Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Spring Writing Contest

2011 Spring Writing Contest...Let's Get Creative!

Get your creative juices flowing!

Visit Julius Thompson's Website for details.  Listen to my interview with Julius while you're there :).

Word Length: 350-500
Due Date: April 21, 2011
Email as Attachment: jtbookevents@yahoo.com
Winner: Autograph copy of Ghost of Atlanta!

Topic: "A Change is Coming" : Imagine you are walking in a grassy field and you notice something is different. Off in the distance you see trees and everything seems normal. You can't put your finger on what it is, but there is something different. There is a certain eerie feeling...

In The Ghost of Atlanta, Andy Michael Pilgrim faces demons from his youth that haunted his life. These are the ghosts in the crawl spaces of his life; some are real and some supernatural. After landing a job with The Atlanta Defender, Andy returns home and visits the place where he finally faces remembrances of his deceased abusive father. While walking around the grounds, he meets his mysterious cousin, Joe Boy, and finds out that the property is going to be sold by unscrupulous cousins. While Andy fights this battle, he must confront the personal demon of a possible drug addiction, breaking the color barrier at the south's largest newspaper, The Atlanta Defender, meeting his old girl friend and fighting the lingering effects of segregation in small-town Georgia life. As the story unwinds, all these forces push Andy toward the breaking point, where he almost quits on life. Malevolent mortal deeds are committed and Andy could be next in line. "The Ghost of Atlanta" is, overall, a superbly written book. 5 stars!~Readers Favorite



     

Win an Expresso Book Blitz Virtual Tour!




Win an Expresso Book Blitz Tour! Purchase a copy of My Father's Colors from now until March 31, verify receipt of purchase (by sending the Amazon purchase # or other proof to: apasuggestions@gmail.com) and be entered into a drawing to win your very own Book Blitz Tour. Please see: http://www.marianlthomas.com/ for information about this book and author Marian L Thomas.

Well what is an Expresso Book Blitz Tour you may be wondering....Check this out!

Espresso Blitz Tour- One day book promotion. You will be teamed up with our publicity coach to blast your book to mass media outlets, you will take your book during the day to 10-15 blog stops in the form of a guest post, author interview or spotlight feature. Book Blitz Banner, an event ad in From A Writer's POV Magazine, Facebook Party (only if you choose to have several giveaways throughout the day), Press Release, Spotlight on the VBT Cafe' Blog, Promotion of your tour up to one month in advance by placing your banner on all blogs prior to the event. You may have giveaways as you feel necessary, this can be Ebook copies of your book or print copies, you may also have a grand prize giveaway for all who follow your tour.
Value of $175.00USD

If you've been dying to take your book on tour,  wait no longer.  Go get your copy of My Father's Colors and get your entry in today!

Good luck!

  

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Book Blitz Tour with Marian L. Thomas - My Father's Colors

1. Introduce us to your new book: My Father's Colors-The Drama-Filled Journey of Naya MonĂ  Continues.
My Father's Colors takes you on the journey of four individuals that lead to one incredible destination filled with betrayal, lies and shocking secrets.
Naya MonĂ  is back on another emotional and drama-filled roller coaster as she finds herself fighting to find her voice, discover her father's past and search for her daughter. How do you find a daughter you never knew you gave birth to?
Then there's Chrisher husband. How far would one go for love? That is the question that Chris wastes no time answering. He will do whatever it takes to remove his wife’s pain, even if it means being the one to cause her the most.
Let's not forget Misty. Fame and Fortune have been the determining factor for Misty ever sense her father passed away. How far will she go, this time, to achieve it?
Introducing, Carl Thompson. Carl has found the love of his life, only she doesn’t know it. Green eyes and hazel brown hair fill his dreams for the future. Does he have enough love for the both of them?

2. What prompted you to write your book?
"Watching and personally being connected to close friends growing up who struggled, cried and endured the pains of abuse prompted me to tackle the subject of abuse within the pages of my books. However, this book is not just about the subject of abuse, it is about the struggles that we as women go through. Abuse, for some is one of them. Many women have traded in family, love and friendships for careers, they have in a sense forgotten the essentials in life. Some have had to push past the pain of divorce. Others have struggled to find peace and open their hearts to forgiveness. In this book, there is something that I think any woman can relate to.

3. Describe two main events that take place within your book?
"First, there is the inner struggle that the main character Naya MonĂ  must face. She must find peace within herself, within her past and dig within the depths of her heart to find forgiveness for her father.
"Second, there is the inner struggle of Jonathan—Naya's son. How do you deal with knowing that your mother was raped and that you were the result? How do you find the strength to forgive when your heart can't let go of the past? How do you see your future—your wife and children and realize that their love is what matters most?
4. What message do you hope readers will take away from your book?
"That the term 'color' doesn't necessarily refer to the color of a woman's skin. Rather, it can refer to the colors that make up her crayon box of life. As women—our journeys, emotions, experiences, tears, joys, laughter and even pains in life help determine the colors in our box. We can either create our own box of crayons or allow others to do it for us."
5. Book Clubs are often looking for books that encourage a lively discussion, how does your book accomplish that?
"My book gets into something woman want to talk about, men. The ups and downs of marriage, the love we have and the love we've lost or was never shared by both parties. There is a lot of meat in this story that will drive not only a lively discussion but one that will make a book club discussion fun and exciting."
So you are open to visit book clubs?
"Most certainly. I love it in fact. It gives me an opportunity to share what I was thinking when I wrote a particular chapter and it allows me to hear what the reader thought as they read it. Book clubs can schedule either a live visit by me or a Skype/webcam chat. I welcome book clubs in states such as Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, North and South Carolina and even some parts of Florida."
How do book clubs schedule a visit?
"They can visit my website at: http://www.marianlthomas.com and click on the link shown for them to schedule a visit or a live web chat."
6. Any last minute thoughts?
"I thank every reader for purchasing my books. My journey to publication only continues because of your love and support."

About the Author:
Marian L. Thomas, reared in Chicago but lives with her biggest-supporter—her husband and their spoiled but playful dog, Winston in Atlanta, Georgia. Her debut title, Color Me Jazzmyne, went on to become an Amazon Best-Seller and was ranked as one of the" Top 100 Books"-1st Qtr 2010 by the Sankofa Literary Society Review.
Marian welcomes the release of her second book, My Father's Colors-The Drama-Filled Journey of Naya MonĂ  Continues in paperback and hardcover to online retailers, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, Borders, Kindle, Kobo, iBooks for iPad and Nook. Be sure to get your copy today!

Ready to Purchase Your Copy? Click Here

You Could Win a Free Signed Copy!
How? It's easy. Marian will be a guest blogger for some of the most amazing blogs, such as this one. Visit each blog, leave a comment and your name will be entered into a drawing for one signed copy of my book. The person who has left the most comments (one per blog) will win.
Ready to win? Start with leaving a comment on this blog and then : Click Here .