Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): Search for the Lost Realm by Kraig Dafoe

Tour Schedule
Search for the Lost Realm is an epic journey in which a young man named Varan wants to find a power which has been missing from the world of Kantania for thousands of years.

Varan sets out but soon discovers his true mission is to save the worlds creator from a spiritual bond placed upon him by the powerful demon, Eldrok.

From demons to dragons and sorcerers to soldiers, battles erupt and Varan must hurry or the world could be lost to darkness forever.

This story does not consist of action alone as Varan faces dilemmas of the heart, struggles of the flesh and complex issues of the mind.


Do not let rejection get you down.
by Kraig Dafoe
There is something you should know. If you are not famous, rejection lies in your future. That’s the way it is, but never give up on your dreams. When I first started the process of trying to get an agent, I was rejected more than fifty times. I started looking at my material and decided to do some rewrites, thinking my story or the writing was the reason for my rejection. The second time I tried getting an agent, again I was rejected numerous times.

After a while, you start to realize just how tuff this seemingly easy task is. I spoke with an agent not so long ago and he flat out said agents don’t care about great stories, they care about making money. It makes sense; they get paid if you make money and if you’re not a known celeb than odds are not in your favor.

I tried to bypass the agent world and go directly to publishers and again the rejections came in. First off, only a handful of publishers in the U.S. will even look at unsolicited works without an agent so the road is harsh.

The publishers will complain that places like amazon are putting them out of business yet they are hesitant to take on new writers. People flock to companies like create space in order to get their works out because the alternatives are slim.

I published my first book that way and I’m still trying to make it a success but I will continue to submit my material to the traditional publishing houses because I don’t want bookstores and libraries to become obsolete in the face of electronic readers.

I may continue to be rejected with my future works but I know the material is worth putting out and people are going to enjoy my stories. The only advice I can give to up and coming authors would be, plan for rejection and power through. It’s going to happen and it has happened to the best authors out there at some point but it is no reason to abandon your dreams.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes


About the Author

Kraig Dafoe was born in Potsdam, New York and grew up in Canton. He played high school football and joined the United States Army Reserves at the age of seventeen.

Kraig married at the age of nineteen and moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia where he worked as a Private Security officer for The Christian Broadcasting Network and also attended the Tidewater Community College for business.

After five years as a security officer, he became a Deputy Sheriff for the city of Chesapeake Virginia.

Kraig left the Sheriff’s office after nine years of service and pursued a couple of different business opportunities before he went on to publishing his debut novel.

Kraig is the father of five children and he currently resides in Kansas, raising his youngest son.

His latest book is the fantasy/adventure, Search for the Last Realm.

Visit his website at www.kraigdafoebooks.com or connect with him on Facebook.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

May New Release Giveaway Hop (INT)

Welcome to my stop on the May New Release Giveaway Hop! As always, it is being hosted by the magnificent O'Dell at Book Twirps and the glorious Dani at Refracted Light Reviews. They exude awesomeness to an extent that I am sure is contagious.

What You Can Win

The very lovely Ashley Elston's debut novel releases this month, so I'm featuring The Rules for Disappearing on the hop. I do not have nearly enough authors in a close proximity to my home, so I try to support the ones who pop up.

She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

If you would prefer a different prize, you can choose a May new release that costs $15US or less.
The Giveaway

If this is your first visit to Bibliophilia, Please, then you're going to be terribly disappointed to discover that there are no hoops to jump through, and my giveaways are INTERNATIONAL (as long as Fishpond or Book Depository offers free shipping to your domicile) unless otherwise noted. (There is nothing to note here - keep reading.) Following and/or spreading the word is always appreciated, but not required on the playground today. Today, all you have to do is be you and click a ridiculously large, green button on the Rafflecopter form.
a Rafflecopter giveaway Thank you so much for visiting Bibliophilia, Please! Now, be a dear and go visit these fabulous bloggers.

Will and I hope to see you again soon!

Blog Tour (Interview & Giveaway): Family Ever After by Michelle Packard

Tour Schedule

Family Ever After: Simple Ways to Achieve Perfect Happiness in an Imperfect Family
Women frustrated with their marriage and their family will find the help they need to achieve greater happiness and success in their family in the new book, Family Ever After: Simple Ways to Achieve Extraordinary Happiness with Your Ordinary Family by stay-at-home mom, blogger, and ordinary family leader Michelle H. Packard.

Family Ever After uses the fairytale concept that once you find your prince charming life is happily ever after. Michelle H. Packard knows this concept, while romantic, is not realistic, and she provides a practical, poignant, funny, and moving exploration of the simple ways you can help find greater happiness and satisfaction in your marriage and family. Packard says, “While the idea of happy ever after is distorted, you can, in fact, achieve a Family Ever After.”

Family Ever After brings time-tested and well-researched principles to family life to help you learn specific ways to improve your marriage and your family, whether that family is ordinary or extraordinary. Using real-world examples of best practices and helping woman readjust their media-driven perception of what happily ever after means, Family Ever After gives readers a pragmatic, helpful, and entertaining exploration of:

• How happiness in marriage and family life requires a more educated, real-world perspective
• How proper prioritization and defining what’s important in marriage and family is key to success;
• Why conflict is part of an ordinary family experience and how to peacefully resolve it;
• How to cultivate a sense of humor;
• How to develop a thoughtful and sincere habit of complimenting each member of your family;
• How to improve family relationships with extended family members; and
• Learning how to love a family member in the way they understand and accept that love

More than another how-to-have-a-perfect-family book, Family Ever After helps you gain the understanding and the practical skills of what makes ordinary families successful. Family Ever After is an essential and beautiful resource for all women who want to put more happiness in theirs and their family’s life.

Interview

Your title is a very cute play on the fairy tale “happily ever after”. Do you use fairy tales as inspiration for any other parts of the book?

There is a little fairy tale inspiration here and there. Things like magic wands flashing to make life perfect, and finding prince charming. The fairy tale idea came because my husband and I are always joking about how every Disney princess comes from a dysfunctional family of sorts but somehow they always find their ever after.

What is your favorite fairy tale?

Beauty and the Beast is by far my favorite. I think maybe it’s just because I like the music, but I do think Belle is beautiful for an animated character. The entire show just pulls me in. It’s almost and edge of your seat fairy tale if you ask me.

What was the hardest part of writing Family Ever After?

The editing process was very difficult. It was hard to content edit. The` book is so much a part of me and who I am, that when changes had to be made it felt very personal.

What is it about your book that makes you the most proud?

I think what makes me feel most proud is that as I enacted the principles in the book with my own family and spouse it really made our marriage and family better. I discovered something that really can help families be happier and that is exciting to me.

Do you have any funny habits for when you’re writing?

There are a few silly things, like I won’t let anyone read my first draft…EVER, and when the writing gets stressful, I rely heavily upon Nutella. It is my favorite.

What is the most important thing you would like for your readers to take away from Family Ever After?

I think it is so important to remember that no matter what family path we are on, it will be hard. In the words of my aunt, “It is hard to be married. It is hard to have children. It is hard to be divorced. It is hard to be single.” Life is hard no matter what path we choose, but we can always choose to be happy.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
About the Author

Michelle Packard is a mother to her four very human and totally fabulous kids. Her oldest, Ella is always in charge and leads the pack with creativity and curiosity, Daniel follows with loyalty and loves tenderly, Julia is a doll and always buzzing over something beautiful, and Jackson could hunt down the last sharpie on earth to create art on your bathroom wall. She has been married ten years and is quite taken with her guy. Date night is her favorite and she dreams of weekend getaways with her man. She loves creating beauty through floral design, but apparently has no gift with living flowers (They end of upside down and pressed in books). She finds parties alluring. They beckon her to invite people over, spend way too much time preparing food for murder mystery dinners, and totally enjoy friends and family. Michelle holds a bachelors degree in Home and Family Science from Brigham Young University. She has spent a great deal of time working with children and young adults and finds her greatest joy is happy families.

You can find out more about Michelle on her Blog
Tour Giveaway

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends at 12:01am EST on May 20th
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour (Excerpt & Giveaway): Family Ever After by Michelle Packard

Tour Schedule

Family Ever After: Simple Ways to Achieve Perfect Happiness in an Imperfect Family
Women frustrated with their marriage and their family will find the help they need to achieve greater happiness and success in their family in the new book, Family Ever After: Simple Ways to Achieve Extraordinary Happiness with Your Ordinary Family by stay-at-home mom, blogger, and ordinary family leader Michelle H. Packard.

Family Ever After uses the fairytale concept that once you find your prince charming life is happily ever after. Michelle H. Packard knows this concept, while romantic, is not realistic, and she provides a practical, poignant, funny, and moving exploration of the simple ways you can help find greater happiness and satisfaction in your marriage and family. Packard says, “While the idea of happy ever after is distorted, you can, in fact, achieve a Family Ever After.”

Family Ever After brings time-tested and well-researched principles to family life to help you learn specific ways to improve your marriage and your family, whether that family is ordinary or extraordinary. Using real-world examples of best practices and helping woman readjust their media-driven perception of what happily ever after means, Family Ever After gives readers a pragmatic, helpful, and entertaining exploration of:

• How happiness in marriage and family life requires a more educated, real-world perspective
• How proper prioritization and defining what’s important in marriage and family is key to success;
• Why conflict is part of an ordinary family experience and how to peacefully resolve it;
• How to cultivate a sense of humor;
• How to develop a thoughtful and sincere habit of complimenting each member of your family;
• How to improve family relationships with extended family members; and
• Learning how to love a family member in the way they understand and accept that love

More than another how-to-have-a-perfect-family book, Family Ever After helps you gain the understanding and the practical skills of what makes ordinary families successful. Family Ever After is an essential and beautiful resource for all women who want to put more happiness in theirs and their family’s life.

Excerpt

At our house, it is my husband’s job to take the trash out to the street every Tuesday morning. On rare occasions, as he is running out the door, taking the trash out slips his mind. I get so annoyed by this, and sometimes in my stubbornness, I am even tempted to let the trash rot and overflow for another week. When I realize I too will suffer from such a choice and that I am quite capable of lugging the trash to the street, I begin to question my expectations. I ask myself if it is really so important for my husband to take out the trash. I remember that he is just as busy as I am, and I am so appreciative when he helps me out. I also think to myself that once the trash is gone, I don’t have to be upset about it anymore.

On another occasion, I waited for months for my husband to build a desk for my daughter so that she would have a place to do her work. The longer I felt my request was ignored, the more upset I became. I finally let go of the expectation I had for him to build it, and I built it myself. I definitely did not do as good of a job as my husband would have done, but the desk is still standing and I am quite proud of it. Both my husband and I are happy that I am no longer bugging him to build a desk, and my daughter is happy she has a place to do her work. I had been pleading with my husband to fix the flat tire on my double stroller, as it was my lifeline to the outside world. The longer I had to wait for it, the more impatient I became. One afternoon, my husband and I were discussing the matter when I began to giggle. I felt a little guilty as I admitted to my husband that I did in fact know how to change the tire but just didn’t want to. My husband was less than amused, knowing I could have fixed it all along while I had been upset at him for not doing it.

On all of these occasions, I could have been angry or bitter at my husband for not meeting my expectations. However, they were my expectations and I had the capability to fulfill them. My husband did fix the stroller, even though I was capable of doing it. The desk would have been nicer if he had built it. The trash will always stink if I leave it. The point is, I am usually happier when I work to fulfill my own expectations than when I wait for someone else to do it for me.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Praise

"Family Ever After is a must-read for every happily married Cinderella who wonders why she’s still holding the broom." - Rachelle J. Christensen, award-winning author of Wrong Number and Caller ID

"Michelle is open enough to have given readers an intimate look into her life and those close to her, allowing us to learn from both painful and sweet experiences. Her self-reflective style and meaningful insights, if applied, would clearly make a profound impact in the lives of readers." - Shawn Edgington Ph.D.

About the Author

Michelle Packard is a mother to her four very human and totally fabulous kids. Her oldest, Ella is always in charge and leads the pack with creativity and curiosity, Daniel follows with loyalty and loves tenderly, Julia is a doll and always buzzing over something beautiful, and Jackson could hunt down the last sharpie on earth to create art on your bathroom wall. She has been married ten years and is quite taken with her guy. Date night is her favorite and she dreams of weekend getaways with her man. She loves creating beauty through floral design, but apparently has no gift with living flowers (They end of upside down and pressed in books). She finds parties alluring. They beckon her to invite people over, spend way too much time preparing food for murder mystery dinners, and totally enjoy friends and family. Michelle holds a bachelors degree in Home and Family Science from Brigham Young University. She has spent a great deal of time working with children and young adults and finds her greatest joy is happy families.

You can find out more about Michelle on her Blog
Tour Giveaway

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends at 12:01am EST on May 20th
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Act Like You Love Me by Cindi Madsen

Title: Act Like You Love Me
Author: Cindi Madsen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: Adult
Publisher: Bliss (Entangled Publishing)
Expected Release Date: June 10, 2013
All’s fair in acting and amore...

Brynn McAdams isn’t the awkward drama geek she was in high school—she’s grown up and confident, or at least she likes to think so. But when her old crush, the impossibly handsome and impossibly unattainable Sawyer Raines, comes back to town to direct her community play, Brynn finds herself determined to be someone other than the girl he doesn’t even recognize. Good thing she’s an excellent actress.

After his bad breakup in NYC, the last thing Sawyer wants is to get involved with another actress. But the glamorous and beautiful Brynn draws him in, even though as her director, he knows she’s off-limits. There’s just something about the woman that feels…familiar. Like home.

As Brynn’s lies start to snowball, she struggles to stop acting and come clean. But what if Sawyer is already falling for the fake Brynn, not the Brynn she truly is?

Excerpt

“Cut, cut cut!” Sawyer stood. “Was that supposed to be more passionate? Because it sucked.”

“This is supposed to be the eighteen hundreds,” Brynn said. “It can’t be too passionate or it would seem inappropriate for the time.”

The next instant Sawyer was charging up the steps to the stage. “I’m not saying it’s got to be a kiss with tongue, I’m saying you’ve got to look at each other like you’re in love so the audience will want it to work out. Our modern audience.” Sawyer shook his head. “Take it again, from before the proposal.”

It was impossible to concentrate with Sawyer standing right there, so close she could hear every shift of his body and feel his gaze on her like a weight. All her lines were swimming together.

Leo knelt, told her she was an angel. She said her line, trying to peer into his soul like she wanted to be with him, and then Leo kissed her. And it was sloppier than usual.

She did her best to not jerk back, though it was her first instinct.

“Okay, that was just…” Sawyer moved in front of her. He looked at the playbook, then lowered it by his side and stared into her eyes. The air thickened around them and she could feel every thump of her heart. “What a perfect angel you are, Cecily.” He said it so tenderly, his smile close-lipped but full of joy.

“You dear romantic boy,” she said, all out of instinct because thoughts were getting fuzzy.

He leaned in and kissed her, a soft kiss with his lips barely parted. The pressure of his lips increased for a delicious moment, and then they were gone. A quick, simple kiss, but when his mouth left hers, she felt its absence so strongly that she couldn’t think about anything else for a couple seconds. Her breath was stuck somewhere in her lungs and her lips still tingled, living the sensation over and over again. Heat wound through her body, her hands itched to reach out and touch him. And then she remembered she was supposed to. She ran her fingers through his hair and felt the whisper of his breath on her wrist as he exhaled.

“Wow, that was good,” Wendy said from the front, breaking Brynn from her trance.

Brynn stepped back and swallowed, but her throat wasn’t working right. Sawyer’s eyes never left hers, and one corner of his mouth curved up in a smug, self-satisfied way.

“It was all right, I suppose,” Brynn said, working to keep her voice steady. She crossed her arms and shrugged. “For a first-timer, anyway.”

That only made Sawyer’s smile grow wider.

Brynn couldn’t help but watch Sawyer as he jumped off the stage. Funny how she’d dreamed of kissing him all the time in high school, but her fantasy wasn’t even close to the real thing. Her heart felt like it’d just been wrung out and shoved back in her.

And her scene with Leo was better. She was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she closed her eyes and pretended it was Sawyer kissing her again.

Nope. Nothing at all.

Pre-Order Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble



About the Author

Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the author of YA novels All the Broken Pieces and Demons of the Sun, bestselling short romance Falling for Her Fiancé and the women's fiction novel Cinderella Screwed Me Over.

Links
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Cover Thoughts

Since I participate in so many cover reveals, and most aren't exclusive, I am going to start adding my own thoughts to the covers I reveal. I can guarantee you that you'll see it here first. (If you see it anywhere else, it's dirty plagiarism!) Anywho, to my thoughts. On the book.

Well, I've been acquainted with Cindi for a few years on Twitter from when we were in a book club with several other now prominent authors, bloggers, and industry folks. (which has since fell by the wayside a bit, unfortunately). I may be a tad bit biased in favor of this lovely lady, but there is little I hate more than a bad cover, so if I didn't like you, you could be sure that I would speak up. But I digress. The cover is very cute and very appropriate for marketing to its target audience. Though I can't help staring at the lady model's teeth (they're not bad or ugly, just...normal), I do love staring at the male model when I can pry my eyes away. He looks Ewan McGregor, and that's good enough for me.

Would I buy it?
Probably. I would pick it up because, hello, Ewan McGregor. Then there is the whole Cindi Madsen thing (I buy all of her books), and I like contemporary romance as a palate cleanser. I can tell by looking at the cover that there is probably a HEA (happily ever after) in store for me, and that is a very welcome break from some of the YA stuff I read for blogging and collection development purposes.

What do you think of the cover? Would you read the book?

Book Blast (Giveaway): Your Mommy Was Just Like You by Kelly Bennett

Your Mommy Was Just Like You
Kelly Bennett
Once upon a time-according to Grandma-Mommy loved getting messy, wearing kooky costumes, and dragging out bedtime with just one more story. She collected bottle caps and dandelion fluff, and didn’t know how to tie her shoes. Sometimes she was a terror, but most of the time she was a sweet potato. Just like her own little girl today. Kids love to hear about what their parents were like as children, and this celebration of moms and the little girls they were will inspire lots of laughter and memories.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository


About the Author

Kelly Bennett writes books for children, both fiction and non-fiction, mostly picture books. She creates stories that celebrate imagination, families, friends, pets… all that goes into being a kid. Stories such as Not Norman: A Goldfish Story, inspired by her own funny goldfish; stories about families, including Dad and Pop, Your Daddy Was Just Like You, and Your Mommy Was Just Like You (called “perfect for inter­generational lap sharing” by School Library Journal); stories about kids being kids—whooping, twirling, cutting up, adventuring, playing around—such as Dance, Y’all, Dance; and brand new and shining, hot-off-the-press picture book One Day I Went Rambling.

Find Kelly Online
Website | Facebook | Goodreads
Giveaway


Three (3) Winners will receive a Signed Copy of Your Mommy Was Just Like You & Swag (Bookmark, Poster & Postcard) by Kelly Bennett.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kindle Fire HD Giveaway - May 2013

JOINT AUTHOR & BLOGGER SPONSORED GIVEAWAY - WIN A KINDLE FIRE HD 7"


What You Can Win


7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)

OR


$199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

OR


$199 in Paypal Cash (International)

Sponsoring Bloggers & Authors

1. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
2. Feed Your Reader
3. Girls with Books
4. Just Bookin' Around
5. The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl
6. Books, Beauty and Bodacious Deals
7. Author Emma Michaels
8. Page Flipperz YA
9. Lori's Reading Corner
10. Oh, Chrys!
11. Author Josh Baker
12. Author Roxanne Crouse
13. Eve's Fan Garden
14. Author Elizabeth Isaacs
15. Chapter Break
16. Buku-Buku Didi
17. Molly & Mel's Obsessions Book Blog
18. Author Jennifer Laurens
19. Author MK McClintock
20. Bookhounds
21. Step Into Fiction
22. Author Lena Sledge
23. Author Taylor Dean
24. Leisure Reads
25. Libby's Library
26. A Bookish Escape
27. Ramblings of a Diva Book Nerd
28. Suspense Author Kim Cresswell
29. Suzy Turner, YA Author
30. Books Unhinged by StacyHgg
31. Author Lori Verni-Fogarsi
32. Fae Books
33. Word to Dreams
34. Kid Lit Frenzy
35. Author Tressa Messenger
36. Auggie Talk
37. Phantasmic Reads
38. Kerry Taylor
39. Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf
40. Marissa's Space

Giveaway Details

One (1) winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash.

INTERNATIONAL
Ends at 12:01am EST on June 1st
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the authors. Prize value is $199US.

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW
a Rafflecopter giveaway