Finding a father--CRAWDAD by Lisa T. Cresswell

What a great way to start off the New Year--with a chance to win a book, of course!

Author, Lisa T. Cresswell, is introducing us to her gut-wrenching young adult novel, CRAWDAD.  You'll find the Rafflecopter entry form to win a copy of this new release at the bottom of this post.

All the best to you and yours in 2017!

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Welcome to the Crawdad Book Blog Tour!

For the whole month of January, my new contemporary young adult novel Crawdad, will be featured on the blogs of some of my besties - authors and book bloggers who support the readers and writers of  diverse YA - and I couldn't be more pleased. I hope you can visit them all and enter the giveaway.  Here's the schedule:

Magic of the Muses - Eileen Schuh January 1
Rich in Variety January 8
Beth Fehlbaum Books January 15
CJ Burright January 22
Twinjas Book Reviews January 29

~About the Book~

Seventeen-year-old Jamil Ramos grew up on Alabama’s Gulf Coast believing his mom, Loretta, was his only living relative. She put a trumpet in his hands as a toddler and sparked his love of jazz. But when Loretta drops a bomb on Jamil from her deathbed- she’s not his mama and his daddy is still alive, living in Charleston, S.C. – his world is turned upside down.

Now, with the only mama he’s ever known gone and the Loyola University trumpet audition less than a week away, Jamil has trouble feeling his music. When his band teacher tells him to get it together, Jamil decides to hitchhike to South Carolina over to find his father and get his questions answered. All he has is a name –Leon Ramos.

Jamil relies on the kindness of the strangers he meets-a gay teen kicked out of his home, a runaway prostitute, and a street musician-as he makes his way across Florida and Georgia trying to avoid the cops along the way. But when Jamil is robbed of his most prized possession, his trumpet, his plans go anywhere but where he’d hoped. That trumpet was supposed to be his ticket for a scholarship, the only way to college his mama could give him. Lost and alone without it, Jamil wonders if finding his father is worth risking his future.

You can find Crawdad in print and e-book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads!

~About the Author~

Lisa T. Cresswell has been writing middle grade and young adult books for what seems like a mighty long time. She can never seem to make up her mind if she likes reality or fantasy, so she writes both. She also likes lemon jasmine green tea, dark chocolate almonds, and lots and lots of coffee. And of course, BOOKS. ALL THE BOOKS!! You can see all of her work at www.lisatcresswell.com 

~Enter the Giveaway~

Enter to win one of three copies of Crawdad to be given away in January!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Finding a father...CRAWDAD has been brought to you by 

OPERATION MAXTRACKER

 

 "Then unspeakable tragedy strikes..."

What the reviewers say:
" I was inexorably drawn in to this dark and claustrophobic world of coercion, mysterious antagonisms and deep mistrust..."






Eileen Schuh, Author
OPERATION MAXTRACKER
SHADOW RIDERS
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrӧdinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

It's Destiny

Author Melissa Wray is celebrating the second anniversary of her novel, DESTINY ROAD, with an emotional behind-the-scenes look at the writing of the book as well as a fantastic Rafflecopter draw.

Tell us about DESTINY ROAD, Melissa.

What sparked the idea to write Destiny Road?

Recently Melissa Wray was asked this question by Uncommon YA. Here is her very personal response.

We moved to North Queensland when I was 14. After a year or so Mum could see that something about Townsville and I did not mix. Strangely enough it was her suggestion to ring my dad and ask if I could move back south.

So I did. Then I packed my bags and moved 3,000km away to live with him. This decision is what sparked the idea for Destiny Road.

Now I never set out to write this story, let alone have it published. It just kind of happened. It came about because one night I was lying in bed and couldn’t sleep. There was an unspoken conversation going on in my mind. It was a conversation that I regret not having and has played on my mind over the years. This particular night it got the better of me so I got up and began to write. It wasn’t until after I read through those mad ramblings a couple of weeks later that I thought hmmm … I could create a story from this. So I began writing. I passed my 10,000 word milestone. Then 20 then 30 then before I knew it 50,000 words had been typed.

You see I think about that one phone call I made all those years ago sometimes. I have often thought about how that decision, that one pivotal moment that is talked about in Destiny Road, really did change the course of my life. I’m sure as you're reading this you can look back over your life, and pinpoint one moment that has shaped it in a big way. I truly believe that Dad saying yes when I asked was a determining factor in how things have turned out for me.

One afternoon I was sitting with him. He got to talking about his philosophy on life and death. Dad had been fighting a battle against cancer for a while at this point and I was kneeling next to him as he sat on his reclining chair. He was holding my hand as he shared these ideas on life and death. He said to me "It’s cool.

Whatever happens, it’s cool." My dad used cool a lot when he spoke. He was pretty cool. He was also a big believer in God. So that afternoon he said "It’s cool if I die because I get to meet my maker." ‘Then he said "But it’s cool if I live because I get to be with the ones I love." This was his philosophy. Either way was cool with him.

I remember kneeling there, holding his hand and wishing I could say thankyou to him. Thanks for saying yes all those years ago. Thanks for that pivotal moment in my life. I wanted him to know how much that meant. But I couldn’t. I just couldn’t get those words out. 

That night he passed away.

I never did get to tell him and have regretted that for the past 10 years. So you see once the spark to write Destiny Road was lit, it had to finished. It was my tribute, my thankyou and I am beyond thrilled it was published.

Now I’m not going to bore you with my views on life and death but I can’t help but wonder something, because anyone who knew my dad, Rod Morris, and anyone who knew his sense of humour ... well I can’t help but wonder if there wasn’t a helping hand when Morris Publishing (no relation) chose to publish Destiny Road. I like to think so.

It's hard to believe two years has passed since the launch of Destiny Road. To celebrate there is a chance to win 2 x $20 Gift Cards, ENTER NOW!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To connect with Melissa:

FACEBOOK

BLOG

Read the 1st chapter of Destiny Road FREE.

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It's Destiny has been brought to you by:

THE TRAZ 

A girl, a biker gang and an undercover cop

"Great Strong Story--a wonderful read"
"It was hard to put down (even for sleep)" 

“a very clever piece of writing" 

"Exciting, powerful, & tragic. Young adult book for all ages" 

 “A compelling read that will keep you turning pages” 

Eileen Schuh, Author
DISPASSIONATE LIES
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ

THE TRAZ: "viceral, relentless"

THE TRAZ is my debut novel and that makes it very special. It is also the first book in my BackTracker Series—the launching pad for a life-time of stories told to me by the wonderful BackTracker characters.

THE TRAZ is about how these fascinating characters all met—way back in 1995-96 on the Canadian prairie in the rustic cabins of the THE TRAZ biker gang compound. Young Katrina Buckhold was only thirteen, grieving and depressed but possessed by a sense of adventure common to those of her age. In THE TRAZ, she does not yet comprehend her own mortality and thus, does not see the danger into which she rides.

She’s looking for a purpose to her life, a reason for being, a future. Brilliant, bullied and so very alone—she’s seeking a place to belong. Katrina quickly learns that the gang will let her hang around the edges of their lives—for a price. And that price, is oh, so very steep.

We meet the bikers—soulless, violent creatures, who can kill a man without blinking and make others watch along with them. Driven by the lucrative illicit drug trade and perhaps by Lucifer himself, Gator and his band of mad men connive with like-minded psychopaths around the world to fill their coffers and spread their destruction. Their wealth and influence intrigues Katrina; she’d like a piece of that power and it just may be hers if she bonds with Shrug.

In THE TRAZ we meet Shrug, a giant of a man and the keeper of many secrets. We learn little of what’s behind his brawn and his sharp wit and his vacant slate-grey eyes...but we sense, along with Katrina, that he is not what he seems, that somewhere within him there beats a giant heart.

We meet undercover cop, Corporal Chad Leslie, whose good looks replete with broad shoulders and endearing chuckle, rides into that biker compound and straight into Katrina’s heart –and who may just stay there forever.

We meet Sergeant Kindle who is likely the wisest, kindest, most honest man we’ll ever meet in fiction and will never meet in real life. He is who he is and we all need him to be just that.

THE TRAZ is just the beginning of all the BackTracker characters’ stories and that goes without saying because living for a year with a biker gang will affect them all for a lifetime—for an entire series.

THE TRAZ Book 1 in the BackTracker Series also comes in a School Edition replete with a Teaching/Discussion Guide plus a list of international resources for those dealing with, or wanting more information about, the social issues touched on in the novel—such as depression, addiction, gangs and illicit drugs.




What the reviewers say about THE TRAZ: 

“The action and dialogue are visceral, relentless, and blisteringly fast”
“I recommend this dark and compelling story”
“Raw and emotional with fast-paced, gripping tension”
“Full, rich characters and compelling storyline”
“An engaging read that is both entertaining and thought-provoking”
“The first of a series, igniting an appetite for the sequel”
“Great strong story—a wonderful read”
"I found that it was hard to put down (even for sleep)"
"I just had to finish it; I needed to know what was going to happen next..."
“Katrina tends to illicit a whole range of emotions in the reader..."
“I'd recommend reading THE TRAZ today - you'll thank me for it”
"This is a hard-hitting novel…”
“No shirking the grim reality of stepping to the wrong side of the law”
“...but nothing is quite what it seems.”
“THE TRAZ is an amazing book”
“This book is highly recommended”

Available in both eBook and paperback formats on:

AMAZON 
THE TRAZ:
THE TRAZ School Edition: 
BARNES AND NOBEL
THE TRAZ:
THE TRAZ School Edition: 
SMASHWORDS 
THE TRAZ:
THE TRAZ School Edition:

And other fine online stores. 

If it is not on the shelves of your local bookstore or library, you can ask to have it ordered in for you.

Eileen Schuh, Author
FIREWALLS
FATAL ERROR
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ