Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

This has been a weird week weather-wise. We went from 0 degrees F. to 50, then back down into the teens in a span of three days. Mother Nature can’t make up her mind if it’s winter or spring. Or maybe she’s just teasing us. This week I’d like to celebrate:

  1. School vacation week! It’s been a nice break from the usual hectic school schedule.
  2. Getting started on my taxes. Last year I procrastinated until the last minute, which was not a good thing to do.
  3. Going out for pizza! We were out shopping and running errands and spontaneously decided to stop for pizza before going home. Best decision of the day.
  4. My son, the NASCAR nut, is celebrating the start of the racing season. He was glued to the TV for the Daytona 500 this past Sunday.

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2016. All rights reserved.

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Archives

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Archives

I hope you enjoyed the 2016 2K Indie Blog Tour as much as I did! Here’s a list of all the authors who
participated. Thanks for reading!

Kate M. Colby

First and foremost, I’d like to give a big thank you to all of the talented authors who signed up to be a part of the blog tour and gave thoughtful, inspiring interviews. This whole show was for you, and I hope you found a few new readers and author friends along the way.

Second, on behalf of all the authors, I’d like to express our gratitude to the readers who followed this tour. I hope you all enjoyed learning a bit more about your favorite books.

And last, I’d like to say a special thanks to my co-host, the ever-inspiring Kate Evans. Thank you for yet another successful blog tour. It’s always a joy to collaborate with you!

The following list contains the original blog tour interviews for all our authors and books. For ease of access, you can always view it on my Events page, under the Past Events…

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The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Kate Evans

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Kate Evans

The last week of 2K Indie Book Tour guests concludes with Kate Evans!

Kate M. Colby

Our last (but certainly not least!) author on the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour is my co-host, Kate Evans. Check out Kate’s interview below, but be sure to come back tomorrow for a handy archive post with links to all our author interviews.

Kate EvansKate Evans is a writer of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her book, Pathways Through Writing Blocks in the Academic Environment, was published by Sense Publishers in 2013. She has an MA in Creative Writing from Sussex University and teaches on degree level courses. She is trained as a psychotherapeutic counsellor, and is interested in the connection between creative writing and good mental health. Living in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, she loves walking by the sea and afternoon tea, and has an inexplicable drive to bring a new generation to the poetry of Edith Sitwell.

Here, Kate tells us about her crime/LGBT novel, The Art of Survival (Hannal Poole…

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The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Lori L. MacLaughlin

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Lori L. MacLaughlin

Next up on the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour — Me! Check out my interview on Kate M. Colby’s site!

Kate M. Colby

Today’s interview on the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour (co-hosted by Kate Evans and myself) is with fantasy adventure author, Lori L. MacLaughlin.

LoriLMacLaughlinLori L. MacLaughlin traces her love of fantasy adventure to Tolkien and Terry Brooks, finding The Lord of the Rings and The Sword of Shannara particularly inspirational. She’s been writing stories in her head since she was old enough to run wild through the forests on the farm on which she grew up. When she’s not writing (or working), she can be found curled up somewhere dreaming up more story ideas, taking long walks in the countryside, or spending time with her kids. She lives with her family in northern Vermont.

Here’s a bit about her novel, Lady, Thy Name Is Trouble:

Trouble is Tara Triannon’s middle name. As swords for hire, Tara and her sister Laraina thrive on the danger. But a surprise invasion throws them…

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The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Wendy Ogilvie

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Wendy Ogilvie

The last week of 2K Indie Book Tour guests continues with Wendy Oglivie!

Kate M. Colby

Up next on my and Kate Evans’s 206 2K Indie Book Tour is women’s fiction author Wendy Ogilvie.

wendyogilvie_1441640180_4Wendy Ogilvie lives in Essex with her boyfriend Carl and their two dogs; Chinook and Storm. She has been a Personal Trainer for twenty years and has been writing training books and short stories in her spare time. The office in her new house is her favourite place to write as she can see the fish swimming in the pond and her two huskies digging up the garden! She is currently working on the next novel in the Wanda series called Wandering Among the Stars.

Here’s the synopsis of her novel, Wandering on the Treadmill:

WANDA MIKOS lives in Briford, England but has a dream to live in Los Angeles and become a Personal Trainer to the stars. She finds a way to make her ambition a reality by entering The Main Event…

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The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Bill Hoard

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Bill Hoard

The last week of 2K Indie Book Tour guests begins with Bill Hoard!

Kate M. Colby

We’re into the last week of the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour (co-hosted by Kate Evans and myself). Kicking off week three is fantasy/fairy tale author Bill Hoard.

715UTRPTgxL._UX250_Bill Hoard is possessed of two superpowers: he can sleep almost anywhere at almost any time, and he reflexively forms an opinion on any topic within seconds of hearing a single fact. He writes, teaches, ponders, wonders, teaches a little more, and generally makes a nuisance of himself on social media. He suffers from a debilitating appreciation of pipe smoke, old books, and tweed.

Here, Bill shares a bit about his fairy tale, The Dagger and the Rose:

An adopted princess, a dark stranger, and a kingdom of masked souls. The king brought Iris into his castle when she was only days old, but on her sixteenth birthday she will be swept into an adventure which threatens to uncover or destroy…

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Celebrate the Small Things!

Celebrate the Small Things is a weekly celebration created by VikLit and now hosted by Lexa Cain to celebrate the happenings of the week, however small or large. You can learn all about it and sign up for it here. CelebrateSmallThings_Badge

I hope everyone gets a chance to check out all the authors participating in the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour. Their books sound like amazing reads. Celebrations for this week:

  1. A snow day! School was canceled last Tuesday because of an ice/sleet/snow storm. My kids were ecstatic. And next week is school vacation!
  2. I saw a flock of robins on a neighbor’s lawn this morning! Either the birds are really confused, or spring is on its way.
  3. More editing progress! The end is in sight.
  4. Carrie Butler of Forward Authority Designs did a fantastic job on the cover for Book II: Trouble By Any Other Name. I’m not quite ready to reveal it yet. Soon.

What other celebrations are going on out there?

 

 

 

 

© Lori L. MacLaughlin and Writing, Reading, and the Pursuit of Dreams, 2016. All rights reserved.

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Ben Y. Faroe

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Ben Y. Faroe

It’s Week 2 of the 2016 2K Blog Tour! Today’s guest is Ben Y. Faroe!

Kate M. Colby

Wrapping up week two of The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour (co-hosted by Kate Evans and myself) is Ben Y. Faroe. Over to Ben:

Ben Y. Faroe Author Pic 2I live in Baltimore with my wife and two lovely daughters (aged 2 years and 2 months, respectively).

While I’m technically from New Jersey, I grew up overseas in Turkey, then met my Californian wife in Minnesota before whisking her off to South Carolina for a couple years.

I studied Greek and Latin in college and Bible teaching in seminary, so naturally I’m a data analyst for a health insurance company. I’ve founded a prayer room in the past and a publishing company in the present, and I expect to be writing and adventuring full-time within a few years.

Here’s a bit about his contemporary fiction/humor novel, The Dream World Collective:

The Dream World Collective is the story of five friends who decide to quit…

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The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Z.N. Willett

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Z.N. Willett

It’s Week 2 of the 2016 2K Blog Tour! Today’s guest is Z.N. Willett!

Kate M. Colby

Up next on the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour (co-hosted by author Kate Evans and me) is contemporary romance author, Z.N. Willett.

IMG_7242Z.N. Willett is the girl who has seen more than she has ever wanted; yet decided to add to that world by writing Hollywood romances. A northern girl, but a southerner at heart, loving anything and everything about love and romance. So much that once upon a time she had a career as a wedding and events coordinator. When Z.N. decided to do something she was passionate about, she added her love for travel to the mix. An avid shoeaholic, deep down she’s a sappy romantic who happens to believe that love can truly conquer all.

Here, she introduces her novel, The Trouble with being a Movie Star’s Wife:

How do you share the love of your life with the world?

Alexandria Moore’s fantasy became her reality when…

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The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Samantha Bryant

The 2016 2K Indie Book Tour: Samantha Bryant

It’s Week 2 of the 2016 2K Blog Tour! Today’s guest is Samantha Bryant!

Kate M. Colby

Hello, everyone! Thanks for following the 2016 2K Indie Book Tour so far. For the second half, I’ll be your host. If you missed the first set of interviews, make sure to check them out on Kate Evans’s website, www.writingourselveswell.co.uk.

authorshot-BRYANTFirst up on my half of the blog tour is Samantha Bryant. Samantha is a middle school Spanish teacher by day and a mom and novelist by night. That makes her a superhero all the time. Her secret superpower is finding the things her family members have misplaced—and the ability to operate on very little sleep. When she’s not writing or working, Samantha watches old movies, reads, listens to audiobooks, bakes, walks in the woods, and wishes she was writing.

Here, she introduces her superhero/women’s fiction novel Going Through the Change: A Menopausal Superhero Novel:

In this lighthearted, nontraditional superhero novel, four menopausal women in the same town start to…

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