READER REVIEW: "...an adorable Christmas romance story about a lovable pooch who is charged with the challenge to match the right people in a relationship meant to last a lifetime. But when life circumstances get in the way and mess up the matches, Cupid is once again called upon to reunite an older couple, while matching a young woman with her prince charming, and finding a lost dog a forever home...Cupid's Christmas is one of those lighthearted feel good stories that could easily be a Hallmark Channel movie, I know I would watch it. Cupid and author Bette Lee Crosby has earned two paws up for providing the reader with a delightful story that will simply make you smile!"  --Jersey Girl Book Reviews



Price: $2.99
Rating: 4.6 stars

**A portion of proceeds go to The No-Kill Treasure Coast Humane Society




           THE BOOK


From the Bestselling Author of Spare Change, comes a fun Christmas Romance, Cupid, the narrator of the story, is charged with making certain an older couple gets the love they've been waiting for and a young woman who's far too attracted to handsome men with sexy eyes finds her perfect match. And, he has to make it happen by Christmas.

In a spot somewhere between Heaven and Earth, Cupid tries to maneuver around the complications that threaten to wreck this romance as he struggles to overcome the forces of lust, jealousy and the events brought on by his nemeses--Life Management. He matched John and Eleanor some thirty years ago, but Life Management stepped in and fouled things up. Now they're both single and back together again. But before Cupid can give them the happiness they deserve, he's got to come up with some magic, a few miracles and a dog for John's daughter.

Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby brings the wit and wisdom of her Southern Mama to works of fiction--the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away.

Crosby's work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. Since that time, she has gone on to win several more awards, including another NLAPW award, three Royal Palm Literary Awards, both the 2011 and 2012FPA President's Book Award Gold Medal and most recently the 2010 Reader's View General Fiction Literary Award, Southeast Regional Fiction Award and the Jack Eadon Best Contemporary Drama Book Award.

Born in Detroit and raised in a plethora of states scattered across the South and Northeast, Crosby originally studied art and began her career as a packaging designer. When asked to write a few lines of copy for the back of a pantyhose package, she discovered a love for words that was irrepressible. After years of writing for business, she turned to works of fiction and never looked back. "Storytelling is in my blood," Crosby laughingly admits, "My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write."

Her published works to date are: Girl Child (2007), Cracks in the Sidewalk (2009), and Spare Change (2011). She has also authored a memoir for Lani Deauville, a woman the Guinness Book of Records lists as the world's longest living quadriplegic. Scheduled for release in March 2012, the book is titled "Life in the Land of IS."

-- T.M. Souders

Everyone has heard about the power of positive thought. It can lead us to live a healthier, happier, longer life. Optimism can actually manifest itself in us physically and can be a beacon to pulling positive energy your way….Many people, however, including myself, struggle with constant optimism. But there is a new form of positivism taking shape, a new way of living a happier life which draws positive energy. Gratitude.

What better time of year, than November, with Thanksgiving looming just around the corner, than to reflect on the things in our lives we are grateful for. So, here it is, the method to living a life of gratitude, which I think you’ll find to be quite uplifting and simple.

•     Try to have a gratitude reflection every morning. Take several minutes every morning to give thanks and reflect on all of the things you’re grateful for. Close your eyes, if possible. Really concentrate. This one act can put a positive spin on the beginning of your day. 
  

•      Say thank you, when someone does something nice, even if it’s small.  And really mean it. Furthermore, don’t hesitate to call, send a thank you card, or email to express your appreciation for something nice someone has done. Perhaps you remember something during your gratitude session. If so, take the time to express your thanks. This takes seconds, yet can mean so much. 
  

•    Recognize the positive (or gratitude) even in the negative. There is always two ways to look at something. A bump in the road can be seen as opportunities to grow or learn. Having problems at work? Be grateful you have work. Be grateful you have challenges and that life isn’t boring. You can reflect on how you can learn from the situation or grow. Besides, things could always be worse.
  

•   Create or learn your own gratitude prayer or mantra. Religious or not, a prayer or a mantra (a daily saying) can help solidify ones quest to live the day in gratitude. It can remind you of the things you are grateful for. Write it down or print it out and hang it above your desk or on your refrigerator as a reminder.
  

Do these things (live a life of gratitude), and you can lead a happier life. Your positive energy will bring more good into your life. And I’m not the only one that thinks this--even Oprah’s doing it! There are actual forums devoted to living a life of gratitude, such as http://www.gratitudelog.com/ . Heck, if all else fails, you’ll be less likely to take things for granted.

So, what am I grateful for? What do I express gratitude over? I have so many things in my life that I give thanks for. My family, the health of myself and loved ones, a home with food on the table are amongst the many things. I would also like to express gratitude towards my readers. I am so thankful and humbled by anyone who reads and enjoys my writing. You allow me to do something I love--to live my dreams. You give me a voice. And to that I am so grateful.

READER REVIEW:  "Where else but a town called Union Cross, North Carolina can a guardian angel named Millie Rose look over the premature infant of a dysfunctional teenage couple? When that premature infant is born with chemical burns across her body, her lungs bursting to breathe, it's Millie Rose who gets beside her and chants, "you need to breathe...The American South has produced some of the world's finest writers and NEED TO BREATHE secures Tara Staley's place among them." --Carolyn Burns Bass (Ovations)



Price: 99 cents
Rating: 4.8 stars




                    THE BOOK


Claire Harper baffles doctors when she comes into the world 14 weeks early and covered with burns. Saddled with respiratory distress and misguided parents, Baby Claire needs more than incubators, oxygen tanks and Little Golden Books—she needs miracles.

She needs Millie Rose.

Millie died from childbirth in 1922, but she’s given a second chance at motherhood when she’s assigned to be a “spiritual foster parent” to Claire. Millie mentors her through NICU nightmares and toddler tirades, residual illnesses, sassy peers—and a dark secret behind the burns on her skin. Over the years, Millie assuages Claire’s poor health, mentors a family steeped in dysfunction, helps Claire find real love and, in the end, guides her toward facing the abominable truth behind her birth. But when Millie pursues her own forbidden desire to somehow see the child she died delivering, she wagers not only Claire’s well-being and her years of hard work, but risks losing her own final peace in the hereafter.

Tara Staley is the author of NEED TO BREATHE, a digital book debuting September 2012 on Amazon’s Kindle e-shelf. This literary coming-of-age novel–set in the South during the 1970s and 80s–has been compared by editors and reviewers to THE LOVELY BONES and MEMORY KEEPER’S DAUGHTER.

Tara Staley’s writing background includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in English and Creative Writing, an RWA award for a past novel, and involvement with the North Carolina Writers Network. She is also a founding member of the online writers’ community Backspace. Her fiction has been blurbed by nationally bestselling and award-winning authors such as Caroline Leavitt and Cornelia Read. As a freelancer, her work has appeared in such publications as UNCG Magazine, BizLife Magazine and the Winston-Salem Journal. She grew up, lives, and will most likely die in Kernersville, North Carolina (except for a one-year study abroad stint in Australia thanks to a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship). She and her husband have two sons.

Staley is currently finishing up her next novel, CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE, biographical fiction that brings to life the world of the Wright brothers and the Kitty Hawkers in the early 1900s.

READER REVIEW: "How do you write a review for a story that touches your soul? How do you put into words the emotions that overtake you as you turn each page, highlight whole passages or phrases, then stare off in the distance to reflect? How do you tell a fellow author that her work has moved you so deeply that you stop working on your own project for days at a time just so you can spend time in her novel?...Through your beautifully rendered characters, I lived many lives and learned many things... But my favorite scene will always be the "park" scene. I read this passage late at night and went to sleep with tears on my pillow. You wrote about love in a way that has left me in awe. In awe of your talent. I will carry this scene in my heart for a long time."  --Kathleen M. Rodgers


Price: $2.99
Rating: 4.5 stars



      THE BOOK

Rebecka, Helen, and Adelle navigate the sometimes humorous, sometimes painful path through childhood and keep their self-worth and dignity intact. Not long after Adelle, a bitter widow, recognizes a remarkable friendship developing with her two young neighbors, one of them moves away. As Rebecca and Helen mature, they turn from their devoted friendship in search of romantic love, finding more questions than answers to their place in this world. In their delicate and self-conscious journey to womanhood, all three search for identity and acceptance in a variety of places--a charismatic church, a Depression-era orphanage, a moonlit Savannah park, an orthodox Jewish boarding school--and end up finding lasting strength in the power of their friendship.

LORI ANN STEPHENS is a novelist, a university lecturer, and a Do-It-Yourself addict. Her stories have been widely published and won awards in national competitions, including Glimmer Train's Fiction Open. Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler endorsed her debut novel, Song of the Orange Moons, which is about girls, lost and found. 

READER REVIEW: "Ms. Wells delivers a well crafted, touching story as we follow her main character through his life trials from the 1930's to the 1970's. I was enraptured with the language and texture of this story. Reminded me of an intelligent art house film like "Driving Mrs Daisy" whereby we watch the unfolding of a simple life and the struggles that we all face - love, death, remorse, and the necessity of compromise. Bravo, bravo. Superb story-telling."  --Andy Holloman


Price: 99 cents
Rating: 4.7 stars



                      THE BOOK


RAILROAD MAN...A Portrait of a Man...Love has no boundaries within a man's heart...A 1930s' love story that captures the heart of one man...the Railroad ManSet in the mid-twentieth century, this is the story of one man's life, his love, his success, and his sorrow. His strengths and weaknesses cross the boundaries of time and reach into our hearts, because everyone knows the Railroad Man.

--Luke Murphy

It makes people wonder...how did I go from a professional hockey player to a published novelist? Many people ask me why I write.

My enthusiasm for books stems from my mother. Although she died when I was young, most of my early memories of her include books and her love for reading. I remember a mountain of Danielle Steele novels stacked on the bedside table, as my mother was a sucker for steamy romance and love stories. I don’t remember much of my mother, but what I do I cherish.

There are no writers in my family, but there is no shortage of readers. My father and both my sisters are also avid readers. They read anything from novels to biographies.

So why do I write...to be honest, it started out as a hobby.

It was the winter of 2000, my second year of professional hockey, and I was playing in Oklahoma City.  After sustaining a season ending eye injury (one of the scariest moments of my life), I found myself with time on his hands.

My girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, was attending a French college in Montreal. She received an English assignment to write a short story, and asked me for some help.

I loved the experience—creating vivid characters and generating a wire-taut plot.

After that I thought...why not me?

I sat down at my roommate’s computer and began typing. I wrote a little everyday, around my intense rehabilitation schedule and before I knew it I had completed my first manuscript.

I didn’t write with the intention of being published. I wrote for the love of writing.

Twelve years later, I still write for pleasure—and I still love it! The fact that I am being published is a bonus.

Writing allows me, for a short time, the freedom to leave my everyday world and explore new avenues, to be in another place and time. It allows me to get inside the head of characters—to think, do, and say whatever I want with no rules or restrictions.

It means liberty and freedom to express myself.

Website: www.authorlukemurphy.com

Blog: www.authorlukemurphy.com/blog

FB: www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Luke-Murphy/268343729930467 

Twitter: www.twitter.com/#!/AuthorLMurphy

HEADER REVIEW:  "Even though my boys are grown, I found myself wishing they were young again so they could read NO EXIT (The Apple Grove Gang). This book is beyond refreshing - a great story about kids who still play outside, know people in their town and have an adventure that makes a difference in their lives. When the gang runs up against local politics that threaten their community center they find out how tough it is to fight city hall. Hamilton C. Burger's obvious delight in his craft shines through on every page. The kids in this book have real voices and real lives. No dungeons, dragons or wizards here, rather a book that will make both parents and young readers happy. Thank goodness there will be more in the Apple Gang series!"  --Rebecca Forrester


Price: FREE ebook!
Rating: 4.1 stars




       THE BOOK


Benny Churchill and Bug Beetle are off and running on the last day of school. They are ready for a great summer of fun with the Apple Grove Gang. Instead, they learn a lesson in politics. When the Apple Grove Community Center is closed, the Gang finds out just how hard it is to fight city hall. Finally, when their backs are against the wall, and they find out that there is no exit, the real fun and excitement begin.

I was born in 1960 and raised in the Midwest. I have always been a reader, finding escape in the pages of a good book. I inhaled books during my days of extensive world travel. Before the Nook and Kindle, even before laptops became the norm, I would pack six or eight paperbacks for an extended trip.

I had never, ever considered writing until I contacted an author about a fabulous book of theirs. It was suggested that I should try my hand writing. Here I am! I can never thank this person enough for the joy I receive from writing.

I have been married 32 years. My wife and I have two beautiful daughters, Katie and Maddie. Besides writing, I love to cook, travel, drive my Corvette. I have a dog and two cats.

READER REVIEW: "With his cast of well-realized, diverse characters and a plot that moves along at a frantic clip, Kirkus MacGowan has burst onto the scene as explosively as the many action sequences that feature in this story -- a debut that has come together with as much success as any writer would strive for in a first novel."  --Jeff Jaques


Price: FREE ebook!
Rating: 4.5 stars



                           THE BOOK

The John Reeves Creed: "Kill them with kindness. Unless you have a gun."

John Reeves, an ex-Marine, drives to Myrtle Beach hoping to repair a damaged relationship with his fiancée. Instead, he finds her unconscious in the hospital, the victim of an unexplained explosion at a local restaurant.

Reeves meets Billy Hitchings, a teenager who knows more about the explosion than he should. Their questions lead to an ancient legacy best left alone.

Pulled into yet another crossfire, John Reeves fights to protect his friends and keep a primeval power from falling into the wrong hands.                      

                 
                                   THE AUTHOR


Amazon bestselling author Kirkus MacGowan wrote his first book at age eight about traveling to Mars to find the cure for cancer. He put his writing dreams on hold for twenty-five years and focused his energies on playing baseball. He moved on when he found playing softball with his friends more enjoyable than his pipe dream.

Since then, he graduated with a B.S. in Psychology, married a woman too good to be true, and moved back to his hometown. He gave up an amazing career waiting tables and now stays at home with his two crazy children. He spends his time writing thrillers and fantasy, playing softball with friends, enjoying the occasional computer game, and wrestling with his kids.


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