Finding Faith by April A. Luna - Book Tour + Giveaway
SOUL MATE TREE SERIES
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GENRE: Fantasy
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BLURB:
An ancient legend spanning eras, continents, and worlds.
To some, it’s nothing more than a dream.
To others, a pretty fairy tale handed down through the generations.
For those in critical need of their own happy ending, a gift.
THE LEGEND OF THE SOUL MATE TREE
I am old, I am ancient, my purpose is clear
To give those who are needy a treasure so dear.
They who come to my roots, touch my bark, stroke my leaves
Find the soul of their lives if they but believe.
When I call and you listen, your prize will be great
If your heart remains open and you don’t hesitate.
Do you yearn? Be you lonely? Is your time yet at hand?
Reach for me and I’ll give to you. I’m yours to command.
For your trust, for your faith, keep my secrets untold
And I’ll gift you forever, to have and to hold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Guest Post
BLURB
Faith Kometo cleans out the church coffers of a quaint
village, flees on foot from pitchfork-wielding townsfolk, and ends up entangled
in the veil between parallel worlds by a primordial spirit with Hayden Cox, an
elite scout with the Order of Hunters, hot on her trail.
It’s taken Hayden two years and three timelines to trap his
gargouille prey—a member of the Kometo clan. Now that he has his target in
hand, he’ll stop at nothing to unearth the truth behind the order, genocide,
and love’s pull.
EXCERPT
“Behind you,” Hayden’s voice echoed.
A whirling blue-green light spun around Faith, twirling her
body. Bursts of light blinded her, making her eyes water.
‘I am old, infinite,’ said a feminine voice. ‘I am ancient.’
“Yeah. Like time itself.” Faith rubbed her eyes. “You said
that already.” She glanced around but only flashing balls of light swirled.
“Where are you?” A tree. How the hell was she inside the trunk of a tree?
‘My purpose is clear.’
“To you, perchance.” Faith surveyed the vicinity. Nothing
but a light show filled her vision. “Ya care to share because what you want
isn’t transparent to me?” She fought against the empty space. “How about you,
hunter? Is it clear to you?” She eyed Hayden, scrutinizing his every move.
“Show yourself.” Hayden pressed a finger to his lips. “Why’d
you bring us here?” He motioned with his index finger for Faith to remain quiet
and observe. “What do you want?”
‘To give those who are needy, such as yourselves, a treasure
so dear.’
“Exactly, what are we talkin’ about?” Faith followed a string
of glowing threads. “Gold. Silver. Chromite Ore?”
‘They who come to my roots, with an opened heart, touch my
bark, stroke my leaves. Find the one true soul mate of their lives.’
“Um . . . About that.” Faith shook her head. Who the hell
does this being think she is? “Yeah. I won’t be touching or stroking anything,
especially your bark or leaves, and just so you know, I’m not in the market for a mate.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Guest Post
My take on critique and writer groups.
Critique groups are like
ideas, they’re a dime a dozen—or so the old cliched saying goes. In other
words, if one group doesn’t feel like a right fit, as in a Cinderella shoe fit,
then it’s time to move on to a new one. Test the waters. Don’t be afraid.
Ask your writer self,
“What do you hope or expect to gain from this group?”
Be honest with yourself.
Some people seek out a community of like-minded individuals to socialize.
Whereas, others require something a bit more stringent, such as a
well-structured schedule of chapter swapping with extensive feedback on world
building and character development. So, knowing what your personal needs are,
as well as expectations of the group, and what’s expected of you, goes a long
way in ensuring satisfaction.
Once the type of critique
group is decided upon, one should shop around—it’s that Cinderella shoe fit
situation again. Many writer groups are fantastic for some people; however, a
single group isn’t right for all the people all of the time, so it pays to
window shop.
At thirteen, my daughter
took an interest in writing. We scoured the town in search of a teen-friendly
group. And in the spirit of fairy tales, we had a Goldilocks’s experience. One
was too hard to get a word in edgewise; one was far too soft and relaxed when
it came to adult content read out loud—if you know what I mean; the third,
small and intimate, consisting of only four people, provided a perfect fit.
However, as with many groups, life gets in the way and people go their separate
ways.
“I have an idea.” My
daughter bounced in the back door one afternoon, a smile danced upon her lips.
“We can start a group. One open to all ages and every genre.” Her rosy cheeks
glowed with a touch of sun. “And we can set the rules.”
With the idea voiced, she
set out to find a sponsor. Forty-eight hours later, we had our first meeting
with the San Antonio Public Library, and a few weeks after that, the Tobin
Writers’ Group graced the library calendar.
Now, almost eight years
later, the group still running strong, has turned out countless writers: poets,
fiction and creative non-fiction short story authors, essay writers, bloggers,
novelists, and a host of others. A critique group or writers’ group is what one
makes out of it, and finding the right fit is paramount.
So, as my daughter and I
often tell people, “It’s okay to shop around. Kick a few tires. Look in the
window to view the bones of the place.”
One of the most valuable
aspects of a critique group, or writers’ group, in my viewpoint, is the ability
to see one’s work (or someone else’s) through a different lens. As a writer, I
often find I can lose touch with perspective when fully emerged in a body of
work, so a critique from a second, third, or even fourth set of eyes provides a
fresh view of my project I often can’t see until pointed out.
Now, critiques on one’s
baby (project) can be hard to hear. However, feedback is an essential part of
the process. Even today, I recall my first round of comments. I sniffed back
the rising emotions threating to breach the threshold of my already fragile
writer’s eye and soul. And what I can tell you is that it hurt, but I learned a
valuable lesson. Critiques are subjective opinions made by one’s peers to
improve a body of work. However, they aren’t a personal attack. It took me a
few rounds of edits to learn this simplistic rule, as well as how to turn off
my emotional response in order to view the comments from an educational stance
of, “What can I do better. What nuggets do I keep, and what do I toss out?”
Over the course of a
writing journey, my daughter has been by my side. She is my muse, my
inspiration, and one of the most talented writers I know. Much of what I’ve
learned over the years, I must give credit to her—she is an old soul with
wisdom far beyond her years. In all honesty, she taught me the value of a
critique group, as well as how a writer’s group enables growth. So, in closing,
I’ll leave you with a few of her words of wisdom that have helped me move
forward.
“Go forth and explore the
world. Expand your horizon by stepping outside of your comfort zone. For by
pushing yourself, you learn who you are at the core. And who are you? You’re a
bright star burning with stories to tell. So, breathe life into each spark, and
then sit back and enjoy the show.”
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BIO
April A. Luna (also writes as Michelle L. De La Garza) is an American
freelance writer and poet who lives with her husband and children in Texas.
She has an extensive background as an operational training manager writing
corporate curriculum and facilitating training sessions.
April holds degrees in BSBF, HRMS, and an MFA in Creative Writing (fiction,
poetry, & scriptwriting). You may reach her on Facebook by
clicking on the desired pen name: April A. Luna or Michelle L. De La Garza
Are you interested in obtaining April A. Luna's/Michelle L. De La Garza’s latest book releases
April A. Luna Amazon Page:
https://www.amazon.com/April-A.-Luna/e/B00LUXH8W4/
Michelle L. De La Garza Amazon Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Michelle-L.-De-La-Garza/e/B00N2ENPT4/
Newsletter:
http://www.aprilaluna.com/contact.html
April's Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAprilALuna/
Michelle's Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/MichelleLDeLaGarza/
Amazon Buy Link:
https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Faith-Soul-Mate-Tree-ebook/dp/B0781VSPKJ/ref=sr_1_1
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
One randomly drawn commenter will receive a $50 Amazon/BN GC.
19 Comments
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteYes. Thanks for hosting Finding Faith. :)
DeleteYou're very welcome! :)
DeleteMy family and I all appreciate you bringing to our attention the book description of another great book to read. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteHello James. We, the authors of The Soul Mate Tree, want to express our thanks to you and your family for following the series' book tour. It is always nice to hear from readers. :)
DeleteI liked the excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and for following the series. :)
DeleteDid you have any alternative titles for the book?
ReplyDeleteFunny you should ask this question. I think I drove my editors crazy with trying to find the right title and story for this collection. Oddly enough, I wrote one body of work, which ended up taking on a life of its own and before I knew it, that novella turned into a full-length novel. So, I ended up writing a new novella specifically for the series, which is now known as Finding Faith.
DeleteWho is your favorite literary charachter?
ReplyDeleteOh, I have many. Some that come to mind immediately . . . Charlie from Stephen King's Firestarter, James Patterson's Detective Cross (the series), Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches, especially characters Lasher and Ashla from the third novel in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches titled Taltos.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking part in the blog tour. It was so great working with April on the Soul Mate Tree series, and Finding Faith was such a wonderful addition to the series.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :)
DeleteThank you for hosting April and the series. I loved working on the project with so many talented authors :-) Great take on critiquing and writing groups, April!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome! :)
DeleteThank you for the excerpt and the guest post. The series is very interesting will start them this summer =D
ReplyDeleteYou have a special nook in your home in which you love to write?
ReplyDeleteGood blurbs, looks so interesting! Love these book covers.
ReplyDeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.