Sunday 17 March 2013

Book Bash - Dadspirations - The 1st 100 days of Fatherhood by Pete Densmore



Pete-Densmore-Promo-Ad


DADspirations_PeteDensmore_HeadshotAbout The Author:
Father of two, Pete Densmore doesn’t consider himself an expert in parenthood by any means. He makes the same number of mistakes as every other parent and doesn’t have any fancy combination of letters after his name. Densmore believes that anyone can be an inspired dad as long as he wants to put the time, effort and heart into becoming one.



DADspirations 3D


About The Book:
Genre: Parenting | Inspirational | Fatherhood
Publisher: DADspirations
Released: August 1, 2012
Paperback: 176 pages Language: English ISBN-10: 061566363X ISBN-13: 978-0615663630 Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.4 x 8 inches Amazon Price (Paperback): $13.95 Amazon Price (Kindle ): $7.99


Book Description:

DADspirations: The 1st 100 Days of Fatherhood is a fast-reading, humorous book which includes an actionable checklist of essential ideas to help inspire dads to become the best father they can be. In short, this book offers a strategy for the expecting/new father focusing on 35 weekly ideas that Dad can do for himself, his wife and his newborn. A few of these ideas, which Densmore refers to as DADspirations, include:
  • Develop a baby birth time capsule, which captures all of the precious moments from a day you're likely to forget.
  • Send your loving wife to the spa, which secures for you an afternoon of introducing Bob Ross and Kung Fu to your baby.
  • Build a toy box, which gives you the perfect excuse to spend an entire day alone in the garage with power tools and beer.
  • Make up a holiday, which affords time for infant and grandma to bond, and gives you and your wife time for nookie.





Testimonials
 
GoodReads Reviews (3 out of 3 reviews)
  1. Josee Phillip, December 10, 2012: Thank you for Goodreads and to the author for providing me a free copy of this wonderful book. I read this book along with one of my good male friends who is expecting a baby girl. This book is fun and realistic and makes a future dad "as ready as can be" to take upon this terrific challenge. I ended up giving him the copy of he book; he can always learn something new.
  2. Jennifer Dilks, December 13, 2012: Hilarious! This book should be required reading for all new dads. And those who aren't "new"...there's always room for improvement, right? A comical outlook on the first 100 days of fatherhood, with enough sentimental touch that moms will enjoy reading also. A light-hearted, quick read that would be a perfect gift for the father-to-be. I'm so thankful to have received this book as a Goodreads first-reads giveaway...but I'm passing it along to a friend (a new dad!).
  3. Lacey Gordon, December 16, 2012: I won this book through the GOODREADS GIVEAWAYS and it was a win that I am glad I won. I did read this book but I mostly won it for my husband. I want to give it to him when we start our family. I know he'll enjoy it as much as me. Great book!
  4. Sandra Slack, January 28, 2013: This book surpassed all my expectations.I wanted it to give to my grandson who is currently "expecting".This is an ideal "Daddy" gift, to be given during the pregnancy so he can learn his role in the launching of Missy or Junior.Best, would be the expectant parents reading this aloud to each other in the weeks before the actual arrival of the adored bundle of noise, needs and nocturnal disregard, so soon to dominate the household.It is obvious the "Daddy" who wrote this book loves his children and managed to keep his sense of humor through it all.
  Amazon Reviews (3 out of 10 reviews)  
  1. Best Book for Dads!!! November 5, 2012: An excellent an awesome book!!! Written by a DAD. Great advice, easy to read, funny and smart, I totally recommend this book to first time Dads. It would help you and entertain you a lot while the first months of your baby. 5 STARS!!
  2. Makes the perfect gift for your buddy who's about to be a dad! October 15, 2012: This book couldn't be more perfect for that buddy of yours who's about to be a dad. Filled with awesome ideas and great tips to make those first couple of months easier on you and mom.
  3. First hand Creativity and Confidence October 14, 2012: Lets be honest, as exciting and miraculous the birth of a child can be for a father, it is an experience that can challenge ones confidence. That is where the book Dadspirations steps in. This first hand account of fatherhood will help calm your nerves, keep you laughing, spark your creativity and give you the confidence you are looking for. It gives you ideas on how to keep daddy, mommy, and baby supported and happy. What a great gift for all the soon-to-be dads in your life or a new perspective for those who already have children.
Excerpts:   


Daddy Letter For My Daughter
On the day Marie was born, I was a mess. We had a false labor the previous day, I had to give a client presenta-tion at work that morning, and our babysitter for Henry bailed on us, causing a last minute scramble. When Marie is old enough, I will share with her the excite-ment, the anxiety and the fear that was bottled up inside me the day she was born. Every dad is a complete wreck that day, whether he admits or not. After all, you are in a dimly lit, cold hospital room, surrounded by strang-ers, while your wife is in pain for hours on end, you feel helpless to make her feel better, and all while the best experience in the world is going to happen at any moment.
Looking back on that day, I want my daughter to know that her dad was swearing like a sailor as he fought un-precedented traffic at 9:00 p.m. on the way to the hospital; that her dad nearly missed her birth because he was in the parking lot transferring her brother’s car seat to grandpa’s car; and that her dad stole a piece of pizza from the hospital floor’s community refrigerator. (Give me a break; I hadn’t eaten in twelve hours.) And, above 14 PETE DENSMORE all, there are three things I want her to know that I was thinking when I first held her in my arms: boy that pizza was good; how do I make sure she ends up with a good guy like Daddy; and how do I make sure she knows that being smart is cool. These are the types of thoughts, feelings and ideas I will share with my little girl so that she can understand her OCD father a little bit better.


Giveaway:
Beautiful Baby Tower Gift Set - An adorable tower with a large variety of gifts for the new baby. Open to US/Canada. International choice of Paypal Cash or Amazon Gift Card for same value. ($39.95 Value)
16833a_Baby-Tower-4-box-orange-green-yellow-purple-with

Follow The Tour Here

 
 Pete-Long

Friday 8 March 2013

VBT - Doggone Dead by Teresa Trent - Free on Kindle 8th & 9th March

Doggone Dead
by Teresa Trent

Teresa Trent wasn't born in Texas but after a few glasses of sweet tea and some exceptional barbecue she decided to stay. With a father in the Army, she found herself moved all over the world, settling down for a while in her teens in the state of Colorado. Her writing was influenced by all of the interesting people she found in small towns and the sense of family that seemed to be woven through them all. Teresa is a former high school teacher and received her degree from The University of Northern Colorado. Teresa is presently working on the third book in her Pecan Bayou Series. Her second book, Overdue For Murder, came out in June of 2012.



Book Genre-Cozy Mystery
Publisher – Tightwad Tess Press
Release Date February 2013

Book Description:


Give me land lots of land....and a puppy on the loose. When Betsy Livingston's puppy runs away, she has no idea it will lead her to a murder on a movie cowboy star's estate. Not only has there been a murder, but the town reports sightings of the dead cowboy himself. He's out to seek revenge on all who wronged his daughter who became the victim of her own money-loving butler. Enjoy a little time on the Fourth of July in the tiny town of Pecan Bayou Texas where old cowboys never die...
 

Doggone Dead Excerpt
 
His little butt wiggled as his wagging tail seemed to propel him down the street. Butch looked all around, happy to be exploring. He came upon the biggest house in the neighborhood, the old Loper home, and shimmied under two giant wrought-iron gates that joined the large segments of gray brick walls surrounding the house.
“He went in the cowboy house!” shouted Zach.
“Butch!” I yelled out, now grasping the black curlicues of the gate.
“Butch! You get back over here. Bad dog. Bad dog!”
Butch, not feeling the guilt, went right on taking time to pee on the historic fountain, a bronze depiction of Charlie Loper on a bucking bronco with his six gun shooting into the air. Once he’d finished tagging the statue, he happily scampered around the back of the house.
I shook the gate, the sound of metal rattling in our ears. There was a black box with a speaker and a button ner the bottom. I pushed the button.
“Hello?”
No answer.
I tried the latch on the gate. It was locked. God forbid someone from the other side of the park should get in to experience opulent cowboy luxury.
I hit the buzzer again. “Hello, is anyone in there? I’m sorry, but our dog just crawled under your fence.”
Again, no answer.
Zach now slid in front of me and pushed the speaker button. “Helllllllooooo …” He elongated his greeting as if yelling into an empty canyon. Feeling his approach might work, he repeated it.
The black box rustled. “May I help you?” a clipped British accent came over the airway. Not exactly the voice you would expect to hear while staring at a statue of a man on a bucking horse. Whoever this guy in the box was, he didn’t sound pleased we were pushing his button.
“Yes,” I answered. “Our puppy crawled under your front gate, and I’m afraid he’s running around on your grounds.”
Silence. I waited for around ten seconds until Zach pulled at my sleeve, urging me to push the button again.
“Are you there?” I asked. “Sir?”
More silence.
“Sir? Did you hear what I said? Our puppy has …”
“I heard you,” he cut me off.
“Have you seen him?”
“No. I have not. Please leave.”
I pushed the button, ignoring the black box’s command. “Are there any other ways out besides this gate?”
“I have not seen your puppy,” the increasingly perturbed voice said. “You are at the only entrance and exit of the estate. You must have been ... mistaken. Good day.”
We had been dismissed. Zach breathed in deep and exhaled with a cry. “Where’s Butch, Mom?”
“I don’t know, baby. Let’s walk down the block and call for him. Maybe he got out the other side somehow.”
“But the guy said …”
“I know what the guy said.” Upon looking at the grounds inside the fence a second time, I noticed overgrown foliage around the house. There was also a line of rust around the fountain. From the street all you could see was the fountain and paved area around it, but once you looked inside the gate, the façade of Hollywood elegance fell flat. The grass was too high, the shrubs looked like monsters from a second-rate horror movie, and there were no flowers. They might have an uptown butler, but the place was looking ragged.
 

Click here to see my previous VBT & Book review on Teresa Trent's "Overdue for Murder".
 
BLOG POST BY THE AUTHOR
Five Reasons Why You Need to Read and One Reason Why it Should be a Mystery
by Teresa Trent
Reading Helps Your Brain
In this world of distractions, short attention spans and attention deficit disorder, reading a novel is simple medicine.  
Reading Educates and Enlightens   
The speed of information is now greater than ever before.  Something happens in another part of the world, and if the news has not been censored in that country, we generally know it by suppertime.  With increased awareness of others, comes increased tolerance and diversity.  Knowledge is power and fear of the unknown lessens. 
Reading Provides Stress Relief
You may be about to boil over about a situation at work or home.  Take a break and put your brain into someone else's troubles for a while.  Reading about a fictional character's boiling point can help you when you're ready to get back to your own problems. It also can help you if you need to take a break from those delightful 24 hour news channels.  
A Good Book is Better Entertainment Than Any Movie or Television Show.
   Ever read a book and then go to see the movie?  It almost never compares to the joy you found in the written word.  That's because your imagination has better sets, better actors and more information.
Reading is Frugal 
With free ebooks on Amazon and other outlets, friends who lend books and the public library, you can line up enough books to keep you busy for years.  Go ahead and cancel that expensive vacation. You have a good book to read.
Why Read a Mystery?
 Mysteries are puzzles to solve.  They challenge your attention to detail and deductive reasoning.  Cozy mysteries do all this and place the puzzle in a quaint setting with some quirky characters.  There might be romance or a thriller aspect to a cozy mystery and because the setting seems so familiar it makes all of these elements come alive. 
 I hope you get a chance to download my free book Doggone Dead this weekend on Amazon.  If you love to solve a mystery here's a clue for you in this book. * Look for things that sparkle. *
 
 
 
 
 


Friday 1 March 2013

Book Review & Giveaway - Divorce for Beginners by Sophie King


Title - Divorce for Beginners

Author - Sophie King

Publisher - Corazon Books

Length - 399 pages.

Buy it now from // Amazon UK // Amazon US

Blurb from Amazon
The new novel from the #1 bestselling author of The School Run.

Divorce for Beginners: a witty romance. What happens when love turns into lies?

Sophie King brings us another heart-warming story of likeable characters you'll recognise from everyday life. Lizzie, Alison, Karen and Ed are all coming to terms with life, and love, after marriage. Whatever your own love life is like, you'll find yourself rooting for them to find happiness as you laugh and cry along with all four.


My Review

I love this authors style of writing, and although I am not usually a chic lit type of girl, I have really taken to this author and her other books.

This book was the tale of several women and a couple of men, who's lives had been turned upside down by their partners leaving or them leaving their partners. Each character had their own story to tell and they were all very different. 


Karen and her Husband had separated and she had an idea to set up a club for people to get together and chat about Divorce and separation, and help each other work through it. A club where people had someone to talk to. She soon got people to join. I loved the characters in the book and their quirky ways. It was lovely to see how they all developed throughout the book and how they managed to turn their lives around. The author manages to write the characters in such a way that you really warm to them. 


At the beginning of the book there is a section called "Who's who in Divorce for Beginners". To start with I had to keep referring to this as I was getting confused as to who was who. There are a lot of characters in this book; from the persons attending the group to their friends and family members and I sometimes found myself getting confused as to who belonged to who, especially if I had put the book down for a couple of days due to having no time to read.  I don't know if this is a problem with me and my memory as this has happened to me with a couple of books now. If I don't keep reading a book with lots of characters in it, I soon lose the thread of who is who. This is the only reason I dropped it a star. I had a picture of them all in my head, it's just they got jumbled as to who lived with who and who was married to who.


There is certainly enough to keep you interested in the book, and out of pure feminine nosiness, where you feel like you are intruding into their lives, you just have to keep reading to find out what happens to everyone. It's not all plain sailing but that again helped to keep your interest.


I will certainly continue to read more by this author, and look forward to her next book.




About the Author


Sophie King (also writing as Janey Fraser) is a journalist and novelist. She has had seven novels published, including The School Run (2005), which was a best-seller, and The Wedding Party (2010), which was short listed for the RNA Love Story of The Year. Her first short story collection, Tales from the Heart, is now available and her latest novel, Divorce For Beginners, is published in August 2012.

To read more about the author, click here

Visit the author at Goodreads // Website // Twitter // 

Please see my other blog post which is an interview with the author of Divorce for Beginners.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

INTERVIEW - Author of Divorce for Beginners - Sophie King

Welcome to my interview with Sophie King, Author of my recent review book "Divorce for Beginners"

Welcome Sophie! Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions.
1. What Inspired you to write Divorce for Beginners?
My own divorce. It showed me how important it was to have support to get you through those dark times. It also showed me that divorce can help you blossom in ways you didn't imagine. You meet new friends and encounter different circumstances which can strengthen you.
2.What is the earliest age you remember reading your first book? 
About two. I still have it. It's Alice In Wonderland and I'm ashamed to say I wrote my name over the first page!
3. What genre of books do you enjoy reading?
Intelligent contemporaries with a twist. However, I often dip into Victorian and Edwardian literature too. I’m also reading Our Island’s Story which is a book I adored as a child. My husband got me a copy because my old one went missing. It’s a great resume of British history.
4.  I know I  have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?
There are too many to pick just one. However, I love Maggie O’Farrell and Salley Vickers. I enjoy them because each writer keeps you on your toes! The characters can be a bit wacky which is great. I also love Jane Austen because of her wry sense of humour and George Eliot because she makes me cry. My best New Year’s Eve was during my twenties when my first husband was ill with flu and we couldn't go out. I sat up in bed with The Mill on the Floss and finished it at the stroke of 12 in tears. Wonderful – although I did feel sorry for my then husband.
5.  If you knew in advance you were going to be stuck on a desert island, what 4 books would you take with you?
The Bible (my faith is important to me). The complete works of Somerset Maugham. Palgrave’s Golden Treasury. The complete works of George Eliot.
6.  Do you have any pets to keep you company whilst you’re writing?
Yes. My dog. He’s sleeping on the sofa behind me right now. In fact, he has an uncanny knack of knowing when I’m about to reach the end of a chapter. Then he knows it’s time for a walk on the beach!
7.What is your "to die for", favorite food/foods to eat?
 My taste buds seem to be changing at the moment (and no – I’m not pregnant!). I love fresh fruit and yoghurt in the morning; home- made soup at lunchtime; and Marmite toast in the evening or salmon on crispbread.

For a copy of the book, please click here
For my review of the book, please click here

About the Author
Sophie King (also writing as Janey Fraser) is a journalist and novelist. She has had seven novels published, including The School Run (2005), which was a best-seller, and The Wedding Party (2010), which was short listed for the RNA Love Story of The Year. Her first short story collection, Tales from the Heart, is now available and her latest novel, Divorce For Beginners, is published in August 2012.

To read more about the author, click here

Visit the author at Goodreads // Website // Twitter // 




*** Apologies if text not aligned properly! Having problems with Blogger! ***