Writers Helping Writers Are Running a MASSIVE Giveaway! Check it out!

I've got some exciting news to share today!

From 9 to 13 May, Writers Helping Writers, which was founded by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, is celebrating their 10-year anniversary!

And no anniversary celebration is complete without a… GIVEAWAY!

I've been following the Writers Helping Writers blog for some time and they have tons of great and free resources for writers. You'll find tips and cheat-sheets on world building, writing, editing, characters arcs, and tons more.

Plus, authors Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi have published a series of helpful books about writing under the 'Thesaurus' series. I've read 1.5 of those books J

I've read The Negative Trait Thesaurus, which is amazing! And I've read most of The Emotion Thesaurus.

The first is about attributing character traits to your characters – with examples, while the second is about showing (not telling) emotions.

But I'm forgetting the main purpose of this post. It's The Ultimate Writer’s Toolkit Giveaway!

So here's the deal: 

As part of their 10-year anniversary for The Emotion Thesaurus, co-authors Angela and Becca are running a massive giveaway! (And I'm excited to be one of the hosts)

Angela and Becca have scoured the internet for the best tools to help writers, like YOU, strengthen their storytelling and give their career a boost. This includes software licences, subscriptions, course bundles, and even a full set of the Writers Helping Writers thesaurus guides.

And ONE lucky writer is going to WIN IT ALL!

To enter, head over to this post and enter by 13 May 2022. Good luck!

If you're struggling with how to show your character’s emotion, you may want to check out Angela and Becca's The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression.

The book includes 130 different emotions and gives you lists of ways to describe them through body language, thoughts, visceral sensations, dialogue cues, and more.  It’s helped me, and maybe it will help you!

Learn more about The Emotion Thesaurus by exploring a few sample entries from the book to see what these lists look like.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

 

Want to learn more about the craft of writing?

Check out these book reviews and blog posts:

The Writer's Body Lexicon: Body Parts, Actions, and Expressions by Kathy Steinemann

The Writer's Lexicon: Descriptions, Overused Words, and Taboos by Kathy Steinemann

The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi

Writing Fight Scenes by Rayne Hall

Writing About Magic by Rayne Hall

Writer Your Book in a Flash by Dan Janal

The World You Write In by R. Michael Phillips (Guest Post)

A Different Kind of Hero by Jennifer Carole Lewis (Guest Post)

 

Marketing

How My Blog Got 1 Million Views in 7 Months by Patric Morgan

Building Your Author Platform by Tiffany Shand

 

Designs On Murder by Gayle Trent - Book Review

Designs on Murder: A Ghostly Fashionista Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Grace Abraham Publishing 
26 March 2019
Print Length: 229 pages
ASIN: B07MYCQJHB

Synopsis:

Amanda Tucker is excited about opening her fashion design studio in Shops On Main, a charming old building in historic Abingdon, Virginia. She didn't realize a ghost came with the property! But soon Maxine "Max" Englebright, a young woman who died in 1930, isn't the only dead person at the retail complex. Mark Tinsley, a web designer with a know-it-all attitude who also rented space at Shops On Main, is shot in his office.

Amanda is afraid that one of her new "friends" and fellow small business owners is his killer, and Max is encouraging her to solve Mark's murder a la Nancy Drew. Easy for Max to want to investigate--the ghostly fashionista can't end up the killer's next victim!

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson is the first book in a new paranormal cozy mystery series. Amanda decides to go on a hunch and start her fashion business in Shops on Main, a building housing several other small businesses. There she discovers her ability to see the place's resident ghost, Maxine "Max" Englebright.

Soon after she settles in, Amanda is confronted by the death of one of the shop owners in the building, Mark the web designer. Meanwhile, Max decides that she and Amanda should take up the task of solving Mark's murder. Despite thinking that this is a crazy idea, the reader can see that Amanda has already been curiously asking questions to uncover more about Mark and possibly his killer.

"I heard [Mark] on the phone a day or two before he was killed telling someone that he was about to get an influx of cash."

We also learn that Mark had a mystery girlfriend. Soon after the murder, one of the shop owners, Janice, claims her shop was broken into, adding to the mystery and the possibility that Mark's killer was still looking for something he couldn't find with Mark.

"Gee, that was awkward," she said. "I was sure you knew."

"Knew?"

"That I'm a ghost."

I loved the cast of characters. Max is smart and hilarious; she constantly lightens the mood and puts Amanda in embarrassing situations. With Max's presence, Amanda finds a friend and becomes attached to the place. Amanda teaches Max how to use her tablet and downloads books and movies for her to read while the shop is closed. I loved their relationship.

"The big difference between you, me, and the old lady in the book is that fictional characters don't get killed for sticking their noses into other peoples' business."

I also liked Amanda's friendly and loving grandfather, who, when Max was not around, brainstormed with her about suspects and ideas. There are lots of other likeable characters in Shops on Main, many of which I expect to appear in later books.

Designs on Murder is narrated from Amanda's first person perspective. There is also lots of conversation, making the pace quite quick and enjoyable.

"Max fanned her face with both hands. 'That man was looking at the small of your back the way a child looks at a chocolate cake.'"

We also get some mystery around Max's death in the 1930's as well as a possible relation between Max's family and Amanda's. Later, a psychic, brought in by Mark's mother, says she could feel Max's presence in Shops on Main, noting that the person – that is Max – may have fallen ill or have been poisoned.

"I can tell you one thing. Your son died because of someone else's secret. But that secret will soon be revealed."

I disliked that Amanda had to often repeat herself when she retelling certain events to her grandfather or other characters. I thought these could just be mentioned in narration rather than half long quotes in the book.

Apart from that, I think Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson is a five-star humour-filled read with loveable characters. I'd definitely pick up the following books in the series.

Overall rating: 5 stars

Keep up with the rest of the tour via Escape with Dolly Cas.

Update: This post originally included giveaways, which have ended have been removed for space (and to avoid endless scrolling!)

Update 2: Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson has made it to Nadaness In Motion's Top Books of 2019!

About the Author

Gayle Leeson is a pseudonym for Gayle Trent. Gayle has also written as Amanda Lee and Gayle Trent. As Amanda Lee, she wrote the Embroidery Mystery series, and as Gayle Trent, she writes the Daphne Martin Cake Mystery series and the Myrtle Crumb Mystery series.

Going forward, Gayle intends to keep her writing until the Gayle Leeson name. She has a series of women's fiction novellas set in a shopping mall that has been converted to include micro-apartments (the Kinsey Falls series) and has just begun this new cozy series, the Ghostly Fashionista Mystery series.

Another Down South Cafe novel is slated for release in August with book two in the Ghostly Fashionista series scheduled for October.

Connect with the Author by signing up for her Newsletter or via her Website, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, BookBub, and Amazon.

Purchase Designs on Murder by Gayle Leeson via Amazon

Keep up with the rest of the blog tour for Designs on Murder below through more book reviews, author and character interviews, guest posts, spotlights, and giveaways.

25 March– A Wytch's Book Review Blog - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW & T's Stuff – SPOTLIGHT

26 March– Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW & StoreyBook Reviews - REVIEW

27 March – The Avid Reader – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY & Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

28 March – Ruff Drafts – GUEST POST

29 March – Teresa Trent Author Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW & Books Direct – GUEST POST

30 March – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST & MJB Reviewers - REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

31 March Nadaness In Motion - REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY & Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW

1 April – Laura`s Interests - REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

2 April – Books a Plenty Book Reviews - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

3 April – Baroness' Book Trove - REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

4 April – Moonlight Rendezvous - REVIEW, GUEST POST & Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

5 April – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW

6 April – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT & REVIEWS at I'm All About Books and Melina's Book Blog

Spotlight & Giveaway for Murder Once Removed by S. C. Perkins

Murder Once Removed

(An Ancestor Detective Mystery)

by S. C. Perkins

Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: 19 March 2019
Hardcover: 336 pages
ISBN-10: 1250189039
ISBN-13: 978-1250189035
Digital ASIN: B07D2BJ2JT

S.C. Perkins' Murder Once Removed is the captivating first mystery in the Ancestry Detective series, in which Texas genealogist Lucy Lancaster uses her skills to solve murders in both the past and present.

Except for a good taco, genealogist Lucy Lancaster loves nothing more than tracking down her clients’ long-dead ancestors, and her job has never been so exciting as when she discovers a daguerreotype photograph and a journal proving Austin, Texas, billionaire Gus Halloran’s great-great-grandfather was murdered back in 1849. What’s more, Lucy is able to tell Gus who was responsible for his ancestor’s death.

Partly, at least. Using clues from the journal, Lucy narrows the suspects down to two nineteenth-century Texans, one of whom is the ancestor of present-day U.S. senator Daniel Applewhite. But when Gus publicly outs the senator as the descendant of a murderer—with the accidental help of Lucy herself—and her former co-worker is murdered protecting the daguerreotype, Lucy will find that shaking the branches of some family trees proves them to be more twisted and dangerous than she ever thought possible.

GIVEAWAYS!

Yes you read right. There is more than one giveaway. As part of the tour, I have an exclusive giveaway where you can win ONE copy of Murder Once Removed by S.C. Perkins. Giveaway is open to US residents ONLY! (Sorry author rules)

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There is a second giveaway for the whole tour by Lori Great Escapes, enter using the link (or widget) below

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About the Author

S.C. Perkins is a fifth-generation Texan who grew up hearing fascinating stories of her ancestry and eating lots of great Tex-Mex, both of which inspired the plot of her debut mystery novel. Murder Once Removed was the winner of the 2017 Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery competition. She resides in Houston and, when she’s not writing or working at her day job, she’s likely outside in the sun, on the beach, or riding horses.

Connect with S.C. Perkins via her Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Purchase links

IndieBound      Amazon     Barnes & Noble    Books-a-Million

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Keep up with the rest of the blog tour featuring interviews, giveaways, spotlights, author interviews and guest posts.

March 5 – The Power of Words – REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY 

March 5 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT

March 6 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 6 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – REVIEW*

March 7 – The Book Diva's Reads – GUEST POST

March 7 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

March 8 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 8 – Teresa Trent Author Blog – SPOTLIGHT

March 9 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT

March 9 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

March 10 – Nadaness In Motion - SPOTLIGHT, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

March 10 – That's What She's Reading – REVIEW

March 11 – Carole's Book Corner – SPOTLIGHT

March 11 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW

March 11 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST

March 12 – Valerie's Musings – REVIEW

March 12 – This is my truth now - REVIEW

March 13 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

March 13 – Devilishly Delicious Book Reviews – REVIEW

March 14 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW, RECIPE POST

March 14 – A Holland Reads – REVIEW

March 15 – Here's How It Happened – REVIEW

March 15 – Laura`s Interests – SPOTLIGHT

March 16 – MJB Reviewers – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

March 16 – Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

March 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower - REVIEW, INDIVIDUAL GIVEAWAY

March 18 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

March 18 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

Violin Words by Taylor Dean - Excerpt

Violin Words by Taylor Dean

When Jade Lockwood begins to receive anonymous love letters, she becomes a woman on a mission. She’s determined to figure out who wrote the flowery, over-the-top letters filled with the sweetest violin words she’s ever heard.

She’s neglected her love life, concentrating on Lockwood Cabins, the business her father built from the ground up. But her sweet letters have awakened something inside of her, something that can’t be ignored.

Facing Christmas alone this year, her emotions are already fragile. Add in a mysterious burglary, a handsome stranger, and a little deceit, and it just might be the most eventful Christmas she’s ever endured.

Will Jade find her happy ending? Or will her love letters prove to be nothing more than a sinister ploy?

Find out in this charming Christmas novel.

Get your copy on Amazon

Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Praise:

Don’t miss this fun, perfect holiday read by a master storyteller!
-Mylissa Demeyere, Author of The Songs of You and Me and The Songs that Brought Me Back

A sweet, heartwarming romance with a twist of mystery and suspense, all wrapped up in Christmas magic that makes this one hard to put down.
-Charissa Stastny, Author of The Ruled Out Romance Series

Excerpt from Violin Words by Taylor Dean

I have no clue whatsoever as to The Author of the one and only love letter I’ve ever received. I’ve neglected my love life, giving all of my attention to Lockwood Cabins. Now I realize what a mistake that has been. When I read the letter, I’m filled with sensations I didn’t know existed.

It’s as if I can physically feel the depth behind his words. I’m taken away to another world and I just want to float away, wrapped in his love.

The Author’s words are flowery and eloquent, stirring and moving. They’re as lyrical and achingly sweet as a few strokes from a violin.

Violin words.

Yes.

My letter is filled with violin words. All meant for me. And I love them.

A few simple chords from a violin inspires soul soaring emotion within me and leaves me breathless. Somehow the sound speaks to me and I have to close my eyes and thank God that I’m alive, if only to hear such a precious sound.

But when I read my love letter, my reaction is the same. Words alone have never had this effect on me. Plain and simple words—twenty-six letters all strung together in thousands of combinations—and together they form the most beautiful thoughts. I hold the letter to my chest and absorb the love.

It’s the sweetest torture, the most exquisite agony. I welcome it. To feel is to live, I know that now.

Wow. Just wow. Are those violin words really directed toward me? I always figured I’d meet someone and get married one day. But never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a man would speak to me like that. It sends a thrill through my body. Every time.

Author Taylor Dean

Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense—you’ll find all sub-genres of clean romance in her line-up.

Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads * Newsletter

Just a Name by Becky Monson - Excerpt

Book: Just a Name

Author: Becky Monson

Publication date: 8 October 2018

No. of pages: 320

Holly has a plan for everything. But she never could have planned for this.

If there’s one thing Holly Murphy loves, it’s a solid plan. She has her entire life figured out—or so she thinks. But when life pulls the rug out from under her, she’s left to deal with a canceled wedding—hers, to be precise. And the promotion she’s worked toward for years is now in jeopardy because the team she supervises doesn’t like her management style.

Thinking that Holly is too tightly wound and needs a break from everything, her boss demands she take a vacation. But how can she take a vacation when her promotion is on the line? Trying to help out, her best friend, Quinn, suggests she still go on her honeymoon and conduct a nationwide search to find a man with the same name as her ex-fiancé to use his plane ticket. Leaving Holly to wonder if she’s the only sane person left on the planet.

Yet when her boss gets wind of the idea and loves it, Holly finds herself in a corner she can’t get out of. And when handsome Nate Jones from Newport Beach gets picked to go with her, she wonders if this whole thing won’t be so bad after all.

Can Holly learn to let go? Or will this crazy adventure send her running right back to her safety net?

Get your copy on Amazon

Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Praise for Just A Name

“Just a Name is a delicious escape! I devoured every character, every moment, and every quirk and couldn’t get enough. This book is Becky Monson at her finest!” -Author Whitney Dineen

“Becky Monson has outdone herself with Just a Name. It’s FANTASTIC! I’m still swooning.” -Author Jennifer Peel

“Fans of romantic comedies should grab a copy of Just a Name; it has the perfect balance between sweet and sassy.”-Readers’ Favorite

"Full of fun, swoon, and humor, all topped with unexpected twists. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in these pages!" -Katie's Clean Book Collection

"I loved it. Becky Monson is so good at writing humor into her books. Sarcasm and wit reign supreme right along with a slow growing romance." - Aimee Brown from Getting Your Read On

Excerpt from Just a Name by Becky Monson

“Holly?” a deep voice says from behind me as I wait for my order at the Lava Java, a quaint coffee shop across the street from my office building.

Oh, please not now. Not now. Not. Now.

What’s next? A rainstorm? Actually, that’s highly likely with the smell of rain in the air, the rumble of thunder in the distance, and the ominous clouds I saw as I walked over here. Typical springtime in Orlando.

I turn around and find Logan Palmer standing there in dark jeans, a fitted black T-shirt, and flip-flops. Or, in other words, his standard outfit. The T-shirt color can vary from day to day, but that’s about it. His light-brown hair is disheveled, and the beginnings of stubble appear around his jaw.

“Logan,” I say, feeling like a big chunk of ice just landed in my belly.

So far this morning, I’ve found out my team hates me—and I could miss out on one of the biggest opportunities of my career because of it—and my boss wants me to run away on some crazy trip before I can even fix it.

And now? Now I run into Nathan’s best friend, roommate, and business partner, who has never liked me, and I’m quite sure is one of the reasons things ended like they did. The way Nathan broke it off wreaked of Logan, actually.

“How . . . are you?” he asks, his fingers extending and then clenching into fists at his sides. Even with my average height and three-inch heels he has to peer down at me, his sea-blue eyes searching my face as he does. He looks . . . nervous.

Author Becky Monson

By day, Becky Monson is a mother to three young children, and a wife. By night, she escapes with reading books and writing. An award-winning author, Becky uses humor and true-life experiences to bring her characters to life. She loves all things chick-lit (movies, books, etc.), and wishes she had a British accent. She has recently given up Diet Coke for the fiftieth time and is hopeful this time will last... but it probably won't.

GIVEAWAY TIME

$50 Amazon Gift Code or $50 in Paypal Cash - 

Ends 11/27/18

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. This giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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