Gates of Mars ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Promo & Giveaway!

GATES OF MARS

The Halo Trilogy #1

by

CLARK HAYS AND KATHLEEN McFALL

Genre: Science Fiction / Detective (hard-boiled) 
Publisher:  Pumpjack Press on Facebook

Date of Publication: June 16, 2020

Number of Pages: 336

Scroll down for the giveaway!

IN THE AGE OF SURVEILLANCE, HOW CAN A PERSON GO MISSING? 

The year is 2187. Crucial Larsen, a veteran of the brutal Consolidation Wars, is working as a labor cop on Earth. The planet is a toxic dump and billions of people are miserable, but so what? It’s none of his business. He’s finally living a good life, or good enough. But then Essential, his beloved kid sister, disappears on Mars. When Halo—the all-powerful artificial-intelligence overseeing Earth and Mars on behalf of the ruling Five Families—can’t (or won’t) locate his sister, Crucial races up-universe to find her. 

In the Choke, the frigid, airless expanse outside the luxury domes, Crucial uncovers a deadly secret from Essential’s past that threatens to shatter his apathetic existence … and both planets. Blending science fiction with the classic, hard-boiled detective story, Gates of Mars is a page-turning, futuristic thrill-ride featuring a gritty, irreverent anti-hero, Crucial Larsen. The first book of the Halo Trilogy, Gates of Mars is the eighth novel by award-winning authors, Clark Hays and Kathleen McFall.

PRAISE FOR GATES OF MARS:

"An indelible introduction to an interplanetary saga and its sublime characters." —Kirkus Reviews

"The authors' imaginations again run wild, this time a science fiction/detective series looking at what our lives may hold in the not too distant future if everything that can go wrong does go wrong. And they've done it with their trademark undercurrent of humor that lifts an otherwise dreary future into something resembling—do I dare say?—hope. Their best work to date. And the giraffes? You'll have to read Gates of Mars to find out. I'm already wishing they could write faster." —Renee Struthers, East Oregonian newspaper

"With twists and turns true to some of the best noir detective pieces—but with an other-world setting and futuristic society—along with psychological insights and connections, Gates of Mars is a riveting, unexpected story, filled with intrigue and change. Sci-fi and detective story readers alike with find Gates of Mars one of a kind, worthy of avid pursuit." —Midwest Book Review

CLICK TO PURCHASE

||  Amazon  || 

Clark and Kathleen wrote their first book together in 1999 as a test for marriage. They passed.

Gates of Mars is their eighth co-authored book.

 Facebook ║ Instagram

Connect with Kathleen

Goodreads ║ Amazon ║ Facebook ║ Twitter

Connect with Clark

Goodreads ║ Amazon ║ Facebook ║ Twitter

-------------------------------------

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

TWO WINNERS: One Winner: First edition copy of A Very Unusual Romance 

One Winner: All four books in The Cowboy and the Vampire Collection 

June 29-July 8, 2020

(U.S. Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY. 

Or, visit the blogs directly:

6/29/20	Excerpt	Texas Book Lover
6/29/20	Review	Forgotten Winds
6/29/20	BONUS Post	Hall Ways Blog
6/30/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
6/30/20	Review	Sybrina's Book Blog
6/30/20	BONUS Post	Sybrina Publishing
7/1/20	Author Interview	StoreyBook Reviews
7/1/20	Review	Book Bustle
7/2/20	Excerpt	All the Ups and Downs
7/2/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
7/3/20	Review	Books and Broomsticks
7/3/20	Review	Bibliotica
7/4/20	BONUS Post	Belle Whittington on Tumblr

   blog tour services provided by

  

All Things Left Wild ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours BONUS Book Review & Giveaway!

ALL THINGS LEFT WILD

by

James Wade

Genre: Adventure / Rural Fiction / Coming of Age
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Publication Date: June 16, 2020
Number of Pages: 304 pages

Scroll down for the giveaway!

After an attempted horse theft goes tragically wrong, sixteen-year-old Caleb Bentley is on the run with his mean-spirited older brother across the American Southwest at the turn of the twentieth century. Caleb's moral compass and inner courage will be tested as they travel the harsh terrain and encounter those who have carved out a life there, for good or ill. 

Wealthy and bookish Randall Dawson, out of place in this rugged and violent country, is begrudgingly chasing after the Bentley brothers. With little sense of how to survive, much less how to take his revenge, Randall meets Charlotte, a woman experienced in the deadly ways of life in the West. Together they navigate the murky values of vigilante justice.

Powerful and atmospheric, lyrical and fast-paced, All Things Left Wild is a coming-of-age for one man, a midlife odyssey for the other, and an illustration of the violence and corruption prevalent in our fast-expanding country. It artfully sketches the magnificence of the American West as mirrored in the human soul.

PRAISE for All Things Left Wild:
"A debut full of atmosphere and awe. Wade gives emotional depth to his dust-covered characters and creates an image of the American West that is harsh and unforgiving, but -- like All Things Left Wild -- not without hope." — Texas Literary Hall of Fame member Sarah Bird, Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen

"James Wade has delivered a McCarthy-esque odyssey with an Elmore Leonard ear for dialogue. All Things Left Wild moves like a coyote across this cracked-earth landscape—relentlessly paced and ambitiously hungry." — Edgar Award finalist David Joy, When These Mountains Burn

CLICK TO PURCHASE:
  Amazon ┃ BookPeople ┃ Bookshop.org┃IndieBound
    

Audio Book Narrator: Bradford Hastings

Book Length: 9 hours, 44 minutes

HALL WAYS REVIEW: Audio Book / Print Combo Review. The problem with Mary Poppins-like books (practically perfect in every way), is that nothing I write about one will do it justice.  All Things Left Wild is one of those books. Sure, reading it (with my ears and with my eyes) was enhanced by the majestic scenery that surrounded me while I digested the story; it's really something to read amazing, lyrical descriptions of place and look up and say, "Yep. He got that right." But whether readers burrow into this book from a city high-rise or a jacal in New Mexico, they will be completely immersed and transported.

"He emancipated a charred stick from the fire and used its glowing end to light his smoke before condemning it again and watching it for a while as it was consumed by the flame." 

While author James Wade writes some incredibly beautiful, profound, and memorable lines of prose, even the simplest of descriptions are exquisite and evocative. Wade masterfully manipulates the readers into being part of the story, not just observers of it. Add to the mix a robust cast of characters, and All Things Left Wild rises to being much more than a great debut novel -- it's a great novel that I expect will stand the test of time alongside those of authors with considerable and important catalogs of titles. 

While at its core, All Things Left Wild is about two men -- one coming of age and one in mid-life -- and the path each is forging, some of the most intriguing and dynamic characters are women: strong, intelligent, tough-as-nails women. It is just one of the many aspects that sets the novel apart from most gritty, often gruesome westerns. Male and female, young and old, not a single character is cookie-cutter or predictable. There is a fine and often-crossed line between good and evil, right and wrong, revenge and righteousness -- and of course, surviving and dying.

Wade strikes a perfect balance between giving the details that matter and summarizing those that just need resolution. Not a single loose thread is left by the end of the story, but All Things Left Wild is impossible to leave behind. Expect memories from the story to regularly creep into your consciousness and dwell there. 

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Bradford Hastings! Oh, my! His voice and method paired with the characters and text of All Things Left Wild is sheer perfection -- and authentic (which makes sense given he's from Austin). His deep, gravelly voice is colored with just the right amount of cowboy, and he deftly alternates between character accents and attitudes. His pacing and diction is excellent. I will absolutely be looking for more of his audio book performances. I listened at regular speed (because Hastings) on the Downpour app, which is really versatile, and there are no technical issues.

I got my signed copy when I attended the MPIBA Spring Con back in March before the plague hit.  But, for the Lone Star Lit promotion, I asked for and was provided a free audio download from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion -- the only kind I give. 

Signing my copy at MPIBA Spring Con

My perfect bookstagram setting: Canyonlands National Park, Utah

James Wade lives and writes in Austin, Texas, with his wife and daughter. He has had twenty short stories published in various literary magazines and journals. He is the winner of the Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest and a finalist of the Tethered by Letters Short Fiction Contest. All Things Left Wild is his debut novel.

  Website ║ Facebook ║ Blog 
 Instagram ║  YouTube ║ Goodreads 








---------------------------------

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

TWO WINNERS: A signed copy of All Things Left Wild

JUNE 18-28, 2020

(US ONLY)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE 

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY, 

or visit the blogs directly:

6/18/20	Author Video	StoreyBook Reviews
6/18/20	Excerpt	Missus Gonzo
6/19/20	Review	Chapter Break Book Blog
6/19/20	Scrapbook	Book Fidelity
6/20/20	Review	That's What She's Reading
6/21/20	Author Interview	Forgotten Winds
6/22/20	Review	Reading by Moonlight
6/23/20	Review	The Page Unbound
6/23/20	Guest Post	KayBee's Book Shelf
6/24/20	Top Ten	The Clueless Gent
6/25/20	Review	Book Bustle
6/25/20	Playlist	All the Ups and Downs
6/26/20	Author Interview	Texas Book Lover
6/27/20	Review	Max Knight
6/27/20	Review	Bibliotica
6/28/20	BONUS Audio Review	Hall Ways Blog

   blog tour services provided by

  

What Momma Left Behind ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Author Video & Giveaway!

WHAT MOMMA LEFT BEHIND

by

Cindy K. Sproles

Christian Historical Fiction

Publisher: Revell
Date of Publication: June 2, 2020

Number of Pages: 256

Scroll down for the giveaway!

Worie Dressar is seventeen years old when influenza and typhoid ravage her Appalachian Mountain community in 1877, leaving behind a growing number of orphaned children with no way to care for themselves. Worie's mother has been secretly feeding a number of these little ones on Sourwood Mountain. But when she dies suddenly, Worie is left to figure out why and how she was caring for them.

Plagued with two good-for-nothing brothers—one greedy and the other a drunkard—Worie fights to save her home and the orphaned children now in her begrudging care. Along the way, she will discover the beauty of unconditional love and the power of forgiveness as she cares for all of Momma's children.

Storyteller and popular speaker Cindy K. Sproles pens a tender novel full of sacrifice, heartache, and courage in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

PRAISE for What Momma Left Behind: 

"Worie Dressar isn't your typical heroine—she's tough, she's opinionated, and she's loud. But at her core she wants to love and be loved—just like the rest of us. Cindy's special talent is in telling about life the way it is—hard parts and all—while preserving the beauty and wonder of love shining through even the darkest night." —Sarah Loudin Thomas, Christy Award-nominated author of Miracle in a Dry Season

"Seldom does a story move me to tears and encourage me to examine my life. A powerful story. Highly recommended." —DiAnn Mills, author of Fatal Strike

"Cindy Sproles has a way of placing readers inside the Blue Ridge Mountains. Her ability to transport readers into her Appalachian adventures is nothing short of genius. Leaving us hanging on every word, Cindy writes with feeling and incredible historical knowledge. This book is a must-read!" —LaTan Murphy, writer, speaker, author of Courageous Women of the Bible

CLICK TO ORDER ON:
  AMAZON • BARNES & NOBLE • BAKER PUBLISHING • INDIEBOUND
MORE PURCHASE OPTIONS  

Cindy K. Sproles is the cofounder of Christian Devotions Ministries. An author, storyteller, and popular speaker, Cindy teaches at writers’ conferences across the country and directs the Asheville Christian Writers Conference in North Carolina. Editor of ChristianDevotions.us and managing editor for Straight Street Books and SonRise Devotionals, Cindy has a BA in business and journalism and lives in the mountains of East Tennessee with her family. 

Website ║ Facebook  ║ Twitter ║ Goodreads

Instagram ║ Amazon Author Page ║ BookBub

-------------------------------------

GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!  GIVEAWAY!

THREE WINNERS 

First Winner: Copy of What Momma Left Behind + $20 B&N Gift Card 
Second Winner: Copy of What Momma Left Behind  + $5 Starbucks Gift Card 
Third Winner: Copy of What Momma Left Behind
 June 23-July 3, 2020

(US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE TOUR PAGE
FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH POST ON THIS TOUR, UPDATED DAILY. 
Or, visit the blogs directly:

6/23/20	Book Trailer	Texas Book Lover
6/23/20	Author Video	Hall Ways Blog
6/24/20	Review	The Adventures of a Travelers Wife
6/25/20	Author Interview	Reading by Moonlight
6/26/20	Review	Missus Gonzo
6/27/20	Excerpt	Story Schmoozing Book Reviews
6/28/20	Author Interview	All the Ups and Downs
6/29/20	Review	StoreyBook Reviews
6/30/20	Excerpt	Jennifer Silverwood
7/1/20	Review	That's What She's Reading
7/2/20	Review	Forgotten Winds

   blog tour services provided by