The WINNER of the Loved to Death Blog Tour

We are please to announce the WINNER of the Loved to Death Blog Tour Contest. The winner is . . . . . . 

Priscilla Johnson

Ms. Johnson will receive a copy of Loved to Death: A Different Kind of Love Story and Loved to Death: The Truth Unfolds

Thanks to all who participated in the Loved to Death Blog Tour with Rosa Ferguson. 

REVIEW: Paper Thin by Shelia M. Goss

Date: 10-19-10                          

Title: The Lip Gloss Chronicles: Vol. 3 Paper Thin                     

Author: Shelia M. Goss                      

ISBN 10: 1-60162-204-X     

ISBN 13: 978-1-60162-204-4             

Pages: 296                  

Publisher: Urban Renaissance                     

Cover: Paperback                       

Reviewer: Amber Williamson– Literary Wonders! (www.literarywonders)

Rating: 4 

       

Paper Thin by Sheila M. Goss is a story that parallels society’s pressure to be skinny and the influences it has on teenage girls physically and mentally.

Sierra, the books main character, brings a new identity to the world of insecurities. Her constant struggle with her weight causes her to have an inflated self-esteem once she returns to school twenty-five pounds lighter. This new confidence is the source of her evolving diva attitude, of which her best friends, Jasmine and Brittney, are not fans.

Sierra’s insecurities resurface when she is left without a date to accompany her to the homecoming dance. Seeing the boy she has a crush on decide to go with the girl she despises the most, leaves her feeling degraded and rejected. Sierra then reverts to her old ways, and begins comparing herself to the opinions of others.

Regardless of her weight loss, her stepmom constantly reprimands her for excessive eating habits and the girl dating the guy she has a crush on is always smaller than she, which leads Sierra to begin consuming diet pills. From here on, the story line begins to take shape and keeps its readers guessing.

The author intertwined many modern issues throughout the entire story. Young readers will greatly benefit from the plots involvement with body image, economic struggles, relationship dynamics, and domestic violence.

I enjoyed how the majority of the story was written, but was not fully pleased with the conclusion. The final chapter with Sierra being hospitalized was somewhat unbelievable because of how quickly the scene was over. It seemed like it should have been elongated a little because it was a detrimental part of the story. While there may have been an unsatisfactory ending, I was glad to see that Shelia Goss included an epilogue to help sum up the missing parts, which gave the book a more complete conclusion.

Seeing, as many of the situations in the story are relatable to girls, I would highly recommend this book. There are many life lessons that can be learned from this story and I hope there is another book in the works!

                                                                                       

Everything I Never Wanted to Be by Dina Kucera

“An amazing memoir…a cross between The Liar’s Club by Mary Karr and A Million Little Pieces by James Frey.”

$14.95
Publisher: Dream of Things
Trade paperback
5.5″ x 8.5″
216 pages
ISBN 978-0-9825794-3-5
Release: 10/1/10
Click on “Add to Cart” to receive a copy directly from the publisher.

Everything I Never Wanted to Be by Dina Kucera is the true story of a family’s battle with alcoholism and drug addiction. Dina’s grandfather and father were alcoholics. Her grandmother was a pill addict. Dina is an alcoholic and pill addict, and all three of her daughters struggle with alcohol and drug addiction—including her youngest daughter, who started using heroin at age fourteen.

Dina’s household also includes her husband and his unemployed identical twin; a mother who has Parkinson’s Disease; a grandson who has cerebral palsy; and other people who drift in and out of the household depending on their employment situation or rehab status. On top of all that, Dina is trying to make it as a stand-up comic and author so she can quit her crummy job as a grocery store clerk. Through it all, Dina does her best to hold her family together, keep her faith, and maintain her sense of humor.

As you might imagine, a story filled with alcoholics and drug addicts includes a number of horrific events. But in the end, Everything I Never Wanted to Be is an uplifting story that contains valuable lessons for parents and teens alike, and a strong message about the need to address the epidemic of teen drug addiction in our nation. It’s a book that can change behavior and save lives—and make you laugh along the way.

For Those Who Stare At the Moon Blog Tour with Tiffany Flowers

Getting to Know Tiffany Flowers

Have you always wanted to be a writer?

Yes, I am a third generation writer.

How did you get started writing? 

I started writing seriously about ten years ago.

Do you remember the very first story you ever wrote?  What age were you when you wrote it? 

I wrote a story a poem about a bluebird. I was eight years old.

About the Book

This book is about a little girl that transports herself to the moon and back with a flick of her imagination. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to New Orleans Public Library
Foundation. The purpose of this donation is to aid the Youth Services Department to rebuild the children’s literature collection after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

About the Author

Tiffany A. Flowers is a native of Chicago, Illinois, and the author of two children's books.  Born the child of an artist, she spent the majority of her childhood attending poetry readings, festivals, and art shows with her mother.  The majority of her stories reflect a culmination of all of her experiences from childhood to adult. However, the ultimate goal of her work is to promote hope and creativity, and to bring joy into the lives of children.
Tiffany lives in the south and spends her time teaching, writing, reading, and spending time with her family.

Visit Tiffany online:

http://www.goldenbutterflypublishing.com/

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1426034761
http://thegoldenbutterfly.blogspot.com/2010/10/re-book-give-away.html

Hear Tiffany read from her book:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqdYqxDcBkA

Be sure and leave a comment for Tiffany!  Sign up for Tiffany’s blog and be entered to win one of three copies of For Those Who Stare At the Moon!  Winner will be randomly chosen by the author and announced on the last day of the tour.

The "Loved to Death" Tour with Author, Rosa Ferguson

Rosa Elmore Ferguson is the author of LOVED TO DEATH: A Different Kind of Love Story and LOVED TO DEATH: The Truth Unfolds. LOVED TO DEATH: The City Speaks will be out in early 2011.

Born Infant Sleigh, Mrs. Ferguson, and adoptee, has been searching for her biology for over forty years. Rosa uses her writing to release the frustration and anger caused by failed attempts to find out who she is and where she came from. The author would like her readers to have a better understanding of what can happen when they become a part of an unsuccessful adoption triad.

Mrs. Ferguson is the proud mother of two sets of twins and currently resides in Olive Branch, MS with her husband.

In LOVED TO DEATH: A Different Kind of Love Story and the sequel, LOVED TO DEATH: The Truth Unfolds readers are introduced to a fictional Gaston City, Indiana and will see it through the eyes of Morosa Denise McKinley.  Morosa is the adopted daughter of Morrow and Rose McKinley.  Adoption, love, murder and intrigue seem to rule the day with the underlying theme being the pitfalls of adoption and what happens when a person isn't allowed to know the truth about themselves.  These are the first two books in the LOVED TO DEATH short story trilogy

Follow the author along her virtual blog tour and as she chats with readers about her books and the challenges she faces in finding her roots. Enter for a chance to win a copy of LOVED TO DEATH: A Different Kind of Love Story and LOVED TO DEATH: The Truth Unfolds courtesy of the author. The winner will be announced at the end of the tour. Please visit the author’s website at www.RosaFerguson.com. .

Now, let’s have a conversation with Rosa about her books and her quest to find her biology. Leave a comment and be a part of the conversation.