down…but I’m definitely not out. I just need to rehab—a boatload of rehab—and who’d have thought I could do it on the boys’ hockey team? Of course, the infuriatingly hot captain of the team seems to think I’m nothing but sequins and twirls. What’s a girl to do but put him in his place? Game on.
Brodie: Hockey is my whole world. I’ve worked my tail off getting my team in a position to win the championships—hopefully in front of major college scouts, too—so what’s a guy to do when a figure skater ends up as our new goalie? Of course, the distractingly sexy skater thinks I’m nothing but a testosterone-laced competitive streak. And surely she’s only biding her time to heal, then she’s gone. Game over.
And here’s something special from authors, Lynn Rush and Kelly Anne Blount!
WHAT MUSIC IS ON WILLOW AND BRODIES’ PLAYLIST?
Hi! We’re so excited to be here with you today! Thank you so much for featuring IN THE PENALTY BOX and allowing us to chat with you about our character’s favorite songs!
Music lovers unite!
Hey everyone, Lynn Rush here. I LOVE talking music because it plays a pretty big role in my life, specifically my athletics. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m big into athletics and exercise. I played tennis in high school and then in college. After that, I jumped into competitive inline speed skating, mountain biking and now I’m into endurance running. Specifically ultra trail running.
Music has followed me through all my sports. Most specifically on my trail running. I’ve been known to be out there for four or five hours, so I need tons of songs. Especially amazing pump me up songs that’ll get me up to that 12,000-foot summit or through that 30-mile run. It’s amazing how a good song can really change a mood.
Kelly Anne Blount, my co-author, and I incorporated that into our characters, too. I wrote Brodie’s point of view, so we came up with an eclectic playlist that would keep him motivated during his training sessions yet show a little insight into his personality.
Let’s Go Crazy by Prince.Hey, I used to live in MN, how can I not put Prince on my list?
Stand in the Fire by Mickey Thomas: Youngblood theme-song because it’s the best hockey movie out there per Brodie. It’s old, but it’s good!
Thunder by Imagine Dragons
Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm
Fireworks by The Tragically Hip
What are some of your favorite songs? Maybe Brodie will add a few to his list…
Willow’s musical tastes definitely vary! She loves everything from old school hip hop and rap to country music. Willow has a nice selection of music to get her pumped for ice domination and a few songs that hit at the core of her feelings for Brodie. Check out Willow’s playlist over on Spotify and give it some love! Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0sx42wkN7sfVpLSvq6oUMd
WILLOW’S TOP FIVE MUSIC LIST:
Fight For Your Right – Beastie Boys
Just a Friend – Biz Markie
We Are the Champions – Queen
We Will Rock You – Queen
The Champion – Carrie Underwood
Thank you again to for featuring us and to all of you amazing readers for stopping by today. Go grab your copy of IN THE PENALTY BOX today and be sure to let us know what you thought of it by posting a review.
Happy Reading!
Much love,
Lynn & Kelly Anne
About the Authors:
Lynn Rush: New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Lynn Rush, is a full-time writer, wife, and trail runner living in the Sonoran Desert, despite her fear of rattle snakes. Known as #TheRunningWriter, Lynn can’t resist posting epic sunrise pictures while running in the desert with her trail sisters, even if she has to occasionally hop a scorpion. When she’s not running or writing, she’s watching movies that fuel her everlasting love of superheroes, vampires, and all things Supernatural. The books she reads usually carry the same theme, but this former college athlete loves reading sweet sports romances as well. She’s madly in love with her Ironman husband of 20+ years who is the inspiration for what true love is. You can find her on social media as @LynnRushWrites and her website is: www.lynnrush.com
Kelly Anne Blount: USA Today Bestselling author and Wattpad Star Kelly Anne Blount has more than seventy-three-thousand followers on social media. Her Wattpad stories have been read more than twenty-million times. She’s contributed to Tap, Wattpad’s new app for chat-style stories, where her work has been “tapped” more than fifty-million times. She is a writer and reviewer for SpoilerTV, which has allowed her to develop an incredible network of film and TV stars. Two of her Wattpad works, including Captured (seventeen-million reads), have been optioned for film by Komixx Entertainment, and she is regularly invited to present seminars about social media at author events. Stop by any of Kelly’s social-media platforms (@KellyAnneBlount) and stay tuned to this website for announcements and information about upcoming releases and events. Kelly Anne Blount is represented by Jennifer Wills (jennifer@theseymouragency.com) and Nicole Resciniti (nicole@theseymouragency.com) of The Seymour Agency.
Lynn Rush: New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author, Lynn Rush, is a full-time writer, wife, and trail runner living in the Sonoran Desert, despite her fear of rattle snakes. Known as #TheRunningWriter, Lynn can’t resist posting epic sunrise pictures while running in the desert with her trail sisters, even if she has to occasionally hop a scorpion.
Kelly Anne Blount: USA Today Bestselling author and Wattpad Star Kelly Anne Blount has more than seventy-three-thousand followers on social media. Her Wattpad stories have been read more than twenty-million times. She’s contributed to Tap, Wattpad’s new app for chat-style stories, where her work has been “tapped” more than fifty-million times. She is a writer and reviewer for SpoilerTV, which has allowed her to develop an incredible network of film and TV stars.
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