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Eden by Jamie Lisa ForbesEden by Jamie Lisa Forbes

Publisher:  Pronghorn Press, (May 25, 2020)
Category: Literary Fiction, Southern Fiction, Family Fiction
Tour dates: May & June, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-941052-32-2
Available in Print and ebook, 285 pages
Eden by Jamie Lisa Forbes

Description Eden by Jamie Lisa Forbes


Rowen Hart has been raised as the pampered son and only child of a prominent family in the small community of White Rock, North Carolina. It’s the 1950s and he’s drifting through the days, following the life path his parents have planned for him and preparing to go away to college. When his father’s suicide turns his world upside down, he finds himself responsible for his mother in their suddenly reduced circumstances that leave them dependent on his uncle, his father’s business partner.

Ill prepared to take over as head of the family, Rowen doesn’t know which way to turn. Then a neighbor’s ten year old daughter comes to live with them, baffling him with her wild behavior and never ending attempts to win his approval and making his new responsibilities even more overwhelming.

As Rowen tries to find his way, he begins to question everything about his upbringing, his current circumstances and his plans for the future as they turn to dust in his hands.

My Thoughts Eden by Jamie Lisa Forbes


It is 1950, as Rowen Hart is about to go off to college, his world splits apart when his father commits suicide. His mother takes to her bed and the only one left to help pick up the pieces is their housekeeper Adeline.  Rowen has a summer job picking tobacco but he slacks off quite a bit.  As the book opens, he has slacked off to attend a trail that 10 year old Eden is called to testify at.  Her father died around the same time and Rowan’s father. She testifies that her uncle shot her father but no one believes the 10 year old, including her own mother.  Eden shows up on the doorstep of Rowans and asks his mother if she can live with them.

She looks up to Rowen and takes to following him around.  He goes to his Uncle, who was in business with his father to get his father’s share.  His uncle said there was nothing left from his father’s share and gives him a little money for his mother.  He says he will give his mother a small sum every month but Rowen will have to pay for college and also make up the balance his family will need to survive. He suspects his uncle is lying about his father’s share but just doesn’t have the backbone to argue.  Against his mother’s and Adeline’s wishes, he decides not to go to college.

Rowan’s luck turns when their neighbor Claude stops by to repair the broken gate that Rowen keeps putting off fixing.  Actually, he doesn’t really know how and doesn’t have the proper tools.  Rowen comes out of the house to ask Claude why he is fixing their fence and then proceed to help as Claude directs them.  Claude sees something in Rowen and invites him to work for him on his construction crew until the end of summer when he will leave for college.  Of course he doesn’t go to college.

As the months and years go by, Rowen starts to mature.  He marries and has 3 children and keeps bring money home.  However, he still has a long way to go.  There are many times I wanted to slap some sense into him.  I wanted someone to slap some sense into him!

The characters leaped of the page and welcomed me into their dysfunctional lives. I couldn’t help joining them; I was caught like a deer in headlights.  I especially loved Eden, so precocious and full of life despite her lot in life.  I would love to tell you more but don’t want to risk spoilers.

I really had a hard time putting this book down and be warned, there were parts that made me cry like a baby.  Jamie Lisa Forbes owes me a box of tissue!  She really captured the 1950’s south, warts and all.  Her take on the human condition reminds of the greats like John Steinbeck and Harper Lee!  This is her third book and I also read and loved the first two.  The first two won awards and I believe ‘Eden’ is just as deserving! She really captures the heart and soul of her characters.  I imagine they haunt her as they will haunt me for a long time to come.  I just can’t get them out of my head.  I highly recommend ‘Eden’ and give it 5 stars!

About Jamie Lisa ForbesEden by Jamie Lisa Forbes


Award winning author, Jamie Lisa Forbes was raised on a ranch along the Little Laramie River near Laramie, Wyoming. She attended the University of Colorado where she obtained degrees in English and philosophy. After fourteen months living in Israel, she returned to her family’s ranch where she lived for another fifteen years.

In 1994, she moved to Greensboro, North Carolina. In 2001, she graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Law and began her North Carolina law practice.

Her first novel, Unbroken, won the WILLA Literary Award for Contemporary Fiction in 2011. Her collection of short stories, The Widow Smalls and Other Stories, won the High Plains Book Awards for a short story collection in 2015. Her law practice gave her the opportunity to travel many of the back roads of North Carolina and meet the unique and diverse individuals who inspired Eden.

Website: https://www.jamielisaforbes.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jamielisaforbes
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamieLisaForbes

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This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of print or ebook however, print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 2 winners. This giveaway ends July 1, 2020,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Eden by Jamie Lisa Forbes

Sparrow Alone by Mim EichmannA Sparrow Alone by Mim Eichmann

Description Sparrow Alone by Mim Eichmann


1890s. Colorado. Following her mother’s sudden death, thirteen-year-old Hannah Owens is hired as domestic help by a wealthy doctor’s family in Colorado Springs. When the doctor declares bankruptcy and abandons his family to finance his mistress Pearl DeVere’s brothel, Hannah is thrown into a world of gold mining bonanzas and busts, rampant prostitution and the economic, political and cultural upheavals of the era.

Two of Cripple Creek’s most colorful historic characters, Winfield Scott Stratton, eccentric owner of the richest gold mine in Cripple Creek, and Pearl DeVere, the beautiful madam of The Old Homestead come to life as this old-fashioned, coming-of-age saga unfolds, a tribute to the women who set the stage for women’s rights. 

My Thoughts Sparrow Alone by Mim Eichmann


In 1890’s Colorado, 13 year old Hannah Owens mother has just died.  Her father is useless and just spews scripture, as always.  So Mrs. Hughes takes her home with her to learn to be a servant for herself and wealthy doctor husband. It seems kind of Mrs. Hughes at the time but she is not a kind woman as the welts and scars on Hannah can attest to.

After Dr. Hughes abandons his family for his mistress, Pearl DeVere, Mrs. Hughes throws Hannah and the cook, Zuma out.  They end up living on the high class brothel finances by Dr. Hughes and run by Pearl.  They take in the brothel’s laundry and darning to be able to live.  Hannah is also hired twice to sing on special occasions at the brothel.  However, that life falls apart too and Zuma is sent to jail for something she did not do.  Hannah is now completely alone. Enter Winfield Scott to save her or does he just want a piece of her?

Hannah is thrown from the frying pan and into the fire many times throughout this novel.  How will she survive?   It is clear that Mim Eichmann did her research.  She captured the period and place well.  Her characters popped off the page and kidnapped me into their world.  Even though I finished reading, they still have me and won’t let go.  I just can’t get them out of my head. Luckily, I found out at the end that there is a sequel coming next year. The wait will be excruciating.  I highly recommend ‘A Sparrow Alone’ to historical fiction lovers and give it 5 stars.

I received the ebook from the author for my honest review.

About Mim EichmannA Sparrow Alone by Mim Eichmann

A graduate of the Jordan College of Music at Butler University, Indianapolis, IN, Mim Eichmann has found that her creative journey has taken her down many exciting, interwoven pathways. For well over two decades she was known in the Chicago area primarily as the artistic director/ choreographer of Midwest Ballet Theatre, bringing full-length professional ballet performances to thousands of dance lovers every year and was the recipient of many arts’ programming and education grants from the Illinois Arts Council (funded by the National Endowment for the Arts) among others. A desire to become involved again in the folk music world brought about the creation of her acoustic quartet Trillium www.trilliumtheband.com now in its 15th year, a folk band well known for its eclectic repertoire, that performs throughout the Midwest and has also released four cds. She’s also written the lyrics and music and recorded two award-winning original children’s cds. She occasionally schedules concerts of her children’s music and movement programs in the Chicago area.
 
Ms. Eichmann’s short story “Slomp” won first place in the 2018 Short-Edition/American Library Association’s “Set Stories Free” Competition and was translated into French and Spanish in 2019. The story was also one of 10 fiction finalists in the 2019 San Francisco Writers Conference Contest.  Over the years she’s written countless promotional articles for her own and others’ various endeavors.  She was also a by-lined arts’ reviewer for The South Bend Tribune in the 1970s. Her many memorable reporting experiences include a personal interview with Vincent Price during a power outage and the opportunity to preview the musical “Annie” with the original cast at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. a few days before its spectacular Broadway debut.
 
Throughout her life, Ms. Eichmann has always been captivated by the writings, diaries and journals of late 19th century women, and how so many of these trailblazing women ultimately set the stage for women’s rights during the era’s economic, cultural and political upheavals. She’s now put pen to paper and the historical fiction novel she’s been passionately researching, its rich synopsis gradually evolving over many years, has finally become a reality.  Her debut novel “A Sparrow Alone” will be published by Living Springs Publishers, Centennial, CO on April 15, 2020 and the novel’s sequel, “Muskrat Ramble” in Spring 2021.


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Benefits of Breathing by Christopher MeeksThe Benefits of Breathing by Christopher Meeks


Publisher: White Whisker Books (May, 2020)
Category: Short Stories, Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Relationships
ISBN: Coming Soon
Tour Date: May-June, 2020
Available in: Print & ebook, 238 Pages
The Benefits of Breathing

Description Benefits of Breathing by Christopher Meeks


In The Benefits of Breathing, his third collection of short stories, Christopher Meeks dives again into the human condition, particularly within relationships.  As one reader wrote on Amazon, “Some authors need a lot of words to describe their worlds and their people. Christopher Meeks says a lot with a little.” The Los Angeles Times has called his stories “poignant and wise.”

In this volume, “A Dog Story” captures a crumbled marriage and the love of a dog named Scrappy. “Joni Paredes” shows the birth of a new relationship that starts at a daughter’s wedding. “Nestor by the Numbers” follows one man’s often hilarious online dating experiences after he finally accepts his wife is gone. “Jerry with a Twist” shows an actor on an audition while his pregnant girlfriend helps him through a crisis. These and seven other stories will bring you into the special world of Meeks.

As reviewer Grady Harp notes, if you’ve previously “discovered the idiosyncrasies of Meeks’ writing style and content, rest assured that this new collection not only will not disappoint, but also it will provide further proof that we have a superior writer of the genre in our presence.” Try this book. You’ll have a lot to think about.

My Thought Benefits of Breathing by Christopher Meeks


First I have to say that I am a huge fan of Christopher Meeks.  I have loved all of his short stories and novels.  So, when I heard he was publishing another short story collection, I jumped for joy!

‘The Benefits of Breathing are 11 short stories about love, romance, relationships, and divorce.  The way the stories are ordered made perfect sense and make the stories flow from one to the next very well and add to the enjoyment.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Christopher Meeks is a master in the art of writing short stories. In short 11-20 pages, he is able to accomplish what most writers would need an entire novel to get their story across. He has done so with his trademark humor and quirky characters, as well as his keen observation of the human condition.

I love all 11 stories but if I was forced to pick a favorite ‘Joni Paredes’ would be it.  I could relate to this character so much.  She has a hard time making a commitment.  I was married at 20 and divorced two years later.  After that I dated a lot and even had a couple 4-6 months relationships but as soon as they guy started talk of moving in or marrying, that was it, I severed ties.  It wasn’t until I met my husband Bill at the age of 30 that I met my match.  We took it slow and lived together for a year before he even hinted at marriage.  It seemed the Joni finally met her match but she ended up running. I’m so glad I took a different path; it just took me awhile to trust myself and a man again. Were coming up to our 25th anniversary in June. Other favorite stories are ‘A Dog Story’ and ‘You Wreak Me Baby’.

If you don’t like short stories, I challenge you to read this collection! Short stories are special, in the hands of the right author. It is a true art form and Meeks always gets it right! Meeks comes out swinging from the first story! I cannot recommend this collection highly enough! I give it 5 stars.

I received the ebook for my honest opinion.

Awards and Recognition for Christopher Meeks


Book of the Year Bronze Award from ForeWord Reviews (2017): ‘The Chords of War’

ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Finalist award (2011)- ‘Love At Absolute Zero’

Three book critics’ Ten Best Books of 2011-‘Love At Absolute Zero’

Three book critics’ Ten Best Books of 2009- ‘The Brightest Moon of the Century’ 

About Christopher MeeksBenefits of Breathing by Christopher Meeks


Award winning author, Christopher Meeks has five novels and two collections of short fiction published. The Benefits of Breathing’ is his third collection of short stories.

He has had stories published in several literary journals, and they have been included in the collections “Months and Seasons” and “The Middle-Aged Man and the Sea.” Mr. Meeks has had three full-length plays mounted in Los Angeles, and one, “Who Lives?” had been nominated for five Ovation Awards, Los Angeles’ top theatre prize.

Mr. Meeks teaches English and fiction writing at Santa Monica College, and Children’s Literature at the Art Center College of Design. He lives in Pasadena, CA.

Website at: www.chrismeeks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Christopher-Meeks-212382392140974/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christopher.meeks1
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeeksChris

Buy Benefits of Breathing by Christopher Meeks


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Giveaway Benefits of Breathing by Christopher Meeks


This giveaway is for the winner’s choice of print or ebook however, print is open to Canada and the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends June 27, 2020,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Benefits of Breathing by Christopher Meeks