Today, I’m launching Joe and Chip in Quarantine to the world. To celebrate this launch, I’m offering a free ebook and a fundraising giveaway for #GivingTuesday.
Daddy, what’s a quarantine?
Mommy, why can’t I play with my friends?
Life in the time of a quarantine can be hard and sometimes kids have trouble understanding what to do and why. That’s why I’ve written this book. I want to help kids and adults cope with the “new normal” that is a quarantine.
Meant for educational purposes, but still an enjoyable, light, and colorful read, Joe and Chip in Quarantine leaves you with an overall impression that this is what we have to do, for now, so let’s make the most of it.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
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MY MEMORY: I have so many wonderful holiday memories. It’s hard to pick just one. My family has many traditions that I look forward to every year. Being married means that my husband and I alternate our holidays between our sides of the family and I look forward to the different traditions that come with each group of people.
I will say, though, that one side is a bit more lively than the other. There are years that I miss the pajama parties, karaoke, caroling, talent shows, and more. And while I have no plans to go on another cruise (definitely not with my whole family), we did have fun during dinner time when my side of the family took a Christmas cruise a few years ago.
Still, I think my favorite memory, at the moment, has to be a bit of a holiday fail that we all now look back on and laugh at. While I adore the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie, several years back, my husband and I had a hard time convincing our family that it wasn’t as kid-appropriate as they thought, when not watching it on network television. Needless to say, there was lots of gasping and covering of eyes and ears during the viewing, at a time when all my sister’s kids were still in middle and elementary school. At least, now, as adults when we watch it we can all laugh and be grateful that the kids weren’t scarred for life.
Definitely the look my mom made when she realized that watching this as a family was not such a good idea until the grandkids were older.
New Picture Book Release from Elaine Kaye
BLURB: On Christmas Eve, Gregory and Sammy get a special visitor—Santa Claus! Santa brings them on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world and to the North Pole. Bundle up and come along for the ride!
Elaine Kaye is the author of A Gregory Green Adventure series. She created Gregory Green after her son, who loved her homemade pea soup.
Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher’s assistant in elementary schools. She currently lives in Florida, but has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home.
Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.
For those who don’t know, I’m still in recovery, so this will be a little different than my usual IWSG post.
Optional Monthly Question: What personal traits have you written into your character(s)?
For the first time, I’m skipping the optional question, though it is a pretty good one.
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Today I’m sharing a book review and a spotlight.
Goodreads
What would you do if your hubby signed the two of you up for an extreme diet?
Life without chocolate and junk food—completely miserable. Finding someone poisoned by a cake—even worse.
Mollie thought she had enough problems to deal with when her husband threw out all of her chocolate and junk food. But when someone is poisoned during a cake baking competition, she’s thrust into another murder investigation.
While she tries to identify the killer, Coconut Cove’s annual boating festival is in full swing. In between getting ready for her first sailing race and cheating on her diet, Mollie and her cat, Mrs. Moto, uncover clues, interview suspects, and do their best to avoid rutabagas.
Can Mollie nab the murderer before someone else is poisoned?
Poisoned by the Pier is the third book in the light, humorous, and original Mollie McGhie cozy sailing mystery series. If you like kooky characters, adorable cats, and plenty of chocolate, you’ll love this cozy mystery. Buy Poisoned by the Pier today and laugh out loud from the first page to the last.
Spoiler Alert: You’ll never look at rutabagas the same way again after you finish reading this book!
Poisoned by the Pier can be read as a standalone book, but you’ll have more fun if you start at the beginning of the series with Murder at the Marina.
Book #1—Murder at the Marina
Book #2—Bodies in the Boatyard
Book #3—Poisoned by the Pier
Book #4—Dead in the Dinghy (late 2019)
My 4-star review: “Actual rating 4.5
This is the third book in this series, but it’s the first one I’ve read. I will definitely go back to read the first two in the series. This was such a fun and cute story, despite the murder.
I haven’t read a lot of cozy mysteries, but if they are all like this, I could definitely read more.
Even though this is the third in this series, I did not feel lost in the plot or disassociated from the characters. Plus, there are pets in this story and I adore animals. If it weren’t for my allergies I’m sure I’d be more of a cat person than I am, but even so, Mrs. Moto stole the show more than once. Just so cute.
My only concerns about this lovely read are: 1) the mystery didn’t begin until almost a quarter of the way through the book. Leading up to the mystery there was some great character development and world-building, but I was beginning to worry I was reading a contemporary and not a mystery. 2) the way the mystery was solved was clever but it seemed a little too easy. Still, it was satisfying. I mean, this is a cozy mystery, not a suspense thriller.
This was a truly fun read. I look forward to reading more from this author and in this series. Highly recommended to fans of cozy mysteries, humorous fiction, and character-driven stories.
Disclaimer: I read a digital ARC of this story in exchange for an honest review. This review is solely based on my reading experience and personal opinion.”
Get your copy of this fun read at the links below:
Ellen Jacobson is one of our lovely co-hosts this month. Be sure to give her a visit.
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Now, on to the personal updates.
I have been very sick for a long time. I’m getting better every day, but it’s been a rough road. I have many things I want to do, but I have to put my health first or I won’t be around to do anything.
Posting my review for Poisoned by the Pier and putting this post together are the most writing I’ve done in a long time (plus, I have so many other reviews that need to be written). I’ve even been struggling to read, which regretfully explains why I haven’t responded to comments on this blog and am still working my way through the WEP submissions for June. I got an email letting me know I won one of the awards. I’m so thrilled and appreciative of what this writing challenge has helped me accomplish. Even though the contest is over, I will still make an effort to finish reading the submitted stories, the topic was so varied and compelling.
I’m trying to get back to full capacity at my day job because I need the money, but it too is a slow process. For that reason, I’m asking for thoughts and prayers. Not just for me, but for any of us trying to do the things we love and live our lives, while also dealing with unexpected and or challenging illnesses.
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Thanks for stopping by. It may take some time, but I will stop by your blog too.
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