Bring On Lemons: July 2019

Friday, July 26, 2019

Michelle loves the Audible version of “Banged-Up Heart” by Shirley Melis

We are privileged to have back with us - Shirley Melis and her memoir Banged-Up Heart. Readers and listeners of this book have had so many wonderful things to say about this inspiring story - NOW AVAILABLE on Audible !

Banged-Up Heart: Dancing with Love and Loss is an intimate and clear-eyed account of finding love late and losing it early—and of the strength it takes to fall deeply in love a second time, be forced to relinquish that love too soon, and yet choose to love again.

When her husband of thirty years dies suddenly, Shirley Melis is convinced she will never find another man like Joe. Then she meets John, a younger man who tells her during their first conversation that he has lived for many years with a rare but manageable cancer. She is swept off her feet in a whirlwind courtship, and within months, made brave by the early death of a friend’s husband, she asks him to marry her! What follows is a year-long odyssey of travel and a growing erotic and creative partnership— until a mysterious bump on John’s forehead proves to be one of several tumors in his brain and spine.

The nine months that follow are filled with a life-threatening infection, three brain surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy. Two years and one week after their wedding, John dies at the age of fifty-nine. More than just a love story or a memoir of mourning, Banged-Up Heart comes down solidly on the side of life. It takes you deep inside an ordinary woman, her deeply felt grief butting up against her desire for more than companionship: passion, sexual fulfillment, and self-realization. It bears eloquent witness to the wild trust it takes to fall madly in love and risk profound loss—a second time. Ultimately, it shows that it is possible to dance with a banged-up heart.

Audiobook details:
Genre: Memoir/Non Fiction
Audiobook release date: February 21, 2019
Listening Length: 11 hours and 55 minutes
Narrated by: Laurie Bower
ASIN: B07NZYMLPJ

-----Review by Michelle DelPonte
I cannot begin to tell you how Banged Up Heart by Shirley Melvis has changed in me. Shirley lost her husband after a long marriage. She was blessed to find love again in John. After a short whirlwind courtship, they married. Devastatingly, John’s cancer steals their time and his life. As a mother of a disabled child, and a healthcare worker, I loved diving into Shirley’s point of view. Of course I read it in my head. Hearing the passion and emotion that this narrator put into Shirley’s memoir, has completely changed me. This lady kept me tuned in and interested, even after I knew the whole story. I learned to look at my residents in a new way. Their health and care, was not just about them, but also about their loved ones. I cannot thank Shirley enough for sharing this story with us all. This story is worth every second. It takes you through all the stages of dying and living on.

Banged-Up Heart: Dancing with Love and Loss is available in print on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound. The audio version is available on Audible.

*****THANK YOU WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING*****

About today’s reviewer:

Michelle DelPonte is a busy mom and health care worker. Her two sons are the focus of her life and she works diligently to raise awareness about autism in the community. She loves reading, anything to do with history and geocaching just to name a few of her many hobbies. Michelle, her husband Ben and their two sons Sebastian and Asher live in Manitowoc, WI on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan where they enjoy walking and biking on the Mariner’s Trail and spending time at the Library.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Pang Shares Her Thoughts About the Audible Version of "Banged-Up Heart by Shirley Melis"

*****THANK YOU WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING*****

About today’s reviewer:

Pang is a professional healthcare worker, wife, friend, life coach, and all around amazing and generous woman who lives in near the lovely waters of Lake Michigan in Manitowoc County Wisconsin.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Penny Harrison Reviews The Latest Best-Selling Audible Book by Shirley Melis

*****THANK YOU WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING*****

About today’s reviewer:

Penny Harrison is a mother of a vivacious 17 year old daughter, a wife of 18 wonderful years,
and equal opportunity crafter with a very busy schedule. In addition to her “day job”, she is also an independent consultant for a craft company and has a small craft business. She lives in a small town in Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Michigan and enjoys her summers, “cooler near the lake”.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

S'Mores Cookies Recipe

S'Mores Cookies

(yields about 3 dozen 3 1/2 inch cookies)

Ingredients:
1 cup room temp. butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar (I like dark)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour (I like unbleached)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 T cocoa powder
1/2 C graham cracker crumbs
1-2 C tiny marshmallows (the ones you would use in hot cocoa)

Instructions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2) Start at the top of the list (with the butter) and add the ingredients together. Stir thoroughly after each ingredient is added.Careful not to over mix once you add the marshmallows - just make sure they're combined.

3) Using 2 table spoons, place your dough on the cookie sheet (I like an airbake cookie sheet - ungreased) and do not roll, form, or worry about any of that. Just 'plop' them on there. I can only fit 9 cookies on a sheet, but of course the size of your 'plop' is going to determine that.

4) Bake on the center rack (this may mean for optimal cookie goodness that you can only bake 1 sheet at a time) for 11 minutes. Set a timer ... 11 minutes means, 11 minutes!5) Remove from oven promptly and allow to 'rest' for 1 minute before using a spatula to move from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack for drying/cooling.

6) After fully cooled, place cookies in an air tight container. I keep my Folgers coffee containers, they are plastic with a tight fitting cover and they work fabulously. Resist the urge to keep your cookies in a cookie jar that is not air tight - they'll get dried out and lose some softness

7) Enjoy and Share!

Madeline Sharples Interviews Shirley Melis

About the Author:

Shirley Melis is a longtime business writer, travel writer, and newspaper columnist who traveled the world interviewing everyone from busboys to heads of international organizations before launching a career in public relations in Washington, D.C. With Banged-Up Heart, she now takes her writing in a new direction, delving deeply into her own personal story of finding love late, losing it early, and discovering the strength to choose to love again. It is a fascinating odyssey, a journey both creative and erotic as Shirley and John work lovingly together to blend their dreams—until a mysterious bump on his forehead starts them on a tragic struggle against the dark hand of fate.

A graduate of Vassar, Shirley Melis has created an intimate memoir bearing eloquent witness to the kind of wild trust that can grow in the heart of an ordinary woman thrust into circumstances that few others must face. Now retired, she lives in Galisteo, New Mexico.

Shirley can also be found online at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shirleymelis/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShirleyMelis

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15844964.Shirley_Melis

-----Interview with fellow memoir author Madeline Sharples

Madeline: What moment or event sparked the inspiration for your book Banged-Up Heart?
Shirley: I felt blindsided by John’s death. I had to figure out what had happened to me. So often, writing helps me see more clearly. At first I just wanted to relive our wonderful relationship. But after I got started I became wiser, I think – more curious, more demanding. I was curious about John and his behavior toward me. Had he intentionally kept the severity of his illness a secret from me? I was determined to face the questions I had never asked him. In the end, celebrating the relationship was not nearly so important as getting as close to the truth as I could.

Madeline: What would you say are three things that you found to be the
most difficult part of writing a book?
Shirley:
1)Getting to my inner story, guided by questions (asked by my editor) that took me deep inside, into intense emotional places
2) Facing truths about myself and having the courage to put them on paper
3) Learning the craft of fiction writing to make my memoir come alive

Madeline: How soon after your first husband died did you meet John?
Shirley: I’d been widowed nearly two years when I met John.

Madeline: Weren’t you wary when John told you he had a “manageable” kind of cancer?
Shirley: When John told me, on our walk together in Raleigh, NC, that at 40 he’d been diagnosed with a rare cancer, he also told me that he controlled it with periodic infusions of Rituxan – a drug similar to chemo but different – and assured me there was a backup treatment in the wings. His attitude was so positive I wasn’t concerned about his health. I was concerned about our differences. He was an honest-to-goodness rocket scientist whereas I had nearly been done in by algebra. My high school principal, who tutored m, laughingly called me Euclid Melis!

Madeline: What lesson do you think we can all learn about love?
Shirley: When it’s good, it’s something to be relished and nurtured.

Madeline: How do you live with/support a loved one who has brain cancer?
Shirley: You take each day as it comes, living in the present as fully as possible.

Madeline: How did you survive after the loss of a loved one?
Shirley: I was helped by joining a grief group and seeing a therapist.

Madeline: What would you say to your readers about how to grieve?
Shirley: When you suffer the loss of a loved one, allow yourself to grieve. Whether unexpected or anticipated, the loss is real. The absence of that person can be almost palpable, as though a part of your body has been cut away and you’re left bleeding. Your ability to think clearly may be distorted by the pain of loss. If you have a friend who offers to help you -- drive you to appointments, take you to dinner – accept. Friends who have never experienced the loss of someone beloved may not know what to say, but they want to ease your pain. Don’t be afraid to ask for their help, and take comfort in their gifts of food, flowers and cards.

If you’re working when your partner dies, take some time off to do what needs to be done, but go back to work if you can. The structure of a job will give you something other than your loss on which to focus. You may find yourself tearing up at unexpected moments, but that’s understandable.
If you can, join a grief group, and see a therapist. In a grief group you learn empathy; hearing other people’s stories is affecting, and you realize you’re not alone. With a therapist you can explore the roots of your anguish, something you might not be able to do alone, and perhaps shouldn’t try to do with good friends since the burden of grief can be overwhelming for others.

Madeline: How can people use creativity to work through loss?
Shirley: Expressing emotion through writing, painting, role playing, singing, playing an instrument -- any number of creative endeavors – can open your mind and heart to strengths and insights you may not realize you possess.

Madeline: What did you learn about yourself during both marriages and their aftermaths?
Shirley: I see myself now as stronger than I knew. I am not done in by loss. I’ve lost a lot but my heart is still open to other people. I don’t fear the possible consequences of my decision to share my life again. There’s something about renewal. When I committed myself to John, it was a new beginning, refreshing and heartwarming, and now that I’ve remarried there’s a newness that energizes me. I see myself if not as a butterfly, then as someone who still has wings to spread.

.....And one last question from Crystal here at Bring on Lemons.....
Crystal: What made you decide to turn Banged-Up Heart into an audio book as well as print? What have you learned in this process?

Shirley: Inspired by a close friend whose vision is failing -- she shared with me her regret that although she owned my book, her poor vision did not allow her to read it – and a total stranger who, after telling me she was blind, asked at a book reading, When can I hear your book? I started pondering the possibility of offering Banged-Up Heart as an audiobook.

Some months later, at a monthly meeting of the New Mexico Book Association, the program speaker, Laurie Bower, riveted my attention. Laurie, an audiobook narrator, talked about the process of producing an audiobook. I asked her for her business card and a couple of weeks later, called her. Before meeting Laurie, I’d thought I would read my own book. But I hadn’t realized how much there is to it. Reading excerpts at book signings/readings is a lot different from reading an entire book and I would have to be coached. Meanwhile, I had started writing a second memoir and wondered how I would make time to produce an audiobook.

In response to Laurie’s suggestion that she do a 15-minute sample reading for my reaction, I sent her several pages of text that included six characters. When she gave me the word, I plugged my ear buds into my laptop and listened to Laurie read. And then I asked my husband Frank to listen. “Marvelous,” he said. I agreed. The depth of her voice and her ability to articulate clearly impressed both of us. Within days, I signed a contract with Laurie. “I’ll read a few chapters at a time and download them through ACX (an Audible affiliate) for you to listen to and edit,” she said. “I should have this completed so we can meet your goal of having it out by Valentine’s Day.” I liked the idea of having the audiobook out by February 14th, the date my paperback had been published two years earlier. What I did not foresee was that I would be consumed with moving from our house in the village of Galisteo, New Mexico, into a new house closer to Santa Fe the month of January. By the time I completed my proof-listening, I was behind the eightball. I knew from Laurie that ACX would require time to put the audiobook through a process called “Quality assurance.” In fact, it didn’t take long, but I missed my February 14th target by one week. On February 21st, ACX sent me a congratulatory email: “Banged-Up Heart: Dancing with Love and Loss is now on sale at Audible, and it will be available on iTunes and Amazon with the next few days.”

I learned that hiring a good narrator does not mean the author is off the hook. Nor should she be. The best of narrators cannot be expected to know how to pronounce all of the placenames in your book. In my memoir, I did not use a lot of “he/she said.” Because of this, Laurie occasionally read dialogue in my voice when it was someone else who was speaking. Catching these falls on the shoulders of the author. Proof-listening by the author is an all-important component of producing a good audiobook.

----------Upcoming Blog Tour Dates

July 17 @ Jerry Waxler
Coach and Author Jerry Waxler shares his thoughts after reading Shirley Melis's memoir Banged Up Heart.
www.memorywritersnetwork.com/blog

July 18 @ Deb Blanchard
Teacher Deb Blanchard gives insight into "Banged Up Heart" the touching memoir by Shirley Melis (now available on Audible).
https://www.facebook.com/Reviews-by-Deb-1737715249887520/

July 19 @ Linda Appleman Shapiro
Don't miss today's interview between memoirist Linda Appleman Shapiro and Shirley Melis. Find out more about Melis and her memoir Banged Up Heart (now available on Audible).
http://applemanshapiro.com/

July 20 @ Bring on Lemons with Penny Harrison
Wisconsin business owner and avid reader Penny Harrison shares her thoughts and feelings about Shirley Melis's memoir Banged Up Heart (now available on Audible).
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/

July 22 @ Memoir Writers Journey with Kathleen Pooler
Kathleen Pooler shares her thoughts with readers of Memoir Writer's Journey - find out what Pooler has to say about reading Shirley Melis's memoir Banged Up Heart.
http://krpooler.com/

July 23 @ Bring on Lemons with Pang Papathopolus
Wisconsin professional caregiver and health care worker Pang gives her review of the Audible version of Banged-Up Heart by Shirley Melis.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/

July 24 @ The Constant Story with David W. Berner
Author and radio personality David W Berner reviews Shirley Melis's book Banged Up Heart and shares his thoughts with readers at The Constant Story.
http://davidwberner.blogspot.com/

July 25@ World of My Imagination
Nicole Pyles shares her review of Banged-Up Heart on Audible - hear what she has to say about this memoir in it's audio form!
https://theworldofmyimagination.blogspot.com/

July 26 @ Bring on Lemons with Michelle DelPonte
Michelle DelPonte shares her review of the Audible version of Shirley Melis's Banged Up Heart today at Bring on Lemons. Don't miss this exciting blog stop and book giveaway.
http://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/

*****THANK YOU WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING*****

About today's interviewer:
Madeline has worked most of her professional life as a technical writer, grant writer, and proposal process manager. She began writing poetry, essays, and creative non-fiction when her oldest son, Paul, was diagnosed as manic depressive. She continued writing as a way to heal since his death by suicide in 1999. Madeline’s memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, first released on Mother’s Day 2011 in hard cover, is about living with her son’s bipolar disorder and surviving his suicide. Her publisher, Dream of Things, launched a paperback edition in July 2012 and an eBook in August 2012.

Madeline also co-edited Volumes 1 and 2 of The Great American Poetry Show, a poetry anthology, and wrote the poems for two books of photography, The Emerging Goddess and Intimacy (Paul Blieden, photographer). Besides having many poems published in print and online magazines, writes regularly for Naturally Savvy, and occasionally for PsychAlive, Open to Hope, and Journeys Through Grief and The Huffington Post.

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Another 5 Star Review for Banged-Up Heart by Shirley Melis

*****THANK YOU WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING*****

About today's reviewer:

Cathy Hansen is a wife, mom, teacher, independent
beauty consultant, and small business owner. She and her husband operate SeedsNBeans, a local nature store, in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Angela Williams Reviews Banged-Up Heart by Shirley Melis

*****THANK YOU WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING*****

About today's reviewer:

Angie Williams is a simple girl living in a complicated world. She grew up on a family dairy farm in rural Wisconsin and loves her family and has a soft spot for all animals, but especially cows. She works at the beautiful Lighthouse Inn on the shores of Lake Michigan. When she's not cheering on the Dallas Cowboys you can find Angie hanging out with her husband, children, and extended family.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

5 Star Review of Banged-Up Heart on Audible

*****THANK YOU WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING*****

About today's reviewer:
Tara Forst lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their young son. Tara owns her own business: Worn Forever - dedicated to helping mamas with babywearing and attachment parenting.

Friday, July 5, 2019

Heal Your Self With JOURNALING POWER - 5 Star Review for Mari L. McCarthy's new book!

Mari L. McCarthy’s international bestselling book, Journaling Power, started a movement. Now, Heal Your Self with Journaling Power is igniting a revolution!

You’ll discover the life-changing magic of journaling through moving personal stories told by just some of the thousands of people who have tapped into the proven therapeutic power of expressive writing.

These are people just like you, and their challenges are the same ones you have.

Heal Your Self with Journaling Power reveals the inner strength and grace that comes with living your life in the present from the inside out. It will help you transform your life and…

● Manifest everything your desire

● Fill you with uplifting positive energy

● Put you on a path to better health and wellness

● Give you the inspiration and motivation to live your best life

● Show you how to use journaling to solve your most pressing problems

The only right way to journal is YOUR way. Just grab a pen and paper and do it!

Print Length: 143 Pages
Genre: Non-Fiction/Self-Help
Publisher: Mari L. McCarthy
ISBN-13: 9780463807361
ASIN: B07R47JT1T

Heal Your Self with Journaling Power is now available to purchase on Amazon.com, Kobo.com, Barnes and Noble and also on Mari's website CreateWriteNow.com (where you can get a signed copy).

5 Star Review by Crystal Otto
Heal Your Self with Journaling Power by Mari McCarthy, is the real deal. Mari is authentic and genuine in her writing, her journaling, her teaching, and her everyday living. Whether you are new to journaling, an accomplished writer, a tween, a retiree, or anyone in between - there's something to learn from this journey of journaling with Mari. I have learned so much from reading about others and how they've used journaling to improve their lives - and then I've tried some of Mari's ideas to help with my own journaling path.

Get out there and read this important book - and then WRITE ON!!

Praise for Heal Your Self with Journaling Power

Hear from Alison Laverty, chapter 7 contributor of Heal Your Self with Journaling Power (and make sure you follow Mari's Create Write Now YouTube page):

Mari McCarthy's latest, Heal Your Self with Journaling Power, represents the voice of a warm friend who not only talks the talk but also has lived first-hand the transforming power of writing. Packed with focused, fun prompts to jump-start the journaling process, this book is a motivation and an uplift! I especially enjoy the stress-bucket exercise. Not to be missed.
—Melanie Faith, educator and author of In a Flash and Poetry Power,
https://www.melaniedfaith.com/

In a world of ever-present scary news, stress, and technology that distracts us from genuine human encounters, Mari McCarthy invites us to do something both simple and radical: pause daily to encounter our own souls. And she not only tells us to just do it, she shows us how with her own life story, the stories of others, and her many ideas about how to maximize the transformative power of journaling time.
—Kevin Anderson, Ph.D., Author of Now is Where God Lives: A Year of Nested Meditations to Delight the Mind and Awaken the Soul and The Inconceivable Surprise of Living: Sustaining Wisdom for Spiritual Beings Trying to Be Human.

The most important lesson illustrated in Heal Your Self with Journaling Power is that anyone can enhance their health and wellbeing through the therapeutic power of expressive writing. This is the definitive book that shows you how. So just grab a pen and a pad of paper and do it!
—Mike Bundrant, Co-Founder, iNLPCenter.org

About the Author, Mari L. McCarthy

Mari L. McCarthy is the Self-Transformation Guide and Founder/Chief Inspiration Officer of CreateWriteNow.com. She is also author of the international-bestselling, award-winning book Journaling Power: How to Create the Happy, Healthy Life You Want to Live.

Mari began journaling to relieve the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) over 20 years ago. Through journaling, Mari was able to ditch her prescription drugs and mitigate most of her MS symptoms. Now she teaches people throughout the world how to heal, grow, and transform their lives through the holistic power of therapeutic journaling.

She lives in a gorgeous beachfront home in Boston, where she has the freedom, flexibility, and physical ability to indulge in all her passions, which include singing and recording her own albums.

Upcoming Blog Stops:

July 7th @ One Sister's Journey Keeping it Real
Visit Lisa's blog today where you can read Mari's blog post about disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with yourself.
https://www.lisambuske.com/
July 8th @ A Day in the Life of Mom
Want to inspire your kids to journal? Visit Ashley's blog today and read Mari McCarthy's guest post featuring imaginative journaling activities to do with kids.
https://adayinthelifeofmom.com/

July 9th @ Bev Baird's Blog
Visit Bev's blog again where you can read Mari McCarthy's guest post about mindful journaling for mindful eating. Don't miss!
https://beverleyabaird.wordpress.com/

July 9th @ Ramblings of a Misguided Blonde
Visit Lindsey's blog again where you can find out more about Mari McCarthy and her book Heal Your Self with Journaling Power.
https://russelllindsey.blog/

July 10th @ Lapidus
Join Francesca at Lapidus again where you can read Mari McCarthy's guest post about why journaling is part of self-care.
https://lapidus.org.uk/news

July 10th @ Look to the Western Sky
Make sure you visit Margo's blog again and read Mari McCarthy's guest post featuring more imaginative journaling activities you can do with your kids.
https://www.margoldill.com/

July 12th @ Author Anthony Avina Blog
Stop by author Anthony Avina's blog today where you can read his review about Mari McCarthy's inspirational book Heal Your Self with Journaling Power
http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

July 12th @ Bookworm Blog
Visit Anjanette's blog today where you can read her interview with author Mari McCarthy and also be sure to check out Mari McCarthy's guest post about journaling power for emotional health.
https://bookworm66.wordpress.com/

July 13th @ A Day in the Life of Mom< Make sure your day today includes visiting Ashley's blog where you can read her thoughts about Mari McCarthy's life-changing book Heal Your Self with Journaling Power.
https://adayinthelifeofmom.com/

July 14th @ Author Anthony Avina Blog
Do you procrastinate too much? Well, visit Anthony Avina's blog again today where you can read Mari McCarthy's guest post on how to use your favorite types of procrastination to your advantage.
http://www.authoranthonyavinablog.com

July 15th @ Strength 4 Spouses
Do you like to journal? Stop by Wendi's blog today where author Mari McCarthy talks about journaling power for mental health. Don't miss it!
https://strength4spouses.blog/

July 16th @ Reading Whale
Visit Caitlin's blog today and read her interview with Mari McCarthy as they talk about Mari's book Heal Your Self with Journaling Power.
https://readingwhale.com/

July 17th @ Michelle Cornish Blog
Stop by Michelle's blog where she reviews Mari McCarthy's book Heal Your Self with Journaling Power. You can also check out her interview with Mari and find out more about the author!
https://www.michellecornish.com/blog

July 18th @ Margay Leah Justice Blog
Visit Margay's blog today and read her review of Mari McCarthy's book Heal Your Self with Journaling Power.
http://margayleahjustice.blogspot.com/

July 19th @ Strength 4 Spouses
Do you love journaling? Well if so, you will want to visit Wendi's blog where she shares her thoughts about Mari McCarthy's powerful book Heal Your Self with Journaling Power.
https://strength4spouses.blog/

July 19th @ Bookworm Blog
Visit Anjanette's blog again where you can read her review of Mari McCarthy's book Heal Your Self with Journaling Power.
https://bookworm66.wordpress.com/
July 21st @ Jill Sheet's Blog
Visit Jill's blog today where you can read Mari McCarthy's blog post about overcoming writer's block. Don't miss this if you are struggling with staying inspired!
https://jillsheets.blogspot.com/

***** THANK YOU WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING! *****

Book/Product Review & Guest Post Policy

As a book/product reviewer I know that it is important to be honest, so I cannot promise a positive review. I understand how difficult writing/business can be - it is an outpouring of ones inner-self. I promise to find the good in each work and to never hurt someone intentionally. That being said, I must also hold the right to decline a request or not post a review in the case that I feel my review would only hurt someone, or if I feel the book/product just isn't a good fit for me. My reviews are always kept in a professional tone. My reviews are always honest and are also syndicated toAmazon, Goodreads, Twitter, Ezine Articles, and Facebook. Any books/products I accept may be featured on my business page (www.RelaxConsulting.com) to be decided at my own discretion. If a review is provided in exchange for free books or products, a note will be made to that extent - sometimes I simply review things I have purchased, just because I want too...and I'll tell you that too!

I ACCEPT...

I will accept ARCs, finished copies, PDF's, ebooks, and physical books from any publisher or author in the Romance, Women's Fiction, Historical Fiction, Memoir, or YA genres. I typically enjoy novels that are big on family, happy endings, Christian morals, child/parent themes, contemporary or new world settings (utopian/dystopian), and am especially drawn to those that include romance. What can I say? I LOVE love!

I will also accept Adult romance in a variety of genres but am not too keen on erotic romance. (Think Fifty Shades by E.L. James)

I love my Kindle, so any digital files will have to be in an appropriate format. (PDF/.MOBI) Please do not attach the file to your e-mail unless accepted. (Physical copies will take precedence over digital files...and signed physical copies are my favorite...because I'm a dork like that...)

PLEASE DON'T SEND...

heavy erotica or anything too terribly dark and disturbing (a thriller is one thing, but if I get nightmares I'll stop reading)

I also cannot accept books with political/legal undertones or themes. (Court cases/Courtrooms, politicians, …etc.) I read for fun, so don't take the fun out of it please and thanks!

if you are...

If you are an author, publicist, publisher, or other publishing affiliate interested in having me review a book, participate in a blog tour, host a relevant guest post/interview/giveaway, please e-mail me at: crystaljotto@gmail.com

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Friday, July 26, 2019

Michelle loves the Audible version of “Banged-Up Heart” by Shirley Melis

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Pang Shares Her Thoughts About the Audible Version of "Banged-Up Heart by Shirley Melis"

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Penny Harrison Reviews The Latest Best-Selling Audible Book by Shirley Melis

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

S'Mores Cookies Recipe

Madeline Sharples Interviews Shirley Melis

Sunday, July 14, 2019

Another 5 Star Review for Banged-Up Heart by Shirley Melis

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Angela Williams Reviews Banged-Up Heart by Shirley Melis

Thursday, July 11, 2019

5 Star Review of Banged-Up Heart on Audible

Friday, July 5, 2019

Heal Your Self With JOURNALING POWER - 5 Star Review for Mari L. McCarthy's new book!

Future 15 Award Article