FREE Audio Review Copies!

Psst ~ I had so much fun with Venture Galleries when they interviewed me about audio books and book tours and . . . oh, a little bit of everything. http://shar.es/Dq3JP 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving ~ we had the traditional turkey/ham and all the trimmings with twenty or so family members, then the Dude and I took off for Austin to attend the Braun Family Thanksgiving Get Together at The Moody Theater (home of Austin City Limits).  It was a great show.  In addition to Papa Braun, we also saw Reckless Kelly and Micky and the Motorcars all onstage together.  I love live music, especially from singer/songwriters such as these (give a listen to RK's Wicked, Twisted Road, it's one of my all time favorite songs), and you seriously can't beat strolling weird downtown Austin just for fun.

When we returned, I was pleased to find that ACX has provided me with numerous copies of the AUDIO version of STUTTER CREEK (She went looking for an old flame and found a serial killer instead) which was narrated by the bestselling author, Stephen Woodfin.  Go here to listen to a sample, http://ow.ly/r7MM0

I also have FREE AUDIO copies of ALL FOR LOVE (contemporary fiction) and STEVIE-GIRL AND THE PHANTOM PILOT (ghost story) in exchange for reviews.  http://tinyurl.com/l62zjek

Seriously, how can you possibly go wrong with a deal like that?  Just leave me a comment at the bottom of this post telling me which book you want to review...

Afterthought: Did you do any Black Friday shopping?  Folks (read that as adults) at one of our local Wal-Mart stores were pepper sprayed for fighting.  No, I wasn't there, just saw the video, but sheesh how ridiculous.  Wait, did I really say adults?

Thankful

What are you thankful for this year?  

Family, friends, a good job, nice home, plenty to eat?  How about the freedom to worship as you please, or the freedom to walk down the street, wearing anything you want, anytime of day or night?  How about the freedom to marry whomever you wish, to have as many children as you wish, without penalty?

I have all of these things and so much more,

 and for this I am very, very thankful.

Afterthought: Venture Galleries interviews yours truly about audio books and book tours and . . . oh, a little bit of everything. http://shar.es/Dq3JP 

Doctor Sleep Review

I was very fortunate to see Stephen King speak at George Mason University a couple of years ago (thanks Cuz!). He talked about writing Doctor Sleep, and he read from it. He said he knew it was risky to revisit the remains of the Overlook Hotel because, as he wrote in the author's note to the book, “I like to think I’m still pretty good at what I do, but nothing can live up to the memory of a good scare, and I mean nothing, especially if administered to one who is young and impressionable.”  I say Amen to that. I was a young, impressionable secretary when I first read The Shining. It scared the willies out of me. Working part time in a one girl office, I was all alone when I read it. And even though it was full daylight, I was quite certain the woman in Room 217 was coming for me every time the branch of a tree scratched across the old tin roof of my little freight company office.  But Doctor Sleep isn't that kind of a scare. In this one, Danny is grown, but he has suffered. And now he is being visited by a young girl who shines even harder than he ever did. And she needs his help to stop a pack of vampiric killers who prey on other kids with the shining.  The name Doctor Sleep comes from Dan's (no longer Danny, he's grown now) ability to help folks cross over to the other side--peacefully.  This is where King shines. Check out this passage from one of Dan's moments of helping an old guy cross over (I even marked the place, something I never do in books). This is King's version of seeing someone's life flash before his eyes--since he is connected to the patient, he sees what the old guy sees:  “He saw Charlie’s wife pulling down a shade in the bedroom, wearing nothing but a slip of Belgian lace he’d bought her for their first anniversary; saw how her ponytail swung over one shoulder when she turned to look at him, her face lit in a smile that was all yes. He saw a Farmall tractor with a striped umbrella raised over the seat. He smelled bacon and heard Frank Sinatra singing “Come Fly with Me” from a cracked Motorola radio sitting on a worktable littered with tools. He saw a hubcap full of rain reflecting a red barn. He tasted blueberries and gutted a deer and fished in some distant lake whose surface was dappled by steady autumn rain. He was sixty, dancing with his wife in the American Legion hall. He was thirty, splitting wood. He was five, wearing shorts and pulling a red wagon. Then the pictures blurred together … At times like this, Dan knew what he was for.” And this, my friends, is why I gave the book 5 Big Stars. Especially that line about the rain in the hubcap. (less)

New Release ~ REBEKAH'S QUILT ~ Amish Romance by Sara Barnard

REBEKAH'S QUILT  

An Amish Settlement. An English stranger. The Blizzard of 1888

 http://tinyurl.com/qeyabw6 

Rebekah's mother, Elnora Stoll, is the finest quilter in all of Gasthof Village but it seems Rebekah has inherited none of her skill. It's not until the arrival of a mysterious English stranger that a lifetime of questions are answered and Rebekah, her special friend Joseph Graber, and the entire settlement of Gasthof Village learn the meaning of what it truly means to be Amish.

Sara Barnard: Author of An Everlasting Heart Series

Bestselling Historical Romance NovelistandAuthor of the Civil War-era Romance series An Everlasting Heart***A Heart on Hold (An Everlasting Heart, Book #1) was a top 3 finalist for the 2012 RONE award, Best in American Historical Fiction!

Publisher: http://www.5Princebooks.com

Website: http://www.sarabarnardbooks.com

Sara Barnard is a native Texan, conservationist, mother of four youngsters, and has made her home in places all over the world.  Inspiration from her children and rescue pets (three dogs and three cats), and her love of the natural world shows itself in her writing.

After earning her degree in History, Sara experienced the scariest adventure of all: children.

Three little ones later, Sara decided to put finger to keyboard and wrote her first novel: A HEART ON HOLD (5 Prince Publishing, 2012).  The many revisions and edits that took place next weren't entirely completed until well after her fourth baby was born. Now, the family of 6 make their home in the far reaches of west Texas where drought is as constant as the desert sun.

Audio Books - Yeah!

Howdy, first of all, I've got a new interview up at http://carpinelloswritingpages.blogspot.com/2013/11/meet-middle-grade-author-ann-swann.html 

Thank you, Cheryl Carpinello!

The topic of the interview is my Middle Grade writing.  The Phantom Series is aimed at Middle Grade and up.  In other words, ages 10 to 100.  I've had great reviews from all age groups.  

And today, the first book in the trilogy, Stevie-girl and the Phantom Pilot, has gone live on Audible.com.  The narrator is the immensely talented, Janet Borrus.  It will also be available on iTunes and Amazon.com as an audio book.

Here is the audio book link for both books: http://tinyurl.com/l62zjek


ALL FOR LOVE, my women's novel, has also just been released on audio. Go to the same link listed above. It was narrated by the awesomely talented, Kelly Self.  It will also be available on iTunes and Amazon.com audio very soon. Enjoy listening to these talented narrators read my stories.

One more note about my audio books; all covers are being done by Deborah at Tugboat Design.com.  I think she does a wonderful job--I really love the way the All For Love audio cover tied in with the original All For Love print edition.  

Afterthought:  Please take a moment to leave a review if you pick up one of these books--or any of my books.  Reviews are like bread and butter to authors and narrators (and cover artists, too).