Author: freelancewriterjannyc

Happy to be joining R&R Book Tours for the book release blitz for this gorgeous upcoming release of Submit by Jillian D. Wray. Now submit to learn more.

Submit (Nothing Lasts Forever #1)

Expected Publication Date: July 24th 2023

Genre: Romantic Suspense/ Romance

Tropes:

🖤Age Gap
🖤Broody Possessive Alpha
🖤Fated Mates/Star-Crossed Lovers
🖤Tasteful Spice

When I first met Willem, he swept me off my feet. I was pursued. Adored.

But over time, I began to give in to all of Will’s desires and demands and lost sight of who I was. Whenever I felt like I could finally break free… he would find a way to reel me back in.

That’s how I ended up here, in Aruba. With a fiancé who’s never around and a lonely, solitary existence filled with cooking meals and keeping house.

Meeting Casper was a pleasant surprise. With his brilliant green eyes, tanned skin, and brooding demeanor, I find myself irresistibly drawn into his orbit again and again. Without even trying, he makes me feel seen for the first time in years.

Maybe it’s the way he corrects my stance on the kite board. Maybe it’s the side glances he thinks I don’t catch. But the more time I spend with him, the more closed-off he becomes – and the more I want to break through his tough exterior.

When Will and I’s relationship takes a turn for the worse, Casper helps me escape my prison. But I never expected the secrets that would be exposed… or the danger that was about to come for us both.

In over my head, I quickly realize that at least one more time, I will have to submit to someone else’s control.

Preorder Today

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jillian has worked in the healthcare industry for over 10 years. With no formal education in creative writing, she sat down one night during the pandemic to give her mind a break from facts and sterile objectivity. In doing so, she discovered a love for losing herself in a story all her own. Even though she continues to work her “regular” job, she’s always planning, plotting, and scheming for ways to make her next characters fall in love.

Her characters are inspired by people she has met over the years, and their stories could happen to anyone. Realistic, flirty, quick reads are what you’ll get when you crack open one of her novels.

When she isn’t working or writing, you can find her in her garden, on a plane, or 50ft below the surface of the ocean, breathing bubbles and chasing fish. She currently resides in North Carolina with her husband and three stepkids.

Follow Jillian at Jillian D. Wray

Having done a feature on book 2 of Whitney Dean’s Four Kingdom Saga (A Kingdom of Frost and Fear), I am more than happy to join the book release blitz hosted by R&R Book Tours for Dean’s latest installment, A Kingdom of Death and Despair.

A Kingdom of Death and Despair (The Four Kingdoms #3)

Publication Date: June 27th, 2023

Genre: Dark Fantasy/ Romance

Publisher: Phantom House Press

Darkness doesn’t die.

Once upon a time, there was a half-witch of three who walked on the land where creatures roamed free.

Once upon a time, there was a prince of one who danced with the waves under the sun.

Once upon a time, there was a prince of two who hid amongst the shadows where fear only grew.

But when time became impatient, a prophecy was conceived of twins born of darkness, who would live their lives aggrieved but coupled with their misery was the answer all sought, but the question remained, which one would be left to rot?

Available NOW on AMAZON

Read the rest of the saga!

A Kingdom of Flame and Fury (The Four Kingdoms #1)

Publication Date: May 26th, 2022

Genre: Dark Fantasy/ Dark Romance

At ten years old, Raven was mysteriously willed to be the next ruler of Seolia, a kingdom nestled within the realm of The Four Kingdoms. Orphaned as a baby, she has spent fifteen years ruling over a kingdom she believes she did not earn, all while hiding secrets: she possesses dark magic, and she thirsts for blood. Now at almost twenty-five years old and with a sudden addiction to stealing life, Raven must fight through her newly procured darkness to save her soul, but when a mysterious stranger arrives in her kingdom, she starts experiencing vivid dreams that detail who she truly is. As she slowly starts to unravel her story, what she uncovers at the end of the spool will change the course of her life and her kingdom forever.

Available on Amazon

A Kingdom of Frost and Fear (The Four Kingdoms #2)

Publication Date: December 6, 2022

Genre: Dark Fantasy/ Romance

Tropes: Arranged Marriage, Forced Proximity, Hidden Identity, Chosen Family, Dark Magic, Grumpy/Sunshine, Dual POV

After years of wondering where she came from and what her story was, Raven received the answers she had been craving: she has a family and is the true heir to the throne of Seolia. But the answers she so hopelessly sought only bred more questions. As she digs deeper into her past, she wonders if maybe she should have stayed hidden in the shadows, safe from the pain and agony of knowing her happily ever after may not be so happy after all.

Zeke had been right all along: she hated him for what he’d hidden from her. Now, with Raven desperate to learn who she is, he’s desperate to win her back. But while still holding secrets of his own, doing so will come at a price he may not be able to pay.

And all the while, magic is slowly reawakening in the realm of The Four Kingdoms, and not a soul is prepared for the new black magic Raven is now in possession of.

This is book two of an epic dark fantasy adventure series and contains scenes of graphic and mature content. Reader discretion is advised.

Available on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Whitney was born in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and raised in Allen, Texas. She resides in a quaint little town in Arkansas with her husband and two children, along with her labradoodle, Simba.

Her love of reading came from the Harry Potter series when she was seven years old and frequent trips to the most magical place on earth. Because of it, the fantasy realm has taken up residence in her brain for a very long time.

While her writings include real-life pain and angst, she is a fan of happily-ever-afters and always strives to bring that forth in her stories.

Follow Whitney Dean at Whitney Dean | Instagram | Facebook | Amazon | Linktree

Available Now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple Books

REVIEW

Dragon Train Rebellion is book 2 in the Dragon Quest Series. Picking up two years after Dragon Train ( read the review here), where Jaiden learned he could communicate with dragons and help Skye, a blue dragon, recuse her family from captivity and enslavement.

Jaiden had returned home, but tension mounted again between Jaiden and his father, and when Skye returns, telling him the dragons are going to fight for their freedom, Jaiden hops aboard where Sky takes him to where the last remnants of the dragons live.

In the desert landscape they call Septrion, we meet the elder dragons who fought in the Dragon Wars of yore that had led to the state of the dragons today as dragon train pullers. 

But when Skye and Caerulus’ children get abducted somehow by the humans, their battle for freedom gets started sooner than expected. Can Jaiden step up to fight alongside the dragons?

Targeted for YA-Teens I am an adult and absolutely love reading this fantasy adventure series so far. RJ The Story Guy whisks you back effortlessly into his medieval-style world, where humans and dragons exist. RJ writes in a refreshing way making his characters down-to-earth and relatable, especially in our young protagonist Jaiden, who has no clue about being a hero and second-guesses himself constantly but knows right from wrong and is passionate about correcting them.

RJ describes the dragons in majestic glory, from the large “Blues” to the more serpent-like “Golds and Silvers.” giving each a personality and a soul.

If you are looking for a wholesome book for your young pre-teen or have a teen that loves dragons, I highly recommend Dragon Train Rebellion, and don’t forget to read Book 1, Dragon Train, first! 

5 out of 5 Stars!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

RJ The Story Guy has lived in the Middle Rio Grande Valley most of his life. Recognized with awards for teaching, RJ taught high school English, speech, and drama. Now retired, he pursues writing, music, touring in his sports car, and volunteering. Writing as RJ Mirabal, his first novels were a fantasy trilogy set in New Mexico for mature readers called The Rio Grande Parallax. The books of the trilogy were all finalists in the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards in 2013, 2015, and 2016.

As RJ The Story Guy, he has created two books about the Adventures of the Brown Dog (Trixie, his actual rescue dog) series of true and fantasy dog stories for all ages (finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards): Trixie Finds Her People and Trixie: Round Brown Ball of Dog.

Recently, he began a new Young Adult/Teen Reader series titled Dragon Train Quest: Dragon Train, Book 1, and Dragon Train Rebellion, Book 2.

RJ is a member of Southwest Writers and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, NM Chapter. All his RJ The Story Guy books have been winners in the New Mexico Press Women Book Awards and the New Mexico/Arizona Book Awards contests since 2019. The first Trixie book was also a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards (an international contest).

Additional information can be requested by filling out the Contact form on this website and detailing the information, photos, etc. needed. RJ is happy to be interviewed for print, audio, and video media.

Learn more about RJ The Story Guy by following him at https://rjthestoryguy.com 

Social media  Facebook/ Twitter and Instagram

 Learn more about the Dragon Train Quest Series at Dragon Train Quest Series

Follow the Series at Dragon Train Quest Book Series Facebook

Happy June to all! In the spotlight today is Grace Summit by Denise Roma. Let’s dive in more!

Grace Summit

Publication Date: September 2022

Genre: NA College Romance/ FF Romance (slightly literary bent)

Ann, Amelia, and Jackie arrive at Grace Summit Bible College with their own particular heartbreaks. Ann is lonely and hungry for belonging, Amelia is broken from abuse and separation from her child, and Jackie is searching for friendships to sustain her.

Ann and Amelia find the connection they seek in one another, but they must navigate the college’s religious mandates and eventually, the passage of decades. It is during those passing years that Jackie comes to understand the influence Amelia’s and Ann’s love story has had on her own life.

Grace Summit explores the lives of women coming of age in the late ’80s, navigating their places in a changing world. Giving each woman a voice to reflect on her story, it weaves together attraction, love, religion, and finally, aging, illness, and loss. It’s an achingly beautiful novel that spans cities and lifetimes, capturing the intensity of first loves and women’s friendships.

 Available on now Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

You can find Denise Roma’s poetry in After Hours, a Chicago journal of literature and visual art, and short fiction in the online literary journal Thread and the New Town Writer’s Off the Rocks magazine. Grace Summit is her first novel.

Denise lives in the Chicago area with her family. She loves reading, writing, and dancing on land or water and early morning air.

Find out more at Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/GraceSummitNovel

Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/gracesummitnovel/

Using one young woman’s correspondence, we get a microhistory of the African American experience in early twentieth-century America.

Emma's Postcard Album: Black Lives in the Early Twentieth Century
by Faith Mitchell

Genre: History, African American history, African American Studies, Memoir

Published:  December 2022

Synopsis

The turn of the twentieth century was an extraordinarily difficult period for African Americans, a time of unchecked lynchings, mob attacks, and rampant Jim Crow segregation. During these bleak years, Emma Crawford, a young African American woman living in Pennsylvania, corresponded by postcard with friends and family members and collected the cards she received from all over the country. Her album—spanning from 1906 to 1910 and analyzed in Emma's Postcard Album—becomes an entry point into a deeply textured understanding of the nuances and complexities of African American lives and the survival strategies that enabled people “to make a way from no way.” As snippets of lived experience, eye-catching visual images, and reflections of historical moments, the cards in the collection become sources for understanding not only African American life but also broader American history and culture.
In Emma's Postcard Album, Faith Mitchell innovatively places the contents of this postcard collection into specific historic and biographical contexts and provides a new interpretation of postcards as life writings, a much-neglected aspect of scholarship. Through these techniques, a riveting world that is far too little known is revealed, and new insights are gained into the perspectives and experiences of African Americans. Capping off these contributions, the text is a visual feast, illustrated with arresting images from the Golden Age of postcards as well as newspaper clippings and other archival material.

Available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble  University Press of Mississippi

Review

Absolutely beautiful! Faith Mitchell transports us back to the early twentieth century through the eyes and postcards of a young Black American woman Emma Crawford. Faith Mitchell’s own grandmother to be exact. 

Mitchell found them in her mother’s trunk after her mother’s passing which she had kept from her own mother. Curious Mitchell realized that not only do these postcards grant her insight into her grandmother’s life but it showed a bigger story of what life was like for a Black American at that time.

For those who love ancestral history, Emma’s Postcards Album shines bright as we see a part of American history play out before our eyes in the most innovative way.

 The postcards collected range from the years 1906-1910 as we gleam into Emma’s life as Mitchell weaves in historical facts and data of the times. Winner of the 2023 BCALA award for Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation it is no surprise as Emma’s Postcards Album is a cemented piece of Black American history, and praised for its fresh telling.

What Emma’s Postcard Album shows is how hard Black Americans fought back against them and how we are still fighting today. Yet I like to look at the positivity in Emma’s Postcards Album at also how amazingly strong we as Black Americans are. I like viewing it as how far Black Americans have come. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Faith Mitchell is a medical anthropologist whose career has bridged research, philanthropy, and social and health policy. In addition to numerous policy-related publications, she is the author of Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies and The Book of Secrets, Part 1. Mitchell is an Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute. She and her husband live in Northern Virginia.

Follow Faith on LinkedIn and at Emma’s Postcards Album on Instagram