Showing posts with label Love's Miracles Blog Tour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love's Miracles Blog Tour. Show all posts

Thursday, June 6, 2013

A New Winner and Some Snack Size Reviews!

We have another winner for the Love's Miracles prize pack (prizes described in this post)!

Rafflecopter chose again, and the winner is...

Veronica Sternberg!

Congratulations, Veronica! I've sent you an e-mail, and you have until Saturday evening to contact me before we pick another winner. 

And now for some assorted snack size reviews!

"Season"-ed Snack Size Reviews

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

Rating: Spring/Summer

This is a totally sweet escape read with an endearing heroine and a charming hero reminiscent of Henry Tilney of Northanger Abbey fame. The setting is a Jane Austen dream, and certain lines and scenes are really delightful. The plot is fun and romantic. My quibbles stem from the hero's occasional attitudes or actions that rubbed me the wrong way a bit, a little like Tilney. That, and a little too much idealism for my taste.

My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison

Rating: Spring

I adored My Fair Godmother, so I was eager to give the sequel a try. It turned out to be another highly entertaining read, this time with Robin Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, and some important lessons about true wealth. The hero is quite dashing (although I'm not sure he came across as "country boy" as he later claimed to be), and the story is fun. Didn't love it quite as much as the first, but I'd certainly love to read a third if Rallison writes it! 

Un-"season"-ed Snack Size Reviews


I found this in the gift shop of the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park visitor center, and I'm so glad I picked it up! I read it in preparation for diving into the edits for Bleeding Heart, and I discovered some wrong assumptions I had made and some facts (etc.) I might want to add to the story. As far as wonderful anecdotes and an obvious passion for the history goes, this book is super helpful! But what might have made it more so would be more dates and clarification (especially during the middle sections of the book) that would give a more detailed timeline. 

I have to note a line from the epilogue: "I realized that Falk, and all it stood for, would be preserved only in memories and photographs, for nature and civilization had conspired to wipe out the last vestiges of the town and the way of life it had represented." I have found this to be the case during my own visits to the site - so very little remains to indicate anything like a town had ever existed in that place. I hope that perhaps I can add "fiction" to that list of ways through which the town will be preserved.


My only experience with Star Trek before seeing the two newest movies within days of each other was seeing one of the older movies that had something to do with whales a while back. But I was curious enough to want to see Into Darkness (and yes, I'll admit that it was because of Benedict Cumberbatch). This movie and its predecessor are visually appealing, and the acting is really quite good. And the music for these new movies...very epic! I confess to wanting a bit more from Cumberbatch's character (I longed for more depth and complexity, but Cumberbatch's acting still didn't disappoint). Long-time fans will probably appreciate these movies the most, but after seeing this movie's predecessor, I at least felt a strong connection with the characters and an interest in the story, despite the fact that I'm not a sci-fi fan. (As a heads up for fellow squeamish movie-goers, my eye-closing moments mostly involved bone-crushing scenes - so just realize that there's not a whole lot of grossness, but rather more action violence.)

Note: "Seasoned" or "unseasoned" is in reference to my book rating system. Thanks to Juju of Tales of Whimsy for the inspiration regarding mini reviews!

Friday, May 31, 2013

Conclusion of the Love's Miracles Blog Tour!

What a fun experience this has been! I've loved being a part of it - seeing the success of the book's freebie promotion, reading readers' reviews, enjoying Sandra's interview responses. It's all been a blast, and I so appreciate the participating bloggers' enthusiasm, as well as the excitement of Sandra's author friends and her new readers!

It's bittersweet to see the blog tour come to an end. But we have happy news: winners' names! And I'll share some of the results of the blog tour, as well!

Winners!

In addition to the big prize pack, Sandra also offered some giveaways in conjunction with a couple of interviews. Did you catch them? Sandra offered a copy of The Price of Victory on Carolyn's blog, and winner's choice of The Price of Victory or Current of Love on Kara's blog. 

Carolyn's winner: Sherida!

Kara's winner: Karen and Gerard (one blogger name)!

Congrats, Sherida and Karen & Gerard! Be looking for my e-mail! Sandra noted that she can sign the winner's book to whomever the winner wants, so if you already have a copy, you can share one with a friend. =)

And now for the winner of the blog tour prize pack (three books, gift card, bookmark, and tote - see more detailed descriptions in this post)! Can we get a drumroll please?

And the winner is...

Kamila Moe Borkowska!

Congratulations!! Be on the lookout for my e-mail, and enjoy all of your goodies!

Acknowledgements

A blog tour is definitely a community thing, and Sandra and I are so grateful for the following people...
  • All of the participating bloggers: Carolyn, Vince, Kara, Kav, Renee, Tammy, Sherida, Julie, and Virginia. (If you missed any of their posts, do be sure to check out these links!) There would be no blog tour without bloggers, so thank you for all you do!! We appreciate your time, your thoughtfulness, and your enthusiasm tremendously!
  • Christy of Belle on a Budget, for making such a beautiful bookmark especially for our giveaway! 
  • Friends of Seekerville and other readers who shared the blog button, visited the blog posts, downloaded the book, and spread the word in various ways. Word of mouth is crucial, and you all have been such a big help!
  • Green Beans Coffee. I doubt anyone at your company has any idea about this blog tour, but I'm grateful for your Cup of Joe for a Joe program, and I hope that including one of your totes in our giveaway might help others learn of it. =) Keep supporting troops and doing what you do!
  • Sandra, for taking a chance on me and letting me share this journey with you. It has been a wonderful experience so far, my friend, and I look forward to our future projects!
Results

Before I sign off and officially say goodbye to the tour, I wanted to let you all know a few stats:
  • Over 2600 copies of Love's Miracles were downloaded during the Memorial Day weekend freebie promotion.
  • Love's Miracles made it onto the "Top 100 Free" Kindle books list for two genres: "Historical Romance" and "Thrillers."
  • The stats change hourly on Amazon, and Love's Miracles lingered between the 20s and 40s on those two lists during the weekend. But on the last night of the promotion - before it went back to $2.99 - Love's Miracles made #15 on the "Top 100 Free" list for "Historical Romance" and  #9 for the "Top 100 Free" list for "Thrillers."
  • The blog tour Rafflecopter giveaway garnered over 200 entries (not all from different people, but all for different types of entries). This caused Sandra to gain more fans on Goodreads, more followers on Twitter, etc.
  • There are 5 reviews up on Amazon so far (4 and 5-star reviews).
Beyond numbers, though, I believe the success of the blog tour is also shown in the reviews that shared how the book impacted the reviewers, in comments of support and eagerness, and in the general enthusiasm with which Sandra's book was received. Freebies can possibly lead to negative reviews by those who were expecting something different, and it's hard to say how far the freebies go in building up sales. And yet, I think Love's Miracles' re-entry into the world has been quite a happy one so far, and I'm so grateful to have been a part of it and to watch all of you show Sandra such love and support. Book bloggers rock! And that is all she wrote. ;)

Monday, May 20, 2013

Launch of the Love's Miracles Blog Tour!!!

I'm so excited to announce the beginning of the Love's Miracles blog tour! Sandra Leesmith has been a wonderful client to work with - we've had so much fun figuring out the details and navigating this crazy thing called self-publishing. And Sandra has been very patient with me as I've learned the steps right alongside her!

(I should also take this moment to thank the amazing Lena Goldfinch for her unending willingness to answer my questions, and for designing the beautiful cover! You're awesome, Lena!!)

Now, here's the lowdown about this super cool blog tour...

Schedule

First things first: If you ever feel "lost" at any point during the tour, or if you want to catch up on posts you missed, or if you want to learn how to help us spread the word, visit the blog tour page. Links to all of the participating blogs are there (which will be replaced with direct links once the posts are published), along with other pertinent information, just so we can keep things organized. (I really, really love organization - what can I say?) The blog tour buttons (like the daisy one in my sidebar) all link back to that page, as well.

Here's the schedule, so you can see all the posts we have to look forward to:
If, for some reason, this schedule doesn't end up going exactly as planned, you can blame me for sending too many e-mails and confusing the bloggers, LOL! But seriously, Sandra and I are very grateful for their participation!

 Giveaways and Freebies!

That's right - lots of goodies for you all during this blog tour! I'll start by showing you the big prize package Sandra's offering to one U.S. resident:

a Rafflecopter giveaway Note: For the "Leave a Blog Post Comment" entry, you can leave a comment on any of the stops along the tour. This same form will be on various blog tour posts, but no matter where you enter, your entries will be counted. If you need further clarification on any of the other ways to enter, please feel free to leave a comment here or e-mail me at amberstokes@corban.edu.

Want to learn a bit more about the prizes?

Love's Miracles

About the Book: "Dr. Margo Devaull came to Dominic Zanelli's mountain retreat confident that she could help this Vietnam veteran overcome the torment that kept him apart from the world. But her training as a psychologist had not prepared her for the tragic, explosive contradictions brewing inside him. For here was a sensitive artist who could be gentle – and a man whose eyes flashed with violence and pain when he told her to leave and never come back. Yet Margo did come back, slowly gain his trust, and awaken the sleeping needs of his heart. Only by reliving her own wounded past and helping Zane confront a terrible memory from the war could she set them both free – and save their last chance for love."

Add it on Goodreads; purchase at Amazon.com.

Current of Love

About the Book: "Janelle Edwards is a sultry singer who's nursing a perpetually broken heart. Everett Jamison, III is a handsome workaholic with no time for love on his busy agenda. Both have sworn off relationships and marriage...but on a cozy steamboat cruise up the Mississippi River, the two keep crossing paths. They try hard to ignore the growing attraction, even as family and friends urge them on. But when danger threatens the ship, Janelle and Rett must make a decision: continue running from their emotions - or let the tides of passion sweep them away. A light Southern romance sweetened with a splash of humor, Current of Love blends brilliant storytelling with endearing characters to make even the biggest skeptics believe in love again."

Add it on Goodreads; purchase at Amazon.com.

The Price of Victory

About the Book: "Sterling Wade, a successful professional cyclist, finds the one thing he's missing in life—a woman to love. But Debra Valenzuela refuses to allow a relationship with any man to interfere with her determination to become a professional cyclist.

When Debra is seriously injured during a race, her ambition and wish to succeed and win her father's love are put to the test. With Sterling at her side during her rehabilitation, Debra learns that love is not a race to be won, but something to be earned. Can Sterling help Debra follow her dream and in the process discover new purpose for his own life? Will they accept the price of victory?"

Add it on Goodreads; purchase at Amazon.com.

Daisy Bookmark


Made by Christy, owner of Belle on a Budget, this bookmark was specially designed for this giveaway. It matches the book's cover, featuring a daisy - which plays an important, symbolic role in Love's Miracles and ties in with the title. (As a side note, I've purchased one of Christy's bookmarks, and I love it! Dainty and very pretty.)

Tote Bag


In addition to the prizes above (and the Amazon.com gift card, which is rather self-explanatory), Sandra will order the winner an "I Love Our Troops!" tote bag from the Green Beans Coffee Custom Store. This fits for three reasons: 1) It's a tote bag - what better way to carry your new books around?? 2) It says "I Love Our Troops" - fitting in with the military theme of the book. 3) Green Beans Coffee has a great program called Cup of Joe for a Joe that we want to draw attention to...

I first learned about Cup of Joe for a Joe on the Seekerville blog, I believe. It was over two years ago when I decided to send a cup of coffee and a note to one of our soldiers overseas. He wrote me back, and we became e-mail pen pals for a short time. (You can read a message he once forwarded to me HERE.)

We didn't stay pen pals for very long, but it was still a special experience for me. I did, however, find a long-term pen pal via K.C. Frantzen (author of the "May the K-9 Spy" books). She introduced me (through e-mail) to the soldier she became pen pals with through the same program, and he and I started e-mailing. Our e-mails have become sporadic, but we're still in touch despite the fact that he's finished his time in the Army. I'm grateful for his friendship, and our fun book swaps. :)

All this to say, all it takes is $2.00 and a little note to brighten a soldier's day and maybe make a new friend. So, if reading Love's Miracles or following this blog tour makes you want to do something for a soldier, I recommend this program!

Other Giveaways and Freebies

Be sure to visit all the stops along the tour during the next two weeks - there might be little surprise giveaways in there!

As for the "freebies," Sandra is offering Love's Miracles for FREE on Kindle during the Memorial Day weekend: May 24th through May 27th. So mark your calendars and spread the word! If you're looking for a Memorial Day read, Love's Miracles - with its Vietnam-vet hero and its sympathetic look at the struggles of war veterans - is a great choice. And you can't beat that price!

Conclusion

Why does it feel like I just wrote an essay? LOL. I hope you'll have fun browsing all of the information above, as well as learning more about Sandra and her re-release at the different stops along the tour. Again, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or e-mail me if you have any questions about the tour!