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Friday, March 15, 2024

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING READER REVIEW TOUR OF "What Was Never There" BY Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo’s

 

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING

READER REVIEW TOUR

 

OF

 

What Was Never There

 

Tour Begins May 3, 2024

 

 





 Book Summary


A mother and daughter lost in the woods must overcome their worst fears to find their way back. A father going through a divorce witnesses a seemingly impossible motorcycle accident, which forces him to question the truth of his own perceptions. A little boy with a terrible secret routinely steals away at night to meet a girl beneath a willow tree—only to discover she has a secret of her own.

What Was Never There is a collection of short stories with the common theme of memory, or rather, the way memory haunts us.

Includes Pushcart Prize nominated stories “We Never Get to Talk Anymore” and “The Dinosaur Graveyard" and the award-winning "Windows," selected for Best Microfiction 2023.

 

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CQSTX8WT
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Independently published (December 21, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 276 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8866571697


What Was Never There is now available to purchase in print and as an e-book at Amazon.com. Add it to your GoodReads reading listing as well.

 

About the Author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the author of The Fourth WallThe House on Linden Way, and What Was Never There. Her stories and essays have been widely published and nominated for the Pushcart PrizeBest American Essays, and Best of the Net, and her short story, “Windows,” was selected for Best Microfiction 2023. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.

 

Buy links:

 

Amazon Kindle:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CJWVFTDD/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0CJWVFTDD&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

 

Amazon Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/What-Was-Never-There-Stories/dp/B0CQSTX8WT/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

 

Website: https://www.elizabethmarianaranjo.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/emarianaranjo

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199240146-what-was-never-there

Hashtag:  #naranjowhatwasneverthere

Physical copies available in the U.S.  or PDF available for all!

I'd love to have you for this Blog Tour!
Questions? Send me an email: crystaljotto@gmail.com or call/text: 920-645-7529

 

 

If you’ve never participated in this type of tour before – here’s how it works:

·        Read the book

·        Leave a review on at least ONE promotional site (such as Amazon – preferred) and/or Goodreads (required)

·        Be entered to win a $25 gift card

 

Reviews need to be posted by June 3, 2024 and the launch day is May 3, 2024.

 

Thanks for joining us!

 

 

 

-- Launch Date

May 3 @ The Muffin

What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Join us at the WOW blog to celebrate the launch of author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo's  “What Was Never There”.   You can read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.

https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/


If you’re ready to participate – here’s a link to the google form I need you to fill out:

 

https://forms.gle/NooFgfy6FSNvrNxw6

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Hugs,

~Crystal

 

**OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE SENT TO ALL PARTICIPANTS!

 

 


Thursday, March 14, 2024

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING READER REVIEW TOUR OF "WE BURNED OUR BOATS" BY KAREN JONES GOWEN

 

Karen Jones Gowen’s

 

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING

READER REVIEW TOUR

 

OF

 

We Burned Our Boats

 

Tour Begins May 6, 2024




 

 

 Book Summary

Bruce and Karen Gowen are facing a retirement that neither one wants. Bruce can't imagine life without employment. Karen wants change, adventure, a chance to spread her wings and fly away after thirty years of raising their large family.

Their opportunity comes in a way they can both support: helping their daughter and son-in-law with a hotel project in Panajachel, Guatemala.

Never ones to do anything half way, the Gowens sell everything, including one of their businesses. What they can't sell, they give away. With their worldly possessions down to two checked bags and two carry-ons each, they fly one way to Guatemala City. Then on to Panajachel, a tourist town on scenic Lake Atitlan, in the southern highlands of Guatemala.

Here they begin their new life, a time filled with incredible experiences, tough challenges, and unexpected adventure in one of the most beautiful settings on earth. A place where the Maya culture permeates the land. A land and people that will transform anyone fortunate enough to encounter the magic of these hills in Guatemala.

 

·         Publisher ‏ : ‎ WiDo Publishing (January 18, 2024)

·         Language ‏ : ‎ English

·         Paperback ‏ : ‎ 306 pages

·         ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1947966685

·         ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1947966680



We Burned Our Boats  is now available to purchase in print and as an e-book at 
Amazon.com.  Add it to your GoodReads reading listing as well.

 

About the Author Karen Jones Gowen




 

Born and raised in central Illinois, Karen Jones Gowen attended Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She transferred to Brigham Young University, where she met her husband Bruce, and there graduated with a degree in English and American Literature.

Karen and Bruce have lived in Utah, Illinois, California and Washington, currently residing in Panajachel, Guatemala. They are the parents of ten children. Not surprisingly, family relationships are a recurring theme in Gowen's writing.

 

 

Hashtag:  #gowenburnedboats

Karen Jones Gowen can be found online:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Karen-Jones-Gowen/author/B007FQDG8A?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

 

https://karenjonesgowen.com/

 

 
Physical copies available in the U.S.  or PDF available for all!

I'd love to have you for this Blog Tour!
Questions? Send me an email: 
crystaljotto@gmail.com or call/text: 920-645-7529

 

 

If you’ve never participated in this type of tour before – here’s how it works:

·        Read the book

·        Leave a review on at least ONE promotional site (such as Amazon – preferred) and/or Goodreads (required)

·        Be entered to win a $25 gift card

 

Reviews need to be posted by June 6, 2024 and the launch day is May 6, 2024.

 

Thanks for joining us!

 

 

 

-- Launch Date

May 6 @ The Muffin

What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Join us at the WOW blog to celebrate the launch of author Karen Jones Gowen’s “We Burned Our Boats”.   You can read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.

https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

 

 

 

If you’re ready to participate – here’s a link to the google form I need you to fill out:
https://forms.gle/u3eZ5UBhWoj2eJWJ6

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Hugs,

~Crystal

 

**OFFICIAL INSTRUCTIONS WILL BE SENT TO ALL PARTICIPANTS!

 

 

Invitation to the WOW! Women on Writing Book Blog Tour for "Murder by Milkshake" by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

 

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo’s

 

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR

 

OF

 

Murder by Milkshake

 

Tour Begins September 9, 2024


Book Summary

 

Life is sweet for high school senior and ice cream slinger Genevieve Winterland. Her father owns Sweet Dreams Ice Cream Parlour, the cutest confectionery shop in their little town of Pinewood, Arizona. Genevieve loves her job, but when her father hires a broody newcomer with a dark past to provide extra security on her closing shifts, Genevieve bristles. Is this part of her father’s plan to send her away to college, when all she wants is to stay in Pinewood and run the family business?

 

Meanwhile, everyone’s favorite new teacher at Pinewood High, Miss Love, is receiving death threats, and then she goes missing. Genevieve suspects the crabby substitute, Ms. Pierce, who seems murderous about being passed over for the position. Or is the culprit Mr. Garcia, the longtime instructor who Miss Love replaced after he was fired for assaulting a student? Just when Genevieve thinks she knows the answer, she stumbles across the dead body of another missing faculty member.

 

Can Genevieve find the killer terrorizing the teachers in her beloved hometown—before someone else gets iced?

 

Print Length: 195 “ish” Pages (ARC’s are available, but the final is not quite complete)
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, YA Mystery
Publisher:  

ISBN:  

Murder by Milkshake  will soon be available to purchase in print and as an e-book at 
Amazon.com.  Add it to your GoodReads reading listing as well.

 

 

 

About the Author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

 

Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the author of The Fourth WallThe House on Linden Way, and What Was Never There. Her stories and essays have been widely published and nominated for the Pushcart PrizeBest American Essays, and Best of the Net, and her short story, “Windows,” was selected for Best Microfiction 2023. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.

 

 

Hashtag:  #murderbymilkshakenaranjo

Elizabeth and Murder by Milkshake can be found online:

https://www.elizabethmarianaranjo.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8124819.Elizabeth_Maria_Naranjo

https://twitter.com/emarianaranjo


 

The Blog Tour will begin on September 9, 2024  and last into mid October! You can participate by reviewing the book,  spotlighting the book, choosing a guest post written by the author, or interviewing the author.

 
Physical copies available in the U.S.  or PDF available for all!

I'd love to have you for this Blog Tour!
Questions? Send me an email: 
crystaljotto@gmail.com or call/text: 920-645-7529

 

 

If you’ve never participated in a tour before – here are a few options:

·        If you don’t have your own blog, you can read the book and we will find a blog where you can post your review (you’ll also be asked to post the review to Amazon and Goodreads if you are able)

·        If you have your own blog or website, you can read the book and post your review on your blog (or website) and you’ll also be asked to post the review to Amazon and Goodreads if you are able

·        If you have a blog or website and you don’t have time to read the book, you can participate in the tour by hosting a guest post by the author. There are several guest post topics you can choose from if you open the google form found as a link at the end of this document/email

·        If you have a blog or website and you don’t have time to read the book, you can participate in the tour by hosting an interview with the author

 

**some of our hosts choose to do an interview AND a review – don’t limit yourself!

 

 

 

-- Blog Tour Dates

September 9 @ The Muffin

What goes better in the morning than a muffin? Join us at the WOW blog to celebrate the launch of author Elizabeth Maria Naranjo’s cozy mystery “Murder by Milkshake”.   You can read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.

https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/

 

 

 

 

If you’re ready to participate – here’s a link to the google form I need you to fill out:
https://forms.gle/aF292ieAb3TR62tc7



 

Thanks in advance!

 

Hugs,

~Crystal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, February 26, 2024

5 Stars for Alexandria Pall's "B.O.A.T" - Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto


About the Book:
Seventeen-year-old April has spent her childhood in therapy, learning to dismiss her imaginary friends as just that: imaginary. Now, as a college freshman, she hopes to leave behind the whispers and cruel rumors that have plagued her for years. 

When April begins to embrace her newfound independence, her world is turned upside down when she crosses paths with Tommy and Bobby, two figures her therapist insisted were figments of her imagination.

Nineteen-year-old Tommy has spent his life waiting for a mission that has haunted him. April’s reappearance shatters his reality, prompting him, April and Bobby to uncover a hidden truth that will change everything. 

The trio must unite to fulfill their destiny. But an ominous force is closing in on them, one that will stop at nothing to prevent them from completing their mission. The stakes grow darker, threatening not only their lives but the wellbeing of future generations. 

With time running out and the world’s fate hanging in the balance, fitting in will be the least of April’s concerns. She will need to confront the demons of her past and present, fighting for what she cherishes most.

Alexandria's Website:  https://www.alexandriapall.com/

 Review:

This is such a fantastic read - engaging is probably the best word to describe the experience. I enjoyed the characters and storyline as well as Pall's writing style. I would be interested in other books by this author and felt "B.O.A.T" was a relaxing reading experience!

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Staycation - the Post You're All Waiting For! Manitowoc County Wisconsin in the Spotlight!

 We recently had the opportunity to staycay in our very own town; this is an experience I highly recommend! We had a fabulous time exploring. Whether you live in or near Manitowoc County, Wisconsin or have never been here, this post has something for you!


Here's our list of things you won't want to miss:


Where to Stay/Eat/Play: The Lighthouse Inn 1515 Memorial Drive Two Rivers, WI 54241

Star Rating: 4.75

Additional Notes: The rooms were clean and spacious. We had a gorgeous view of Lake Michigan and this is a very affordable place to stay. This is an older hotel but very well maintained - the swimming pool and hot tub were a hit with the entire family! There was a wedding one of the nights we stayed at the facility was beautifully decorated - this is definitely somewhere I would recommend for a wedding or anniversary gathering! We ate at the bar/restaurant several times. Each meal was delicious and the service was outstanding! Laura, Bryce, Scott, and Jim are some of our favorite people from the Lighthouse Inn staff. We even had an opportunity to hear Happy Birthday played on the violin for some dining guests celebrating their special day! The children loved breakfast the most and it's served all day! The Mule at the bar was a favorite for me - and the cedar planked salmon was divine! My youngest son as well as my husband also give 5 stars to the bbq ribs! 









Where to Eat: The Waverly 1402 16th Street Two Rivers, WI 54241

Star Rating: 4.75

Additional Notes: The Waverly offers a wide variety of foods - everything from pizza and apps for the kids, drinks for the adults, salads and fish plates for the adults, and there's a recent addition of dessert! If you don't like the dessert offering, there's some delicious drinks that might interest you. I know I really enjoy a little something sweet after a nice meal. The salad with salmon is delicious but I also recommend the bbq chicken pizza! We've never had a bad meal at the Waverly. It can be loud depending how full the facility is - but it's a great place for the entire family! 





Where to get your Nails done: CT Nail Salon 1607 Washington Street Two Rivers, WI 54241

Star Rating: 4.25

Additional Notes: CT Nail Salon does a nice job but sometimes there can be quite a wait (even with an appointment). The technicians are sweet and they offer a lot of options. The chairs are incredibly comfortable although the salon can often feel a bit overcrowded. They do NOT have special chairs for children, but they are very accommodating for the younger guests.





Where to get a Massage or Unique Gift: Rebel Massage and Energy 1613 Washington Street Two Rivers Wisconsin

Star Rating: 5.00

Additional Notes: I absolutely love love love going to see Jessica for a hot stone massage. She's got a great mix of personality and tranquility and I always leave feeling renewed and rejuvenated. Her prices are reasonable and the retail side of things is always a special treat! 







Where to purchase Books: Paper Crane Bookstore 1610 Washington Street Two Rivers Wisconsin OR La De Da Books 1624 New York Avenue Manitowoc Wisconsin

Paper Crane Star Rating: 4.75

La De Da Star Rating: 5.00

Additional Notes: We absolutely love the atmosphere of both book stores. Both are family friendly with great customer service. La De Da offers a piano and a few more options with a bit more space, so we recommend checking out both as they are each unique and very special! 






Where to grab a Coffee: Retro Eighth Coffee & Acai 801 North 8th Street Manitowoc Wisconsin OR The High Lift 1207 Madison Street Two Rivers Wisconsin

Retro Eighth Star Rating: 5.0

The High Lift Star Rating: 5.0

Additional Notes: Each coffee shop is different and both provide great options and exceptional customer service. There are more food options at Retro but Hight Lift offers the convenience of a drive through. They're also in different towns - and as you know you can never have too much coffee - so check both of them out while you're in town (and if you need a friend to join you just let me know!)





Where to Shop: Schroeder's Department Store 1623 Washington Street Two Rivers Wisconsin

Star Rating: 4.5

Additional Notes: Whether you're looking for a thong to hide the panty lines under your sleekest slacks, or a bath robe for gramma - Schroeder's has you covered! Hats to sandals and everything in between! You can also find a nice selection of gifts, decor, men's dress clothes, hiking apparel, coffee drinks, and so much more! 




Where to find Fine Dining: The Waterfront Wine Bar  2 North 8th Street Manitowoc Wisconsin

Star Rating: 5.0

Additional Notes: We absolutely love the food options at the Waterfront Wine Bar and the atmosphere is exquisite! We've never had a bad experience and highly recommend the prime rib. Some of our favorite friends are Bree, Stacy, Rachel, Megean, and James but the most amazing staff can be found right by this gem on the water! 




Other Unique Opportunities: Ice Skating in the Middle of Town, Visit the Beach - she's a beauty year round! Stop at Woodland Dunes Nature Center!

Additional Notes: Two Rivers and Manitowoc have so very much to offer - there's biking and hiking, skating, reading, and playing. Did you know Manitowoc has a Symphony? The options are endless regardless of what you enjoy!