Book HookUp is a delightful haven for book enthusiasts, especially those keen on discovering indie reads and emerging authors. Its emphasis on clean fiction and young adult literature creates a welcoming environment for readers seeking wholesome and engaging stories for the reading community.
Don't miss author Doris Roper's guest post on her next blog tour stop scheduled to promote her book WAKE UP Your Life. Stop by Life Wealth http://life-wealth.blogspot.com/ on January 9 to see what
For more information about Doris Roper and her virtual tour, check the schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/12/wake-up-your-life-by-doris-roper.html
Details to purchase her book: http://www.witinstitute.com/wake_up.html
Donna Sundblad
We've got an exciting blog tour lined up this month with Doris Roper, author of the WAKE UP Your Life. This book is a ticket for your journey to an amazing life. Along the way, you will have the opportunity to:
Each tour stop offers the chance to comment or ask questions. We would like to hear from you and
Prizes:
Five random commenters who leave a comment during the tour will have the opportunity to win a free Gold membership at the Smart Woman's Success Connection (which includes a copy of her book in audio and PDF. Each and every comment provides you with an additional entry in the giveaway. http://www.witinstitute.com/membership/success.html
On January 5, whet your appetite with an excerpt from
And don't miss My Single Mom Life http://www.mysinglemomlife.com/blog/index.php/ on January 7 to read a fresh review of WAKE UP Your Life.
For more information about Doris Roper and her virtual tour, check the schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/12/wake-up-your-life-by-doris-roper.html
Details to purchase her book: http://www.witinstitute.com/wake_up.html
Donna Sundblad
It's here, the Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tour Gift Guide for 2008. This gift guide makes shopping easy and showcases many people I worked with in 2008. There is a wide variety of products to entertain, teach, and show you ways to improve your business and personal life. If you're looking for gifts, shop from the convenience of your computer and choose from the many great gift ideas found in the pages of this gift guide.
We are sharing:
· Young Adult Fantasy – Conor and the Crossworlds Series, Wind walker & Beyond the Fifth Gate
· Writing Fantasy – Pumping Your Muse
· Historic Romantic Suspense – Bloodstone Castle, Widow’s Walk, Lady Lightkeeper
· Contemporary Suspense - Bobby’s Diner, In the Arms of the Enemy & Lilah and the Locket
· Business - Being A Sales Superstar
· Promotion - Email Marketing, Book Promo 101, Book Promo 201
· Management - Transformational Power
· Money and Manifesting – Other Items in The Spiritual Toolbox
· Kundalini Yoga DVD’s and Energy Rejuvenating Exercise Flip Charts
· The Sage Age: Blending Science with Intuitive Wisdom
· Politics – How Obama Won & The Ethnic Presidency
· True Story – My Father, My Don: A Son’s Journey From Organized Crime and Sobriety
· True Story – Vietnam Air Rescues
· CD’s and DVD by Dyan Garris – Relaxation Music & Automatic Chakra Balance
· DVD’s by Gurutej – Kundalini Yoga, Energy Exercise Flip Charts and Chakra Pillows
· Travel Through Time with Terry L White – she offers a wide variety of books
You can download your free gift guide at www.nikkileigh.com/gift_guide_
Dianne Ascroft is a Canadian writer, living in Britain. She has been freelance writing since 2002. Most of her writing focuses on history, arts/music and human interest stories. Her articles have been printed in Canadian and Irish newspapers and magazines including the Toronto Star, Mississauga News, Derry Journal, Banbridge Leader and Ireland’s Own magazine. ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ is her first novel.
Dianne is currently on a Virtual Book Tour which continues until December 24. The full tour schedule is available at www.dianneascroft.wordpress.
Also, please drop by her website at www.geocities.com/dianne_
‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ is the story of a German boy, Erich, growing up in war-torn Germany and post-war rural Ireland. Set against the backdrop of Operation Shamrock, a little known Irish Red Cross project which aided German children after World War II, the novel explores a previously hidden slice of Irish and German history.
‘Hitler and Mars Bars’ is available to order from www.trafford.com, many online book shops, including www.amazon.co.uk, and her website.
I have just finished reading Dianne Ascroft’s wonderful story entitled ‘Hitler and Mars Bars’. It’s a riveting story of a young German boy Erich from the industrialised Ruhr area of Germany. During the Second World War, buildings and industry were demolished but so were families and communities too. Erich’s mother is killed in the bombing. He and his brother Hans are left to fend for themselves.
It was then that they became part of Operation Shamrock, which was an Irish Red Cross project designed to help German children recover from the deprivation of the war. Southern Ireland was accused of being ambivalent in its attitude to Hitler. Yet Ireland was one of the first countries, through the Red Cross, to send donations to help the children in Germany.
As a result the German Save the Children Society was formed with the aim of bringing German children to Ireland to save them from starvation. With the help of the Irish Red Cross, many children were brought to Ireland - mainly to Glencree in Wicklow. When they were sufficiently cared for, they were fostered to families all over Ireland. Most of the children returned to Germany in the early 1950s but about 50 of them remained permanently in Ireland.
Dianne Ascroft’s story is based on Operation Shamrock, but the characters, including Erich, are fictional.
Throughout the book we follow the stories of these children, some of whom met good, caring families but others were treated horrifically. We read the stories of both in this excellently written book.
Traversing the country, we get to know the children, their families, the hard work entailed in running a farm in rural Ireland in those difficult times.
But most of all we get the human stories. As a novel it is extraordinarily well researched. It could form the basis of a revealing film script.
It is already an award winning novel for this Canadian born writer who has come to settle in Brookeborough in Co Fermanagh. Beautifully written with a strong human story running through it, it’s an ideal read for these summer days.
Brian D’Arcy, BBC broadcaster, Sunday World columnist, author, journalist,
June 2008
THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE
Bredenscheid, near Hattingen, Germany
March 1945
“Wake up, Erich,” his mother said softly.
Leaning over him, she gently shook his shoulder. Shrugging away from her touch, he turned over in the narrow metal bed. She shook a bit harder and he opened his eyes, squinting at her silhouette in the moonlight.
“Mutti! You’re here!” Erich sat up and threw his arms around her neck.
“Yes. Get up, quickly now.”
“I knew you’d come!” he cried.
“Shh…don’t wake the other children,” she hushed him as she pulled back his thin, woollen blanket.
Shivering in the cold air, he jumped out of bed and scurried the few steps to the fireplace. The embers from the fire, set before bedtime, still glowed and occasionally crackled in the open grate. The waning fire radiated a modest heat and Erich savoured its warmth. The moon was low in the early evening sky, but its light streamed through the partly drawn curtains.
Erich’s mother pulled his white cotton nightshirt over his head and he hunched forward, shivering as cold draughts eddied around him. She quickly threaded his arms into his shirt. Erich squirmed against the prickly fabric which scratched at his back.
“It’s itchy! I don’t want to wear it!”
“You don’t have anything else so you must. Hurry now!” she urged him.
She pulled up his short brown trousers and leaned over to lace his boots. She pushed his arms into his ragged woollen coat, then pulled it firmly around him, noticing how baggy it was.
“You are so thin!” she exclaimed. “You must eat!”
“They don’t give us much. And it’s rotten! It makes me sick. And I’m so tired,” he complained.
The food shortage was severe as the war drew to an end. Everyone struggled to get enough to eat. Malnutrition and the poor quality of available food frequently made the children ill. To conserve energy they went to bed after their evening meal.
She frowned, looking at him. The waist of his trousers was loose and his bony knees seemed large on his thin legs.
Putting her arm around his shoulder, she ushered him out of the dormitory and down the stairs. At the foot of the stairs Erich stopped. “Mutti has come for me, T-T-Tante Gretchen!” he called excitedly to the staff member standing in the downstairs hall. Nodding to the woman as they passed, his mother said, “I will return him by breakfast. Good night.”
As they stepped out of the door the darkness enveloped them; no street lights lit their way. Their eyes adjusted to it as they walked briskly down the country lane. Erich held tightly to his mother’s hand. He pressed against her, almost tripping her in his eagerness to be close to her on this rare visit.
For more information about Kevin Gerard and his virtual tour, check the schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/10/virtual-book-tour-conor-and-crossworlds.html
Amazon Link for Conor and the Crossworlds http://tinyurl.com/6lqas2
For more information on Kevin Gerard, visit his website http://www.conorandthecrossworlds.com.
Donna Sundblad
Tour Coordinator Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours
www.theinkslinger.net
For more information about Kevin Gerard and his virtual tour, check the schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/10/virtual-book-tour-conor-and-crossworlds.html
Amazon Link for Conor and the Crossworlds http://tinyurl.com/6lqas2
For more information on Kevin Gerard, visit his website http://www.conorandthecrossworlds.com.
Donna Sundblad
Tour Coordinator Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours
Today I welcome Tony Napoli to Book Hookup on his virutal book tour. For his complete schedule visit: Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours.
My Father, My Don: A Son’s Journey from Organized Crime to Sobriety
Tony “Tony Nap”
Tony’s autobiography is a bold recounting of the confidential world that he and his father inhabited. In candid, no-holds-barred language, Tony describes his life as boxer, army soldier, enforcer, casino boss, fugitive, hustler, and offspring to one of the most powerful mobsters of the century.
Leave a comment here for a chance to win a copy of his book.
Interview with Tony Napoli
You're family history is unique with involvement in organized crime, but at home your family was close. What was it like in your home as a boy, and what do you think modern day families miss from their separation from the extended family?
My family is unique in the sense that through my Father's connections, politically and celebrity wise, I grew up in an atmosphere of influential people. Mostly organized crime people. When the old-timers got pinched (arrested) for association with organized crime people, they would say "my life is so disorganized, I consider that a compliment." What made my family even closer with friends more so than others was the fact that I was taught by my Father, to call all close friends, Uncle or Aunt. Even though they weren't blood related. As a young man I was taught to help my Mother wash and dry the dishes every night before I did my homework or go out for a couple of hours to hang out. Dinner in my house was always at
During the week, after school was out I had to take the bus to the Trinity Club and meet my trainer, who taught me about the art of boxing. My father wanted me to know how to defend myself. In fact it was mandatory in my household. He allowed me to enter amateur boxing events, and I was able to spar in the gym with the professional fighters, he promoted. I did all that until I was 20 years old. In October, 1955 my father encouraged me to join the Military to help defend this great country of ours. I decided to join the US Air Force, Strategic Air Command (SAC) under General Curtis La May. I feel that in today's world, we lack family tradition, discipline and accepting Mommy and Daddy as the true heads of our families.
What inspired you to write My Father, My Don?
It was on my 26th birthday when I decided to start writing my book. So, those of you who will read my book, chapter 2 will explain about the time my father came into my bedroom and caught me in the act of writing. He glanced threw my notes and destroyed them, because I mentioned names. He disapproved. Later that day, it was my mother who saw the tears in my eyes, and encouraged me to pen my autobiography as I got older. She said, "You will have a lot more to say." She died of cancer on
How did you go about writing your story? Was it all from memory, or did you have letters or other documents to work from?
I started working on my story again in 2002 after my wife, Laura, showed me her scrap book of newspaper articles she had saved. Most of the articles are about my father, when he was making headlines. Some are of me being arrested for loan sharking and for illegal gambling. I decided to hire a writer, and with my help put together a thousand pages of excerpts. In those excerpts is a trail of documented material about my grandparents, my father, my mother and names of business associate's who did business with my father and me. I accumulated a lot of information about my family tree from relatives and close family friends. Other information came from books where my father was mentioned. I found that paying three writers a fee in the past five years, was the most protective way for me to go along with the support of my immediate family and my estate. Most of my excerpts were put into story form by me and my memory.
Tell us a little about Charles Messina.
When it comes to Charles Messina, I met him through a mutual friend who actually thought Charles wasn't the writer to do the book with me. I found Charles to be dedicated and unknown. He showed me his desire to work long hours, and worked with me for two of the last five years I put into my story. He's a graduate of NYU and is known for writing screenplays and directing off Broadway shows. He's a very passionate and private person who doesn't party. He has a wife and a six-year-old, who he dedicates his whole life to.
How long did it take you to write your book? Did you ever struggle with writer's block? And did you use any tricks to prevent you from straying from finishing the book?
It took me and three other writers a total of five years to write and complete my book. There were times that I got confused when putting excerpts into story form. Such as, putting together years, dates and places in the right places. So, that nothing would stand in the way of completing my book, I would be on the computer late at night when it was quiet in the house, e-mailing my writers. We would go back and forth e-mailing each other, till the wee hours of the morning for years and months at a time.
How do you family and friends feel about My Father, My Don?
When I mentioned to my family and friends about my doing an Autobiography, most of my friends said to me, "Well, it's about time." My family, being very disciplined in following tradition in the household agreed. Their answer: "You're in control, Dad, whatever you think is best for us, go to it." It was a close friend of the family's that picked out the title for me, My Father, My Don. That's because he was involved with me in some of my escapades.
If you had it to do over again, would you do anything differently?
I financed my book as a self publisher in connection with a licensed publisher. With the experience I gained in book publishing, I might want to search around more thoroughly for both writers and publishers, before I made a deal. And, I would make sure that all errors, whether typo's or proof reading is correct, before the final edition goes to print.
Visit Tony's website for a
Book for sale here: http://www.napoli.beckhamhouse.com/#
Call in and talk with Tony Napoli, author of My Father, My Don on Meet the Author Blog Talk Radio http://www.blogtalkradio.com/dennisngriffin today, November 25 at
Tony Napoli's autobiography, My Father, My Don is a bold recounting of the confidential world that he and his father inhabited. Tony “Tony Nap”
Visit Tony's website for a
Book for sale here: http://www.napoli.beckhamhouse.com/#
Donna Sundblad
Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours
Don't miss Kevin Gerard, author of Conor and the Crossworlds series, as he stops by to talk with Nikki Leigh on Promo 101 Create and Promote Blog Talk Radio, November 25 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nikkileigh at 3:00 EST. Kevin will talk about his Conor and the Crossworlds young adult fantasy series. Book Three has just been released and Books Four and Five are in the works. Join Kevin and Nikki to learn more about the work of a young adult fantasy author. He welcomes your questions during the show. Call in number is (347) 215-8201. Callers are entered for a chance to win a copy of his book.
Visit Kevin's website http://www.conorandthecrossworlds.com where you can download a free Conor and the Crossworlds ebook and keep tabs on the upcoming release of Surviving an Altered World which is due out in December. In it Conor and Janine watch in horror as a powerful warrior sent by the Circle of Evil destroys their world and imprisons everyone they know. The Lady of the Light explains that she and her kind deposited the five keys of the creators on different worlds just before the chaos began. If Conor and Janine can recover the keys, the Crossworlds will be restored.
Join in the hunt for the keys by clicking on the contest video on his website to learn the exciting details regarding The Hunt for the Five Keys of the Creators. The contest begins in January.
For more information about Kevin Gerard and his virtual tour, check the schedule at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/10/virtual-book-tour-conor-and-crossworlds.html
Amazon Link for Conor and the Crossworlds http://tinyurl.com/6lqas2
For more information on Kevin Gerard, visit his website http://www.conorandthecrossworlds.com.
Donna Sundblad
Tony Napoli's autobiography, My Father, My Don is a bold recounting of the confidential world that he and his father inhabited. Tony “Tony Nap”
Visit Tony's website for a
Book for sale here: http://www.napoli.beckhamhouse.com/#
Donna Sundblad
Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours
November 19
Take a moment to stop by and post a comment to these two authors for a chance to win a copy of their book. It could make a great Christmas gift!
Read an excerpt from author Kevin Gerard's Conor and the Crossworlds series at Angela Verdenius' blog http://www.myspace.com/angelaverdenius. Also learn more about joining in the hunt for the keys by clicking on the contest video on his website to learn the exciting details regarding The Hunt for the Five Keys of the Creators. The contest begins in January.
And be sure to check out what Tony Napoli has to share on Before I Was Published http://beforeiwaspublished.blogspot.com/. Learn about his life growing up as the son of one of the most powerful and respected organized crime leaders of the modern era. Tony’s father was Genovese Family Capo, James “Jimmy Nap”
Donna Sundblad
Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours
Author Kevin Gerard discusses the writing process and his young adult fantasy series Conor and the Crossworlds at Queen of Convolution http://cfvici.blogspot.com. Stop by and ask a question or leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of one of his books. Also learn more about joining in the hunt for the keys by clicking on the contest video on his website to learn the exciting details regarding The Hunt for the Five Keys of the Creators. The contest begins in January.
Tony Napoli author of My Father, My Don will be interviewed at The Book Connection Interview http://www.thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/. Tony “Tony Nap”
Donna Sundblad
Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours