Monday, August 30, 2021

Relatively Normal Secrets

 Let's say hello to C.W. Allen, author of Relatively Normal Secrets, a middle grade mystery available September 7, 2021 from Cinnabar Moth Publishing LLC. C.W. Allen is doing a virtual book blast tour right now. The Book Blast Tour will take place August 30, 2021 to September 3, 2021. 

 



C. W. Allen will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

<a class="rcptr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3851/" rel="nofollow" data-raflid="28e4345f3851" data-theme="classic" data-template="" id="rcwidget_2jdmoqa0">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Blurb

Like most siblings, Tuesday and Zed don't always get along. Unlike most siblings, their arguments are over things like whether their parents are hiding a life of crime, or are simply the weirdest adults on the planet. When they decide to go on the hunt for some solid evidence, things get weirder than ever: two thugs with shape-shifting swords show up, their dog shows off some tricks she definitely didn't learn in obedience school, and even their treehouse turns out to be more than meets the eye.

 

Their escape leaves Zed and Tuesday stranded in a land where robots and holograms live alongside quaint medieval villagers and soldiers on horseback. Soldiers who insist their father is a disgraced fugitive, and their dog a legendary monster.

 

If they ever want to see their parents again, they'll have to learn to work together. After all, they've got a mysterious code to break, secrets to unlock, bandits and soldiers to outwit, and a rowdy dog whose antics are getting more outrageous by the minute. Even if they manage to evade the eerie secret police and uncover enough clues to figure out what's really going on, they're not sure they're going to like the truth.

 

Zed and Tuesday will have to decide who to trust and what really matters, or they'll never get back to normal (whatever that is.) Because when it comes to normal, everything is relative.



Excerpt

Their father was fond of saying the dog had not managed to learn anything in the years that followed, but that was not strictly true. While it was true that she did not come when called or sit on command, the dog had in fact learned many tricks. Nyx had learned quite early on, for example, how to help herself to the contents of the refrigerator. No one was quite sure how an animal without thumbs was capable of opening a refrigerator door, since she had never been caught in the act, but an entire ham doesn’t simply get up and go for a stroll during the night, now does it?

Zed imagined some people would consider it normal to take a dog along to run errands—as long as the dog could fit comfortably inside a purse, that is, or at the very least wait patiently in the car. But Nyx was neither tiny, nor well-behaved and patient. She was, in fact, huge. Her bristly black fur and legs that seemed much too long for the rest of her frame made her look like a gigantic hairy spider. His mother spent nearly every moment in the dog’s company, and whenever she needed to go inside the grocery store, or post office, or other location where dogs are generally unwelcome, she brought Nyx along to wait in the car for her return. Nyx made use of this time by bouncing anxiously from seat to seat, smearing her nose on the windows.

Author bio and links

C.W. Allen is a Nebraskan by birth, a Texan by experience, a Hoosier by marriage, and a Utahn by geography. She knew she wanted to be a writer the moment she read The Westing Game at age twelve, but took a few detours along the way as a veterinary nurse, an appliance repair secretary, and a homeschool parent.

She recently settled in the high desert of rural Utah with her husband, their three children, and a noisy flock of orphaned ideas. Someday she will create literary homes for all of them. (The ideas, not her family.)

Relatively Normal Secrets (Cinnabar Moth Publishing, Fall 2021) is her debut novel. She writes fantasy novels for tweens, picture books for children, and short stories and poems for former children. Her work will appear in numerous anthologies in 2021. She is also a frequent guest presenter at writing conferences and club meetings, which helps her procrastinate knuckling down to any actual writing.


 Links:

https://www.cwallenbooks.com/

https://twitter.com/cwallenbooks

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2983485.C_W_Allen

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Relatively-Normal-Secrets-C-W-Allen-ebook/dp/B098DMNM1N

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/relatively-normal-secrets-cw-allen/1139805820

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Relatively_Normal_Secrets/R_uAzgEACAAJ?hl=en

 

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Back home

 Yesterday we returned from the coast to Dendermonde. Chris needs to start work once more (after this schoolyear, one more to go) and so our presence here is needed.

We managed to do most of the washing before we returned home. That's always best after a summer at the coast. In summer we can hang the washed clothes/linen/towels/lingerie out to dry. This is more difficult in winter, as our space inside is restricted and drying racks would be in the way. But we won't be coming much in autumn and winter. Already in September we have two weekends away (Brussels and Antwerp) and in October we'd only manage one weekend at the coast, the rest also being reserved for weekend trips and a longer one to Strasbourg in France. And during the Christmas holidays we'll be in Germany for nearly two weeks. By the time we have enough washing collected, it'll probably be spring once more, and then you can hang the washing outside.

Here at home, no surprises this time. Electricity worked fine. The guy we consulted earlier this month fixed the problem temporarily, and coming Thursday he's coming to fix it for good. I'm also going to ask him to revise the rest of the system, to make sure everything is in order with the new safety regulations.

We'll end this first working week (for Chris, at least) by having dinner in one of our favorite restaurants here in town. It's called Barley's. It was originally an Irish pub, but the new owners (5 years back) changed it into a restaurant which specializes in fine kitchen. Intend to have a nice evening there! 

And to make everything alright, the bakery that delivers at home and which has been closed for holidays, is opening once more next Sunday, so we'll be able to order our favorite treats for breakfast!

Monday, August 16, 2021

The Ack Ack Girl

 Today we welcome author Chris Karlsen. Chris is doing a virtual book blast tour for The Ack Ack Girl, a historical romance available from Books to Go Now.  The Book Blast Tour will take place August 16 - 20, 2021. 

 


Chris Karlsen will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

<a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3864">Enter to win a $20 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>

Blurb

It’s 1941 and the German war machine has defeated all of Europe except England. In an effort to force a surrender, the German Luftwaffe is bombing villages and cities the length of the country. As the battle rages, Britain is in desperate need to put more pilots in the air.

To free up more men a new unit is formed: The Ack Ack Girls. Teams of courageous young women will now fight in anti-aircraft stations. Excited to be part of the effort, Ava Armstrong has volunteered for one of the special teams. Her unit just happens to be located near an RAF airfield teaming with pilots. Sparks fly, and not just from artillery, when Ava crosses paths with the highly decorated and handsome Royal Airforce pilot, Chris Fairfield.


Excerpt

When her mother turned around, the color had drained from her face and her eyes had a haunted look. “What is it, Mum?”

“They’re bombing Coventry. There’s a BBC reporter on site. He said dozens and dozens of planes are over the city.” 

Ava sat on the sofa, listening to the live broadcast as the nightmare continued. Her stomach roiled. The mint-flavored tooth powder she’d used had tasted sweet and fresh, but now soured in her mouth. 

“The cathedral is destroyed,” the reporter’s voice broke.

“Turn the sound up, Mum.”

“The sky is black with planes now. They’ve blotted out the moon.” The reporter broke into a coughing fit and then continued. “The city is aflame. It’s raining bombs. The terribleness of this night will never be forgotten. Coventry is no more.”

Eleven hours later

“Did you get any sleep?” her mother asked.

Ava shook her head. “The bombing only just stopped. They’re saying that most of the city is destroyed.”

Ava went upstairs to clean up and change clothes. When she came back down she told her mother, “I need to go. I have to see if Miss Finney is all right. I have to see if I still have a home there.” 

Coventry-later that day

The train was standing room only. A blast of intense heat clobbered her as Ava stepped from the station. She found herself flashing back to the night of the blitz attack in London. Like London, hours after the last bombs fell flames still raged and painted the sky in orange and red here. Bright, hot embers filled the air, burning holes through the material of the umbrellas of those who carried them for protection.

She slowly and carefully made her way toward Miss Finney’s flat and the upstairs bedsit she let to Ava. She paused in front of the movie theatre around the corner from Miss Finney’s. The entire building had fallen but somehow the marquee remained undamaged. Perched on top of the rubble advertising, His Girl Friday. Ava had just seen the movie the previous week. She’d gone two nights in a row just to watch Cary Grant.

 Author bio and links

I was raised in Chicago. My father, a history professor, and my mother, a voracious reader passed on a love of history and books along with a love of travel. My husband and I retired to the Pacific Northwest where we live with four crazy rescue dogs.  

I am a retired police detective. After twenty-five years in law enforcement I decided to pursue my dream of writing. I’ve completed a historical-time travel romance series called Knights in Time. I currently write a historical suspense called The Bloodstone Series.

I am also working on a world war two series of novella romances.

 


https://chriskarlsen.com/

https://twitter.com/chriskarlsen1?lang=en 

https://www.instagram.com/chriskarlsenwriter/?hl=en

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4822048.Chris_Karlsen

https://www.pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/_saved

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08VDSQGDM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-ack-ack-girl/id1554149585?mt=11&id=1554149585&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-ack-ack-girl-chris-karlsen/1138717450;jsessionid=444A6EB0F49780AA0A95256880D85C5F.prodny_store01-atgap03?ean=2940165383151&st=AFF&2sid=Draft2Digital_7968444_NA&sourceId=AFFDraft2Digital

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-ack-ack-girl

https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/the-ack-ack-girl/9781393715412-item.html?ref=isbn-search

Sunday, August 15, 2021

Summer is reaching its end

 One more week to go, and then it's back to work for my sister. Hard work, working not the normal office hours, but nights at home and weekends. It's always like that when a new schoolyear begins. 

Chris still has to work two schoolyears before she can start her pension. Normally she could have ended working now, but some years ago the government made changes to the pension, and as a result she has to work two years longer before she has the right to pension. 

Talking about pension, right now I have my full pension money. When I turned 65, I got an extra upon my government pension. It's not much, but the more, the better! Yesterday, our national newspaper published the wages of those who work for the government. When I saw these, I was smiling, because I don't have a lot less for a pension - and I don't have to work for it anymore.

It's not been a very nice summer this year. Actually, it's one of the worst we experienced for the last decade. We had about 10 sunny days in July and up to now, we only have had 2 in August. Though it's dry, there isn't a lot of sun today as well. For me a nice day qualifies as this: a clear blue sky and sun until late at night. 

We return  home in the week of August 23rd. I need to be there too, as we have a 'date' with the electrician who's going to revise our electricity system. And I also have to go for a control visit to the hospital. Luckily there is something to look forward to: a weekend Antwerp middle September (main reason: attending a concert) and a weekend Brussels later that month. 

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Shopping in Knokke

 When we go shopping, we mostly go to Knokke (or Antwerp). This is a remainder from our childhood. Our grandmother was born in Antwerp, and for her there was only one place: the 'city'. Moreover, in the big town you found things you couldn't buy in Dendermonde. 

As we are now staying at the coast, Knokke is excellent for shopping. You find all the same shops there as in Antwerp, and it's only 5 minutes by tram from Heist. As of lately, I am the owner of the Omni pass, which allows me to travel on whatever bus, metro or tram for a annual fee of about 50 €. You have to be 65 to get one. When I purchased the pass, there was also a promotion that gave away a 10 free rides card. That one my sister can use (she has to wait a couple of years before you can get her Omni pass).

Let's hope it's not going to rain this afternoon. Our weather has been nothing great for the last two weeks. This is not going to be a good summer. Only one week of sunny weather, so far. And then the big inundations in Wallony and the fires in the south of Europe... The weather is going crazy!

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Trouble!

 When we came home from a stay at the coast last week Thursday, we had a surprise - although not a nice one! Wanting to put on the radio (always the first thing I do), we discovered that the emergency circuit of our electricity had gone down - no juice anywhere and a fridge and freezer full of rotting food...

It took all afternoon to dispose of this rotting food and clean out the fridge and freezer for the first time. The stench remained and it took a lot more cleaning to get it reasonably clean. We intend to wait for a while (tomorrow we return to the coast for another good two weeks) and see how it's then. When there is still some stench later in August, we'll need to buy a new fridge and a new freezer. I set aside some money each month for such emergencies.

Then the next task was finding an electrician who could come and see what the problem is. Easier said than done! Finally we found a guy who was not on holiday and could come the next day. He did a thorough research job on Saturday with some temporary repairs, and we agreed he can do the full job later this month and revise the electricity system so that everything is in order.

Because of this unexpected problem, we had to cancel our trip to Strasbourg. Normally we should have left on Saturday. We postponed it to the end of October, when there is the autumn break at school. 

This is what can happen when you live in an old house. We try to keep everything in order, but things can happen and give you nasty surprises. (Well, probably in a new house there will be some problems too.)