Archive for the ‘Blog Tour Hosting’ Category

A Fistful of Love: Wisdom and Humour from a Monk’s Bowl by Om Swami

Posted: August 22, 2017 in Blog Tour Hosting, rafflecopter
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Fist Full Of Love by Om SwamiFistful Of Love by Om Swami

Publisher: Black Lotus  (Sept. 24, 2015)
Category: Humor & Entertainment, Self Help, Psychology, Spiritual, & Motivational
Tour dates: Aug-Oct, 2017
ISBN: 978- 0994002778
Available in Print & ebook, 212 pages
A Fistful Of Love

A man was sitting with his friends in a local inn. After a couple of drinks, he asked his friends, “Do you love me?” “Of course, we do,” they replied. “So do you know what I need?” No one answered. “If you don’t know what I need then how can you say you love me?” To love and to be loved is the most basic human need. No wonder we are attracted to people who give us attention, care about us, and love us. Yet, love also remains the greatest challenge in most relationships. Why?

A Fistful of Love is a collection of insightful, thought-provoking nuggets of wisdom appreciated by millions around the world. This book is full of humor and narratives most beautifully woven into learnings of life that will make you stop and think.

Praise for Fistful Of Love by Om Swami

“This is a strong novel about love and hope and really gives you the tools you need to improve your outlook on life and relationships. I liked the way that this was set up, the writing style was well done and easy to follow.  There were many lighthearted and comedic things thrown in that keeps this novel light and spirited.”-Momma G, My Reading Addiction

“Om Swami’s voice is clear and true. He offers sage wisdom in easy to understand language. Knowing he is a younger monk with a contemporary background makes him very relatable.”- KerryPhilo, Amazon Reviewer

“The book is not only a delight and joy to read, but also so insightful and enlightening. Strongly recommend this beautiful book written in such an easy and clear style.”-Amazon Reviewer

“Precious words of wisdom narrated in a pleasant lighthearted way that inspires both mind and soul. The words of wisdom especially on love and relationship are truly indispensable.”-Rose, Amazon Reviewer

About Om Swami

Om Swami is a monk who lives in a remote place in the Himalayan foothills. He has a bachelor degree in business and an MBA from Sydney, Australia. Swami served in executive roles in large corporations around the world. He founded and led a profitable software company with offices in San Francisco, New York, Toronto, London, Sydney and India.

Om Swami completely renounced his business interests to pursue a more spiritual life. He is the bestselling author of Kundalini: An Untold Story, A Fistful of Love and If Truth Be Told: A Monk’s Memoir.

His blog omswami.com is read by millions all over the world.

Buy Fistful Of Love by Om Swami

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Giveaway Fistful Of Love by Om Swami

This giveaway is for one ebook and is open worldwide.

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Excerpt  – Harmony in a Relationship

Both positive and negative emotions are like mushrooms, they grow rather rapidly.

The setting was an elementary school. The Maths teacher approached a student famous for his love for mangoes. He looked at the young child and said, “If I give you an apple, and then another apple, followed by one more, how many apples will you have?” The child started to count on the tip of his fingers, stared at the empty space for a few seconds, looked up to exchange a glance with the tall teacher and replied thoughtfully, “Four.” The teacher was appalled. It was a simple question. He knew the child was capable of giving the right answer. He meant well.

So he repeated his question. “Listen carefully son, if I give you one apple, and one more after that, and yet another one thereafter, how many apples will you have?”

The young student followed the same process as before, stared at the empty space for a little longer this time and replied with a voice withdrawn, but just as confident, “Sir, four.”

The teacher got angry. But soon he remembered the child’s love for mangoes. He thought of a method to draw his attention better towards the problem.

He modified his question and said, “Okay, answer this one. If I give you a mango, one more mango and then one more, how many mangoes will you have?”

An innocent smile surfaced on the child’s face for he was reminded of mangoes. His little thumb hopped on the tips of his pink fingers as he calculated. Raising his eyes to look at his teacher, he said, “Three.” The teacher was happy. He clearly understood that it was the child’s concentration that was causing all the trouble. Now that he had his student’s attention, he decided to get the correct answer to the original question.

With much hope he uttered, “Pay close attention now. I want you to give me the right answer. If I give you an apple followed by one more and then another one, how many apples will you have?”

The child imitated his thought process and gestures like before and mumbled, “Four.” The teacher got really angry. He started shouting at the kid, “How can you be so dumb? Why can’t you pay attention? I am asking you a simple question. If I am giving you mangoes they are three, but how is it that you keep replying four when it comes to apples?”

The child trembled at the shouting, his face turned red and tears welled up in his eyes. “Tell me! How can apples be four when mangoes are three? Are you trying to fool me?” The teacher yelled. The child looked down. He had lost the courage to look up or smile. He said softly, “That’s because mommy gave me an apple for lunch today. I already have one apple with me.” The teacher promptly realized the gap in understanding, the difference in perspectives. He could have sought the clarification without getting fried. It was, however, all a little too late. The damage to the child’s mind was already done.

This little story underscores the basis of all the differences of opinions and arguments. It is not always necessary that there is only one truth. More often than not, there can be multiple truths regarding a situation; all such paths that lead to the same destination.

No matter from which direction you draw a radius, it will always originate from or lead you to the center of the circle.

Rather than believing your viewpoint to be the only right perspective, you may want to spend some time grasping the other’s. Understanding is the fundamental ingredient in a harmonious relationship. The damage once done with words or gestures can never be undone. It may heal, but only over a long period of time. I once read somewhere, “Put your mind in gear before you move your mouth.”

An opinion is rarely a simple matter. Behind the formation of an opinion, several subtle and prominent forces are in play. One’s upbringing, experiences, exposure, circumstances, habits, tendencies, proclivities, environment, and situation contribute towards their forming any opinion. Give other person the freedom to have a right to their opinion while you maintain yours.

A man approached me a few days ago and said that he did not believe in God or even in the concept of God. Should he feel bad? Was there anything wrong with it?

I told him that if his belief made him a stronger, better, happier, kinder, a more compassionate human being, it was a good belief. I made him understand that I would rather have a non-believer with a kind heart than a believer with a cruel one.

Truth has never been an absolute entity and there is a child in everyone.

Follow Fistful Of Love by Om Swami

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Aug 14 Kick Off

Amy Amazon Reviewer Aug 15 Review

Rockin’ Book Reviews Aug 16 Review

I’d Rater Be At The Beach Aug 17 Review

Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings Aug 18 Review

A Holland Reads Aug 21 Review & Excerpt

Deanna Amazon Reviewer Aug 23 Review

Jill Amazon Reviewer Aug 25 Review

From Isi Aug 28 Review

Networking Witches Sept 12 Review & Excerpt

Lori Amazon Reviewer Oct 26 Review

*This tour schedule is subject to change.

Fistful Of Love by Om Swami

Note: This tour is being hosted by Garima Om, not Om Swami himself.

Serengeti Book Tour Giveaway! Three SciFi Adventure Must-Read Books by J. B. Rockwell

Posted: August 19, 2017 in Blog Tour Hosting, excerpt, rafflecopter
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Serengeti
by J.B. Rockwell
Genre: SciFi Adventure
It was supposed to be an easy job: find the Dark Star Revolution
Starships, destroy them, and go home. But a booby-trapped vessel
decimates the Meridian Alliance fleet, leaving Serengeti—a Valkyrie
class warship with a sentient AI brain—on her own; wrecked and
abandoned in an empty expanse of space.

On the edge of total failure, Serengeti thinks only of her crew. She
herds the survivors into a lifeboat, intending to sling them into
space. But the escape pod sticks in her belly, locking the
cryogenically frozen crew inside.
Then a scavenger ship arrives to pick Serengeti’s bones clean.
Her engines dead, her guns long silenced, Serengeti and her last two
robots must find a way to fight the scavengers off and save the crew
trapped inside her.
**On sale for .99 from Sept 4th- 9th**
Serengeti 2:
Dark and Stars
Fifty-three years Serengeti drifted, dreaming in the depths of space. Fifty-three
years of patient waiting before her Valkyrie Sisters arrive to
retrieve her from the dark. A bittersweet homecoming follows, the
Fleet Serengeti once knew now in shambles, its admiral, Cerberus,
gone missing, leaving Brutus in charge. Brutus who’s subsumed the
Fleet, ignoring his duty to the Meridian Alliance to pursue a
vendetta against the Dark Star Revolution.

The Valkyries have a plan to stop him—depose Brutus and restore the
Fleet’s purpose—and that plan involves Serengeti. Depends on
Serengeti turning her guns against her own.
Because the Fleet can no longer be trusted. With Brutus in charge, it’s
just Serengeti and her Sisters, and whatever reinforcements they can
find.
A top-to-bottom refit restores Serengeti to service, and after a rushed
reunion with Henricksen and her surviving crew, she takes off for the
stars. For Faraday—a prison station—to stage a jailbreak, and
free the hundreds of Meridian Alliance AIs wrongfully imprisoned in
its Vault. From there to the Pandoran Cloud and a rendezvous with her
Valkyrie Sisters. To retrieve a fleet of rebel ships stashed away
inside.
One last battle, one last showdown with Brutus and his Dreadnoughts and
it all ends. A civil war—one half of the Meridian Alliance Fleet
turned against the other, with the very future of the Meridian
Alliance hanging in the balance.
Hecate
Prequel to Serengeti
Black Ops—the intelligence arm of the Meridian Alliance Fleet came
calling with an offer Henricksen couldn’t refuse: a ship—an
entire squadron of ships, actually—and crew to command. A chance to
get back to the stars.
Too bad he didn’t ask more questions before accepting the assignment.
Too bad no one told him just how dangerous this particular skunkworks
project was.

 

They call the ship the RV-N: Reconnaissance Vessel – Non-combat, Raven for
short. A stealth ship—fast, and maneuverable, and brutal as hell.
On the surface, Henricksen’s assignment seems simple: train his crew,
run the RV-Ns through their paces, get the ships certified for
mission operations and job done. But an accident in training reveals
a fatal design flaw in the Raven, and when an undercover operative
steals classified information from a Black Ops facility, the Fleet
Brass cancels the tests completely, rushing the faulty ships and
their half-trained crew into live operations. On a mission to recover
the Fleet’s lost secrets.
Out of time and out of options, Henricksen has no choice but to launch
his squadron. But a ghost from his past makes him question
everything—the ships, their AI, the entirety of this mission, right
down to the secrets he and his crew are supposed to recover.
Audiobook available 10-17-17

Note from the Author:

When Your Main Character’s a Starship…

By J.B. Rockwell

Umm, so yeah. I did this. At the time I was thinking, “How cool! This will be really different!” And it is. That’s one of the things I love about the Serengeti series: you just don’t see a lot of books written with a sentient AI warship as the main character.

And there’s a reason for that: it’s hard.

Okay, so that’s probably not the only reason you don’t see a lot of books written from a starship’s point of view, but I’m going to go down on record as saying it’s one of them. And here’s why: close your eyes and think about every book you’ve read or written, every movie of TV show you’ve watched and how the characters interact with one another. All the physical posturing and non-verbal cues. Now imagine one of those character’s is a ship and most of the rest of the characters are moving around inside her.

See what I mean?

Being the brilliant writer I am (*insert extremely heavy dose of sarcasm*), I never thought about this when I blithely sat down at my computer one day and started pounding out words on my ‘OMG everyone will love this!’ little story. But it wasn’t long before I realized this book was going to be a lot harder to pull off than I originally thought. And since I didn’t have a whole lot of other, similar books to fall back on for research, I basically figured things out as I went.

So, how does one go about using non-verbal cues with a main character that lacks arms and legs, hands and eyeballs? Well, if you’re me, you cheat. (*puffs up all proud*) And since some of you out there may be reading this and considering doing something as stupid…er, brilliant as me, here’s how:

Let’s start with the eyes. Or lack thereof. Eyes play a major role in conveying characters’ feelings without repeating boring things like: ‘She was sad’, or ‘She was mad’. Eyes squint and widen, flash and darken to tell readers just exactly what is going on with a particular character at a particular moment. We use words like ‘glance’ and ‘glare’ and ‘stare’ to help convey interactions between characters and indicate who’s speaking to whom.

Well, Serengeti doesn’t have eyes (she’s a badass warship, remember?) but she does have cameras—that’s Cheat the First. By turning cameras, zooming in and out, or simply flipping through one lens and another I can show the reader how Serengeti’s focus changes. I can flash a light on a camera to draw another character’s attention to it, and use it as a focus of conversation when their speaking to Serengeti’s AI, rather than having them do the Star Trek thing and just randomly yell ‘Computer!’ in the general direction of the ceiling.

Cheat the Second is similar to Cheat the First, in that it involves Serengeti’s fittings, in this case the many data panels scattered across her bridge and elsewhere on her ship’s body. By flashing panels and sending discrete messages, even cute little emoji, Serengeti is able to interact with her crew on a more personal and private level, offering information and encouragement, sharing worries and fears without broadcasting that information through her speakers for everyone with a working set of eardrums to hear.

Cheat the Third when it comes to eyeballs is also Cheat the Fourth which helps to replace the pesky lack of appendages that comes with Serengeti having nothing more than a ship’s body. Namely, robots. Throughout Serengeti and Dark and Stars, there are many and various situations which prompt Serengeti to download or connect a portion of her vast consciousness to one of her maintenance robots (Tig, Tilli and Oona) or another robot she comes across in her travels. Though non-human, these robots handily come equipped with legs (for flailing, and waving, and otherwise shaking about) and faces (backed by motile, bright blue lights) that can be animated in a multitude of manners to emulate human gestures and facial expressions, providing easily digestible cues to Mr. and Ms. Reader of My Book. Plus, they’re cute as the dickens and snarky as all get-out—who doesn’t like that?!—and provide a break from all the camera looking and talking. Characters interact differently with cameras than they do with robots, no matter who’s in the driver’s seat, so letting Serengeti run around in a robot body for a while really gave me more latitude to change things up. And, as an added bonus, robots can go places Serengeti the ship can’t. Like space stations, for instance—I can’t exactly have whopping big Serengeti pitter-pattering down a space station’s hallways—allowing me to expand the story’s universe and take the action out of the stars once in a while.

So, that’s how I did it. That’s how I got around writing a book (and a sequel, and a prequel) whose main character was a starship. It wasn’t easy, but I’m proud of the result, and that used a story device that so few others have tried. More importantly, my agent liked it and signed me on in part because I offered up something that was fresh and new. I also like to think it’s because I’m incredibly entertaining and funny as all get-out, but I’m not sure my agent would agree…

J

J.B. Rockwell is a New Englander, which is important to note because it
means she’s (a) hard headed, (b) frequently stubborn, and (c) prone
to fits of snarky sarcasticness. As a kid she subsisted on a steady
diet of fairy tales, folklore, mythology augmented by generous
helpings of science fiction and fantasy. As a quasi-adult she dreamed
of being the next Indiana Jones and even pursued (and earned!) a
degree in anthropology. Unfortunately, those dreams of being an
archaeologist didn’t quite work out. Through a series of twists and
turns (involving cats, a marriage, and a SCUBA certification, amongst
other things) she ended up working in IT for the U.S. Coast Guard and
now writes the types of books she used to read. Not a bad ending for
an Indiana Jones wannabe…
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!

Murder is Academic & Murder is Pathological (2nd & 3rd in the Maggie Ryan Series) by P.M. Carlson

Posted: August 15, 2017 in Blog Tour Hosting, excerpt, rafflecopter
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Murder Is Academic & Murder Is Pathological by P.M. Carlson Book Blast Banner

Murder Is Academic & Murder Is Pathological

by P.M. Carlson

Book Blast on August 15, 2017

 

Murder Is Academic by P.M. Carlson

Murder Is Academic

A finalist for the Anthony Award

Vietnam, assassinations and riots. In the spring semester of 1968, a series of brutal attacks draws campus women together to study self-defense and the psychology of rape. Graduate student Mary Beth Nelson struggles to keep the Lords of Death at bay by immersing herself in researching Mayan languages. Her new housemate, Maggie Ryan, has her own secrets. When murder strikes close to home, Maggie investigates with a little help from her friends.

“MURDER IS ACADEMIC treats violation of truth in tandem with assault and rape true violations of person, mind, and body–– and presents a cogent caesar for the inviolability both of persons and truth.”–– The Armchair Detective

Book Details:

Genre: Traditional Mystery
Published by: The Mystery Company / Crum Creek Press
Publication Date: October 2012
Number of Pages: 194
ISBN: 1932325239 (ISBN13: 9781932325232)
Series: Maggie Ryan and Nick O’Connor #2
Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Smashwords 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

“Murder is Academic” by P.M. Carlson The Maggie Ryan Series #2

Read an excerpt:

Near an upstate New York university, June 1968.

She was dead now, no more threat. The murderer pushed aside the long dark hair and, very carefully, cut the triangle into the young cheek. Done. Now, walk to the car calmly, get in. Back to the highway, driving coolly, back in control again.

* * *

The Christian conquerors teach that days don’t begin until midnight. The Maya know that it takes longer to hand over the burdens of time, and that the influence of the incoming god may begin at sunset. The day known as Monday, June 17, to those who count by the Gregorian calendar was pleasantly breezy, as befitted the Ixil 9 Iiq; but shortly after sunset it became one of the most tragic of Mary Beth’s life. A Mayan traditionalist might have attributed the change to the coming of that doubly unlucky day, 10 Aqbal.

But it had all begun quite cheerfully.

Maggie had borrowed Sue’s backpack in case Nick needed one for the picnic, and had packed her own and Mary Beth’s with the camp stove and the food. She hummed lightheartedly as she worked.

“You’re happy to see him, aren’t you?” Mary Beth had said, tightening the top of the salad dressing jar.

“Yes, but that’s only part of it,” Maggie had confessed. “It’s just good to know that’s behind me. It was a very bad time, and Nick was there. But I can see him now and just enjoy the friendship. The bad memories are there, way in the background, but the good ones are too. It doesn’t hurt anymore. It hurt quite a lot for a while.”

* * *

Excerpt from Murder Is Academic by P.M. Carlson. Copyright © 2017 by P.M. Carlson. Reproduced with permission from P.M. Carlson. All rights reserved.

 

Murder Is Pathological by P.M. Carlson

Murder Is Pathological

It’s 1969, in a brain research lab. The exploding wastebasket is a prank, but slaughtered lab rats have graduate students Maggie Ryan, Monica Bauer and the rest of the lab on edge. Then the custodian is murdered. Maggie’s friend, actor Nick O’Connor, goes undercover to investigate, help that Maggie does not appreciate– or does she? While Nick and Maggie search for the killer, Monica struggles to connect with a Vietnam veteran with a brain injury.

“P.M. Carlson’s energetic and insightful novels are back in print — hallelujah!”–– Sara Paretsky

Book Details:

Genre: Traditional Mystery
Published by: The Mystery Company / Crum Creek Press
Publication Date: May 28th 2013
Number of Pages: 212
ISBN: 9781932325270
Series: Maggie Ryan and Nick O’Connor #3
Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Smashwords 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

“Murder is Pathological” by P.M. Carlson Maggie Ryan 1969 #3

Read an excerpt:

Neurology grad student Monica Bauer helps out at nursing home, 1969.

She waited. He could not summon words at will, except for the overpractised early ones–– hello, good-bye, okay. They both waited for the disconnected words to drift through his mind, waited for him to recognize the right one as it happened by.

After a while he said, “Buzzing. In, in, what is it? Not nose, not eyes.”

“Buzzing in your ears?”

“Ears. Okay. In my ears.”

“Does it hurt?”

“No, except . . .” Long pause. “Sometimes.”

“Sometimes your head hurts.”

“Yes, sometimes. Always . . . buzzing.” He leaned back, tired.

“Shall we sing a little?”

“Okay.”

He couldn’t remember words, but melodies were still easy for him. She had learned to sing “la-la-la” instead of trying to teach him to catch the elusive words. Now they sang together, her alto and his baritone blending pleasantly. It made him happy.

Finally Monica said good-bye, signed out, drove away. Mary and Jock, Bibbsy and Ted never would. Four friends, trapped by their own broken brains. Especially Ted, who still struggled courageously to fuse the bits of his shattered world into coherence. Who still remembered that things had once been different, that he had once been whole.

Maybe she would never discover anything that could help them. But with Dr. Weisen’s help, she meant to give it a damn good try.

Back in Laconia, she parked in front of her square brick house, then paused to wait for Maggie, who was at the corner mailing a letter. “Trying to send a message to the outside world?” called Monica.

“Yeah. My friend Nick.” Maggie, exuberant, sprinted from the corner, ending with a cartwheel. Then she pulled herself up with dignity and asked, “How were your friends today?”

“Soaking up sun.”

“Good for them. Listen, we’re going to the concert tonight. Can you come?”

“No, I’ve got to get back to the lab right after dinner. Have to check on those baby rats I delivered today.”

And so Monica was second on the scene. She unlocked the main door of the lab, and at the sound of her steps Norman erupted from the door of the animal quarters, gaping in terror.

“Miz Bauer! Come quick!” he pleaded. “Something terrible happened!”

Monica ran after him into one of Dr. Weisen’s animal rooms. She said, “Oh, Christ!”

In the center of the room lay a heap of slaughtered rats, their backs broken and mangled, their skulls smashed.

* * *

Excerpt from Murder Is Pathological by P.M. Carlson. Copyright © 2017 by P.M. Carlson. Reproduced with permission from P.M. Carlson. All rights reserved.

P.M. Carlson

Author Bio:

P.M. Carlson taught psychology and statistics at Cornell University before deciding that mystery writing was more fun. She has published twelve mystery novels and over a dozen short stories. Her novels have been nominated for an Edgar Award, a Macavity Award, and twice for Anthony Awards. Two short stories were finalists for Agatha Awards. She edited the Mystery Writers Annual for Mystery Writers of America for several years, and served as president of Sisters in Crime.

Catch Up With Our Author On:
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Tour Participants:

Visit these amazing hosts & learn more about Murder Is Academic & Murder Is Pathological by P.M. Carlson!

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Giveaway:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for P.M. Carlson. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on August 15 and runs through August 22, 2017.

CLICK HERE for the Rafflecopter giveaway

 

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