Tag: #Family

Redemption: A Father’s Fatal Decision #NewRelease @gmplano

Published on by Jan Sikes69 Comments

It is an honor and privilege to feature the newest release from Gwen Plano. I have known Gwen for many years, and not only is she a talented writer, but she is also a kind and generous soul. Take a look at her new thriller!

PURCHASE LINK

Thank you, Jan, for inviting me to your site today. It’s a pleasure to visit your readers and share a bit about my new release. I look forward to doing the same for you.

Redemption, A Father’s Fatal Decision is a mystery thriller that takes place in the Southeast corner of New York state, in and around the city of New Rochelle. Having spent about twenty years in that general area, it was exciting to visit as a writer.

The book tackles themes of forgiveness and redemption through suspense. We accompany the son and daughter of the deceased as they try to uncover the reason for their father’s murder. What they discover prompts them to ask if they even knew him.

Sometimes complicated situations help us see our own challenges in a different light. That is my hope for this book. Most of us won’t experience threats like those of my characters, but pain is universal, as is joy. Seeing either in the extreme helps us recognize our own—and severe or elated, those emotions are impactful.  

In this excerpt, Lisa and Trace Holmes drive to the cemetery where their father and baby brother are interred. Trace has a letter he wants Lisa to read.

EXCERPT:

“There’s something I need to do. Will you come with me?”

She looks at her brother’s bloodshot eyes and nods. “Wherever it is, I’m with you. Here, you take the keys and lead the way.”

The siblings swap places. Trace starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. He drives east and, fifteen minutes later, pulls onto the cemetery’s lane. “Where’s Robbie’s plot? Do you know?”

“Beside Dad’s. Take the next turn.” Lisa points. “You’ll see it. An angel sits on the headstone.”

Trace pulls over and, together, they walk to the grave, where they read the inscription on the stone:

Our beloved angel, Robbie, now plays happily in heaven.

Trace reaches into his pocket, takes out a crumpled envelope, and hands it to Lisa. “Mom and I have seen this already. It’s time you read it as well.”

Lisa straightens the hand-written message and studies her father’s confession. Her face contorts when she focuses on one line in particular, and the next until, finally, she bends over and gasps in anguish. Trace holds her close, and they weep.

“We knew it, didn’t we?” Lisa wipes her eyes and cheeks. “We knew it. But knowing it for certain … well … that’s devastating.”

Lisa scrubs at her chin. “I’ve never felt so exhausted. Every cell in my body begs for reprieve. Layers of sadness weigh down my soul, Trace, and I wonder if I’ll ever laugh again.”

“You will. Ryan will fill that emptiness, and with time, these memories will fade.”

BLURB

Family secrets can be deadly. When Lisa Holmes visits her parents one fateful Saturday morning, she hugs her father and walks to her childhood bedroom. The doorbell rings. Her father opens the door, and one minute later, he lies dead on the floor—three bullets to the chest.

The Holmes family lives on a quiet street, but no one really knows Eric Holmes. He travels for business and comes home a few days each month. Unbeknown to all, Eric has multiple lives.

In this fast-paced psychological thriller, Lisa and her brother, Trace, embark on a quest to solve the mystery involving the murder of their father. The journey takes them into a secret world where nothing is as it seems. As the puzzle pieces begin to coalesce, they discover the meaning of Redemption. 

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3RebK0W

Amazon Purchase Page: https://amzn.to/3XKiLJn

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/3FkQD8z

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gwen Plano

CONTACT INFORMATION:

BookBub: http://bit.ly/3Y26EI5

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3XIe6Yu

Story Empire: https://storyempire.com/gwen-m-plano

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gmplano

Blog: www.gwenplano.com/blog-reflections

I will be sharing my review of this new book later in the month. But I can tell you it is a really good read, and I highly recommend it! In the meantime, here are the rest of Gwen’s books.

Release Day! Mountain Laurel Christmas! #ShortStory #ChristmasStory #CountryMusic

Published on by Jan Sikes52 Comments

I am SO super excited that release day is finally here for Mountain Laurel Christmas!

I want to offer a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who pre-ordered! It should now be on your reading device.

Since I am on a tight budget with Christmas so close at hand, I was fortunate to find the owner of this Gypsy wagon who allowed me to put some advertising on the side of it while we tour.

Created in Canva

So, hang on for a ride. This is going to be a fun tour and I hope you’ll join in on each stop!

There will be a Giveaway!

To enter, follow along on the tour, purchase the book, comment and share everywhere!

The prize: $20 Amazon Gift Card

Now for a little about this story!
PURCHASE LINK

A man with three names is deeply embroiled in a struggle within himself. He should be on top of the world. After all, he’s living his dream of making it big in the music business. But instead, he’s drowning and dying inside. A heavy blanket of guilt is his constant companion. He’s failed his family and himself.

Everyone has to find redemption in their own way and that is exactly what Cole Knight (aka Andy Roberts aka Norbert Angus Anderson) must do. So, journey with him on his quest…

Created in Canva

Book Blurb:

Orphaned, his family torn apart by tragedy, Cole Knight has come a long way from a ramshackle miner’s cabin on the side of the Cumberland Mountain.

Daring to follow an impossible dream, he’s made it big in the music business. Now, he’s a country music sensation with a huge house, fancy cars, plenty of willing women, money, and adoring fans. He should be on top of the world. Instead, he’s drowning in a swirling pool of self-contempt and relentless guilt.

It’s easier to lose himself in a bottle than face the hard truth…he hasn’t delivered on a promise he made to his father.

It’s almost Christmas, and the sting of failure drives him back to that tiny cabin in the mountains. But has he waited too late to put the shattered pieces back together—to find himself and restore a lost family? 

PURCHASE LINK

Many Thanks to my fellow Story Empire compadres for helping me launch this new story!

TOUR STOP LINKS WILL BE SHARED DAILY:

11-22-21 C.S. BOYACK

11-23-21 GWEN PLANO

11-29-21 D.L. FINN

11-30-21 HARMONY KENT

12-1-21 STACI TROILO

12-2-21 JOAN HALL

12-6-21 D. WALLACE PEACH

12-7-21 MAE CLAIR

12-8-21 JOHN HOWELL

PLEASE NOTE: MY REGULAR BLOG POSTS WILL BE SUSPENDED WHILE I AM ON TOUR, BUT WILL RESUME FOLLOWING THE BLOG TOUR!

Birthday Recap – #FullMoon Meditation #DragonCard

Published on by Jan Sikes50 Comments

A quick birthday recap before I move on. The scheduled hot air balloon ride didn’t happen due to the wind. As it turned out, it was for the best as the day was full of activities, family, friends, and fun. My daughters scheduled a lake cruise and 25 people came to help celebrate my day. And, there was a magician! That was super fun! A wonderful celebration of 70 years on this earth! The first photo below is of me and my two incredible daughters. They even had T-shirts made for everyone. The birthday cake was like a travel back through time with all the photos attached to it. The boat was the Sapphire Moon on Lake Ray Hubbard off I-30 in Rockwall.

Birthday Cookies

My big sister, Linda Broday, got to come down to help me celebrate and that is us in the top left photo.

And last but not least is the wine glass the girls got for me. It was almost as big as me. 🙂

I am blessed beyond measure and want to offer a huge thank you to all who took the time to send birthday wishes.

My new motto for the next decade –

Live Life and Forget Your Age!

I will return next Monday with my regular post, but I do want to include this meditation because we are still under the big influence of the August Full Blue Moon. And if you missed Joan Hall’s post on the August moon, here is the LINK.

The full moon is a great time to release what is no longer serving you.

The Dragon Card I pulled for my birthday!

The Culmination A New Beginning – #NewRelease by Gwen Plano @gmplano

Published on by Jan Sikes37 Comments

I am super happy to turn my blog over to Gwen Plano today so that she can tell us about her new book, The Culmination A New Beginning!

Thank you so much, Jan, for inviting me to your amazing blog and for helping me launch The Culmination, a new beginning. It just went public on Amazon, and I’m super excited. To celebrate, the Kindle edition is on sale at 99¢ through December.

So, what’s the book about? The Culmination can best be described as a military thriller. It tackles difficult topics such as denuclearization, the power struggles over oil in the Middle East, as well as the ever-present danger of war. Readers will find themselves sitting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, walking in the historic Red Square, and laughing with children in an orphanage in Turkey. They will glimpse the horror of war and watch the give and take of a negotiated peace. Readers will also meet the two heads of state who fall in love and subsequently commit themselves to creating a world in which all are family.

I never expected to write this book, but in some ways, I had no choice. The characters crowded into my office and insisted that I listen to them. In a very real way, they wrote the book. I simply tapped the keys and learned of the urgent need to become family. How perfect for Thanksgiving!  

BLURB:

The Culmination, a new beginning is the third book in The Contract thriller series. After an assassination attempt on an Air Force base in northern California, tensions mount. Heads of state meet to craft a denuclearization agreement. The meetings between these nuclear powers take a murderous turn. A nefarious conspiracy re-emerges and leads the characters into the heart of the Middle East, where they encounter the unexpected and find a reason for hope.

EXCERPT:

Leaders from nine countries with nuclear arsenals gather in Reykjavik, Iceland to negotiate a nuclear disarmament treaty. Vice President Margaret Adler from the United States chairs the meetings. After an intense and heated exchange between two heads of state, Adler calls for order and addresses the group.

“If we’re honest with ourselves, or anyone else, we’d admit freely that we don’t trust, that we live in fear, and that we are always ready to impose a deadly strike. In fact, our power is measured by our ability to destroy. Isn’t that right?

“No one suggests that we abandon our need to protect our country’s boundaries and our people. Rather, today, we lay the foundation for an alternative way of relating. Shall we proceed?”

Members glance one at another and nod their agreement.

For the next two hours, the leaders present and discuss their preliminary ideas for progressive nuclear disarmament. The Pakistani leader asks for a break, and Adler concurs.

“Let’s reconvene in fifteen minutes,” she says.

As chairs get pushed back, and people stand, Adler walks out onto the deck. A chilly breeze brushes her skin, which she welcomes. This is her first visit to Iceland, and she smiles. What a perfect location.

The Russian President interrupts her reveries when he stands by her side. “This is a day I could not have imagined, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Vice President of the United States, looking out on …”

Adler smiles, “I couldn’t have imagined it either. Here we are, the two most powerful countries in the world, nations who have hated one another for a century, marveling at natural beauty and a child playing with a kite. No, I couldn’t have imagined.”

President Smirnov gives a side glance and asks, “Where did it occur?”

Adler realizes that he’s noticed her arm prosthesis. “Afghanistan.”

“Ah, another reason to hate Russians.”

“Don’t we all have reasons? You wonder who holds the power—truly. Those of us who can destroy, or a child who plays innocently with her kite?”

CONTACT INFO:

Blog:  https://www.gwenplano.com/blog-reflections 

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GMPlano

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gmplano  

Amazon Author’s page:  https://amzn.to/3eAU2Bt

BOOK LINKS:

Letting Go into Perfect Love – https://amzn.to/3bToO7t

The Contract between heaven and earth – https://amzn.to/2U2Lgmv

The Choice: the unexpected heroes – https://amzn.to/3lcz8eA

The Culmination, a new beginning – https://amzn.to/3eEWkj9