Thursday, April 19, 2012

White Elephants by Chynna Laird

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I'm hopping on the blog tour train again, this time with a different type of book than I'm used to promoting. This one, written by my fellow author at Astraea Press, Chynna Laird, is a memoir of a child raised by a mother with bi-polar disorder. 

Here's the blurb found on Amazon:
Elephant in the middle of the living room. That is one way of explaining how a family walks around the invisible presence of huge problems. Hindsight is what brings the elephant into focus. Somehow, Chynna T. Laird began to see at age five the bulky creature crowding her family. And from that time as the child, Tammy, she took on a sense of responsibility to her mother far beyond expectation for her age. Her mother was different than other mothers. Family life in their household was not pretty. No one seemed to notice. No one did anything about it, and Tammy wanted someone to do just that. As an adult, Tammy took on her first name, Chynna, and took up the challenge to find out what might have helped her mother fight her battle of self-destruction. She couldn't help her mother, but she would consider it worth everything if her family's story helped another.


You can find out more about Chynna at her author site: Chynna Laird’s Lily Wolf Words http://www.chynna-laird-author.com/

White Elephants is #1 on Goodreads Best Books On Recovering From Childhood Trauma

White Elephants is available in paperback at Barnes & Nobleand both paperback and Kindle at Amazon. A portion of every book sale goes to Zebra Child Protection Centre.


And here's the rest of the tour:


Monday, April 16 @ The MuffinKicking off the blog tour for White Elephants with an author interview. 
http://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com/2012/04/chynna-laird-author-of-white-elephants.html

Tuesday, April 17 @ Journal of a Male Childhood Abuse SurvivorIt's hard enough to be a parent but what do you do when your own parents were either absent or abusive? Join Chynna for a talk about being a mother in the absence of mothering.
http://prozacblogger.com/

Wednesday, April 18 @ The Guilty ParentJoin Nichole for a review of White Elephants by Chynna Laird and a chance to win a print copy of this touching memoir! Return to The Guilty Parent on April 30th for a special guest post by Chynna Laird.
http://www.theguiltyparent.com/

Thursday, April 19 @ Meryl's Notes BlogJoin award-winning author Chynna Laird as she shares her top 10 writing tips!
http://www.meryl.net/section/blog/

Friday, April 20 @ Words from the HeartBad, difficult, or moody... is that child a handful or is she crying out for help? How can you tell? Join us today and find out!
http://contemplativeed.blogspot.com/

Saturday, April 21 @ All Things Audry
Join Audry Fryer for a review of White Elephants by Chynna Laird!
http://allthingsaudry.blogspot.com/

Monday, April 23 @ Cheryl Loves to ReadBad Childhood? Don't let it hold you back! Join Chynna today for a talk about moving from abuse to ability. She'll be giving away a copy of her book White Elephants and our host, Cheryl, will share her book review!
http://cmashlovestoread.com/

Tuesday, April 24 @ Empty NestChynna Laird is a mom, a student, and an award winning author--whew! Come by today as she shares her thoughts on how to stay motivated. Also, Pam reviews Chynna's memoirWhite Elephants.
http://www.emptynest1.com/

Wednesday, April 25 @ A Slice of Life
Come have some fun! Award-winning author Chynna Laird has a special writing challenge for you. You might win a copy ofWhite Elephants!
http://lindahoye.com/

Monday, April 30 @ The Guilty ParentA "white elephant" is something that people know exists but choose to ignore... Today Chynna talks about writing on "taboo" subjects.
http://www.theguiltyparent.com/

Tuesday, May 1 @ This Mama CooksDealing with a mentally ill family member or one with substance abuse problems can be exhausting and stressful. Come by for a talk on how to keep yourself healthy while under emotional duress.
http://www.thismamacooks.com/

Wednesday, May 2 @ Thoughts in ProgressChynna is an award-winning author and mother of four--how does she do it all? Come on over for a talk about balancing life as a writing mama!
http://www.masoncanyon.blogspot.com/

Thursday, May 3 @ Stacy Eaton, AuthorJoin best-selling author Stacy Eaton for a review of White Elephants by Chynna Laird.
http://stacyeatonauthor.blogspot.com/

Friday, May 4 @ Mom~E~Centric
Award-winning author Chynna Laird talks about living with and educating on mental health issues. Don't miss this chance to win a print copy of her straight-forward memoir White Elephants!
http://www.momecentric.com/

Saturday, May 5 @ Callie KingstonJoin Callie Kingston for a review of White Elephants by Chynna Laird!
http://www.calliekingston.com/

Monday, May 7 @ Writer InspiredYou are not your past! Today author Chynna Laird talks about defining our own lives.
http://writerinspired.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, May 8 @ Dream HourLove It, Share It! Writing about what you love is the topic today. Join award-winning author Chynna Laird & her host, Jessica for a guest post and book review.
http://dream-hour.com/

Wednesday, May 9 @ Workaday ReadsGet to know award-winning author Chynna Laird. Come by for a chat about how and where she started out. Enter to win a print copy of her fantastic new memoir White Elephants!
http://www.workadayreads.com/

Friday, May 10 @ Happy, Healthy, Whole--The Journey to Find BalanceYes you can...make it through the rough times, heal your scars, and carry on. Join us--Chynna Laird shares her knowledge and encouragement and our host shares her review of White Elephants.
http://healthy-happy-whole.com/

Monday, April 16, 2012

Embrace--By Cherie Colyer

Hello again all. Here we are with another blog tour posting. This time it's EMBRACE by Cherie Colyer. Below is an excerpt from the novel. Enjoy!!  Check here for the list of other blogs on the tour.



Excerpt:
He had a large mix of alternative and rap music, and mostly male singers, so when I hit a country cd with a blonde on the cover I held it up.
“Taylor Swift?” I asked.
“What?” A red flush crept into his cheeks. “I had a crush on her.”
I looked at the cover. Maybe that was his secret. Maybe he was into blondes. What if I was an experiment to see if they really did have more fun? My dark chestnut hair was about as far from Goldilocks as it could get.
He reached for the cd, but I raised my arm over my head before he could grab it.
“I was young,” he said, lunging forward and missing my hand.
“And you’re so old and wise now,” I teased, moving the cd behind my back.
He grabbed for it, his body practically on top of mine as he tried to catch my hand. I leaned back, laughing.
“Maybe we should play it,” I said, squirming to keep him from being able to reach it.
He wrapped an arm around my back, pulling me closer. “Let’s not.”
We were a jumbled mass of arms and legs. His belt buckle rubbed the bare skin of my stomach, and his neck was in perfect kissing distance. My gaze traveled to his lips. His close proximity had me forgetting I was winning the game of keep-away until he snatched the case from me.
We both laughed as we disentangled ourselves. He tossed Taylor Swift over his shoulder, and the cd conveniently landed on the bed.
“You can tell me the truth.” I went back to his collection, hoping to find something else incriminating. “You’re a little bit country.”
He gave me a sidelong look that said, Puh-lease.






  

Cherie is always dreaming of romance and expressing her dreams in stories. She combined her passion for writing with her fascination of all things mythical to weave together a youth romance story that led to her debut novel, Embrace.

She lives with her family in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois.







Published December 20th 2011 by Omnific Publishing

How far would you go to save the people you love?

Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve.

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him.

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own.

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover.
Dangerous, intoxicating, and darkly romantic, Embrace is a thriller that will leave you spellbound.