A SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE HISTORY-LOVER ON YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST

I may be responsible for the polar blast that slammed the nation. I tried to follow my early-bird neighbor's lead and outsmart Mother Nature by hanging my outdoor Christmas lights on the last balmy day in early November. Sometime between finding the fourteenth dead strand of tangled lights, and pulling off a WWF-worthy wrestling match against a multi-colored shrub net (of which only one side agreed to illuminate), the polar blast arrived. Bad decorating Karma. . .

So I'm plowing ahead, and joining in the throng of early Christmas mentions, to announce my FREE MEN and DREAMERS Christmas giveaway.

I hope you engaged in some way, in the celebration of the bicentennial of pivotal historical moments from the War of 1812--the burning of Washington; the wonderful, patriotic re-enactments of the Battle of Baltimore; the tributes to Francis Scott Key; and of course, the honors paid to the Star-Spangled Banner, and the anthem it inspired.

Tom and I were in Baltimore for the finale events, and the mood was thrilling. It was the cherry on top of my decade-long research into the War of 1812 for my Free Men and Dreamers historical fiction series.

As a farewell to this bicentennial year, I'm offering a special on the books to get them into homes where the stories of how this critical period shaped America can be read and enjoyed again and again.

Here's the special:

Scan and email proof of purchase of volume 1, Dark Sky at Dawn, and volume 2, Twilight's Last Gleaming, to me at lclewis2007@gmail.com, and I'll mail you autographed bookplates for those volumes, and an autographed copy of volume 3 for free.  
If you want the entire set: email proof of purchase of those two volumes, plus the purchase of volume 4, Oh, Say Can You See? and volume 5, In God is Our Trust, and I'll send an entire set of autographed bookplates, plus a free, autographed copy of my women's fiction novel, Awakening Avery.
 
So buy four volumes from my award-winning historical fiction series, and receive autographed bookplates plus two free novels, a $38.00 savings.
 
Orders and proofs of purchase must be received by December 10th to qualify for the free books in order to guarantee receipt by Christmas.

 
Thank you so much for welcoming my books into your home. Here are some links to reviews and sample chapters: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JPC6XY
 
Have a perfect Thanksgiving, and may your Christmas preparations be joyful.
 
Laurie L.C. Lewis
 
 

Gratitude Giveaway Blog Hop

GRATITUDE GIVEAWAY HOP

 

Much appreciation to Kathy at I AM A READER, NOT A WRITER, for sponsoring this annual hop. It's one of my favorites, a chance to thank faithful readers for their support, and to welcome new friends to the blog.

This hop is scheduled to run from November 15th to November 30th.

The hop drawing is easy to enter. Just follow me your favorite way:

By blog,

Facebook,

or Twitter.

Then post your email address and where you followed. That's it.

The prize to the winner of my stop on the hop is an autographed copy of my women's fiction novel, "Awakening Avery," and a s
lightly dinged up purse book I adored, "Conversations with a Moonflower."

I'm gearing up for the February release of "The Dragons of Alsace Farms."  Check out the trailer. We'll be giving some copies away in the spring.

Wishing you all the best, from my house to yours. Now enjoy the other stops on the hop.

Laurie L.C. Lewis

OLD SOLDIERS

Happy Veterans' Day, and thank you, thank you to all those who served and to their families.  I wanted to share a glimpse of some senior soldiers I've been privileged to meet.

The last few Septembers I've headed down to Quantico Marine Base with Tom for some fund raisers for The Wounded Warrior Foundation, and a massive Marine expo. A friend of Tom's, a great patriot named Pete, organizes a golf tournament/auction to raise scholarship funds for for a foundation called "The Young Marines." I had never heard of this group before, but like the ROTC, it teaches military discipline and service the marine way, preparing future officers and leaders.

The experience was moving. I was surrounded by officers in all their variety, from generals on down, with post commanders and retirees proudly wearing their caps and shouting "Ourah!!!" at any mention of the corps. These men are proud Marines, and proud of their Marine heritage which dates back to 1775, and rightly so. Even in my research on the War of 1812, the toughest fighting squad, next to Joshua Barney's Flotillamen, was a group known simply as "Miller's Marines."

As the golfers moseyed in off the greens, the older soldiers posted their golf scores on the board and then gathered around a table to talk, and there was no shortage of opinions or wisdom reflected there. And the topics on these veterans' minds? It wasn't sports scores or movies or popular media darlings. They were doing what they had done for a lifetime--assessing the news, reading between the lines, gathering intel and discussing strategic political and military options some of them no longer had the power to implement. I was a fly on the wall, and the conversations were fascinating as they discussed places that still seem to strange to most of us but places that had clearly been on their radar for many years--Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Israel.

Their faces were emotion-filled. They were deeply invested in these corners of the world where their young comrades-in-arms were serving or might serve one day. Some had sons and grandsons deployed here, and clearly, they were on their minds.

They talked about God, and about country as if they were unseverable appendages to one another. They knew the Bible, and saw a clear connection between events written there and our circumstances today. These men of different colors, different nationalities, and likely of many different faiths, see their service as an extension of their personal faith, and they see their defense of America as a defense of Christianity in a world becoming increasingly negative towards Christians.

A highlight of one day ocurred when three sisters of a Marine killed at the 1983 bombing in Beirut came to participate in the launch of a scholarship named for their slain brother. Several were also Marines themselves, and they wept over the ache of their loss as well as the pride that his memory would be honored in such a manner. It was an honor to be there, and to see steeled, battle-scarred brothers and sisters-in-arms from every branch of the service shed a tear or two as well. It reminded me of something Colin Powell once said about how no one works harder for peace than a soldier.

Hug a soldier today. Better yet, thank one.

Book Nook Review: "HOT PURSUIT" by Susan Dayley

HOT PURSUIT

by

Susan Dayley 

Susan Dayley, author of YA suspense novels, heats things up in Hot Pursuit, her sequel to 2013’s Cold Pursuit, which presented a dynamic twist to ebooks by offering dual plot lines and four possible endings.

Hot Pursuit was my first experience with a multiple-ending format in a YA read. It’s a great option for readers who enjoy exploring a great story from other angles. Dayley’s narrative is crisp, her topics are current, and the action is well-paced. The book grabs your attention on the first page where two sinister-sounding conversations are revealed. By page two, the romantic tension between Kennady and Atticus is framed, and by page five you realize that this cast of coeds is about to be assailed from all sides.

Dayley strikes a good balance between the suspense line and the romance, making it a book that will appeal to a wide range of readers, and with four possible endings, you can literally have the ending you want.

From the back cover:

Kennady thought she’d found the perfect summer escape–working at a resort in Jackson Hole. But then Atticus, whom she once loved, comes to town, an international conference threatens world finances, and a Mexican cartel shows up to stop the conspirators. When Kennady’s friend Chelo gets entangled with a handsome and possibly dangerous man, her own life is threatened. From blowing the door off a room with a microwave, to being shot at in the rain, Jackson was not an escape after all.

Dayley weaves her multiple storylines well, keeping close tabs on her diverse characters while converging all the plots. Her main character, Kennady, just wants to put some distance between her broken heart and the professor and son who broke it, so she and a her friend Chelo take jobs at a luxury hotel in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. But the professor’s seemingly perfect family is embroiled in their own personal struggles which lead Atticus to Jackson Hole as well. He and Kennady run into one another, and as in Cold Pursuit, they also run across some criminals’ nefarious plans. The attraction is still there, at least they each think so, but it’s hard to untangle a complicated relationship when you and your friends are being chased by international criminals bent on killing you.

Meanwhile, Chelo is pursued by a handsome suitor whose story doesn’t quite add up. Her mother’s concern causes her to tell Chelo how the pair were forced to escape from the cartel in Central America. About the time danger closes in around Kennady, it also comes knocking at Chelo’s door, and the cavalry arrives from unlikely heroes and anti-heroes.

Though Hot Pursuit is a sequel, Dayley handles the backstory deftly, making the book a satisfying standalone read, with many levels of interest. Her diverse cast of characters come with a variety of flaws and strengths. There is someone here for every reader to embrace.  This “choose-your-own-ending” novel also includes links to supplemental info about story locations, songs, music videos, and other fun material accessible easily with a click.

Hot Pursuit would make a great weekend escape. Danger is sometimes averted too conveniently, but the real joy in the book is watching these savvy, highly skilled college kids deal with their own “stuff” while trying to save the world and each other, and the optional endings allow readers to have a satisfying conclusion, no matter what kind of ending they seek.

Hot Pursuit is available in paperback or as an ebook, but choose the ebook version so you can quickly tap into the extras the author has included.