Tag: Memoir

Welcome to Day 3 of THE MEMOIRS Blog Tour! @fredsdiary1981 @4WillsPub @4WP11 @RRBC_Org @Tweets4RWISA

Published on by Jan Sikes50 Comments

RRBC/RWISA Author, Robert Fear is on tour with his fabulous and diverse memoirs! It is my pleasure to host him here today. And there is a GIVEAWAY!!

(1) $10 Amazon gift card

Welcome to the third and final day of my 4WillsPub 3-day blog tour.

During this tour, I have been sharing with you some background to the three memoirs that I have self-published. As a special offer to readers of the tour, I have reduced the Kindle price on each book to 99c/99p (RRP $4.99/£3.99) on Amazon US and UK.

Here are the links to the memoirs that have been featured:

Fred’s Diary 1981: Travels in Asia – getbook.at/FredsDiary1981

Exclusive Pedigree: My life in and out of the Brethren – getbook.at/ExclusivePedigree

Summer of ’77: Beaches, bars and boogie nights in Ibiza – getbook.at/Summerof77

Summer of ’77: Beaches, bars and boogie nights in Ibiza

Background

For my next book, I was itching to write a memoir about the six months I spent on the Spanish island of Ibiza in 1977, when I was 21.

I started planning the book in 2017. It was fortunate that I still had the letters I received while working the season in Ibiza. Otherwise, I would have found it difficult remembering what happened over forty years ago. I transcribed the letters and created a timeline around them. This triggered memories of events from the time and I started writing.

After much prevarication and self-doubt, I completed the final chapter in May 2019. Then I began self-editing my words and making the story concise and readable.

Next steps included the choice of a title, commissioning a cover design and writing the blurb.

Then came a professional edit which reduced the word count by 10% and gave a real polish to the memoir.

The moment of truth came when I passed the draft copy to a group of beta readers at the start of September. The response was very positive, and I published Summer of ’77: Beaches, bars and boogie nights in Ibiza on October 27th, 2019, my 64th birthday.

Favourite Review

Book Description

A holiday can change everything…

…it did for Fred.

He went on a two-week break with three friends to the Spanish island of Ibiza in July 1976. It was so enjoyable they all vowed to come back for the following season.

In April 1977, Fred returned to Ibiza, alone, in pursuit of his dream.

Behind him, he left his family, his girlfriend, and a promising career in banking.

Challenges lay ahead.

This would be no holiday.

He needed a place to stay and to find work that would sustain him through the next six months.

This true to life memoir follows 21-year-old Fred’s adventures as he acclimatises to living abroad. In a time before instant communication, he keeps in touch with family and friends by letter. They are his lifeline to home.

If you enjoy reading about people’s life-changing experiences, then this book is for you.

Grab your copy now for only 99c/99p getbook.at/Summerof77

Author Bio

Robert Fear has lived in Eastbourne on the south coast of the UK for half his life. He moved there to be with Lynn, his future wife, and is still there with her over thirty years later. As cat-lovers, they have taken on several rescue cats over the years and are owned by three now.

For his day job, Robert works as a self-employed software consultant. In his spare time, he writes, edits, and self-publishes books.

Robert’s interest in travel goes back to his twenties when he spent most of his time abroad. His experiences included: a summer in Ibiza, hitch-hiking around Europe, and touring the USA and Canada. His most eventful trip was in 1981 when he travelled through Asia.

Born into a religious sect known as the Exclusive Brethren, his father, John, took the brave step of leaving it with his young family when Robert was nine years old. Robert never saw his grandparents again but is thankful for being able to grow up outside this restrictive group. His life has been full of adventures he would never have experienced otherwise.

Follow Robert on Social Media:

Twitter

Facebook

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the authors’ tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and his work!

Join in the celebration of #RRBCAuthor @sharrislaughter, #RRBC’s November “SPOTLIGHT” Author! #Author of #OurLadyOfVictory

Published on by Jan Sikes13 Comments

The RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB is all about supporting, uplifting and promoting authors. And Shirley Harris Slaughter is a great supporter of others. So, this month, it’s her time to shine!

Not only does she have a newly polished re-release of “Our Lady of Victory,” but she has a birthday on the 28th, which is also the day she co-hosts the RAVE WAVES show, RATERS NOT HATERS.

Shirley was chosen for the Spotlight Author for the month of November, so she is being celebrated in a big way!

If you missed my interview with her on the RAVE WAVES show, #RRBCBringOnTheSpotlight, you can catch the replay below. It was a ton of fun! Especially when her two sisters showed up! 🙂

But the highlight of Shirley’s writing career is the re-release of her first book, “Our Lady of Victory: The Saga of an African American Catholic Church!

Blurb:  This is a second edition with updates on the state of this historic church. In the original publication files were lost then resurfaced with content altered along with missing photos during transition from one publisher to another. Such is the fate of an Independent Author.
This book evolved out of years of frustration at the total disregard and lack of respect for the contributions of Black Catholics in the city of Detroit. The author says, “We are not mentioned in the pages of history along with the other Catholic churches that sprung up during the World War II era, and that needed to be corrected.” The author did fulfill one dream since publication … that this church can now be found on the web even though it has merged with another church. It is now called Presentation-Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church.

I had the privilege of reading and reviewing this book!

MY REVIEW:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Important Piece of History Preserved Reviewed in the United States on November 6, 2020

I know nothing about the catholic church or religion and I learned a lot from reading the factual account of the establishment and demise of Our Lady of Victory, a black catholic church in Detroit, Michigan. While names and locations didn’t mean anything to me, the main focus of the book was the sense of community and the difficulties that came when there was forced blending. I admired the strength the author’s mother showed, struggling to provide for her children as a single mother and her determination to see that they received a good education and religious background. This is true preservation of a piece of history for future generations to learn from that might otherwise have been lost. It is relevant to today’s society as an example of how racial discrimination can destroy lives. My hat is off to this author for her detailed account of the birth and death of this church and the names, dates, and events she chronicled.

Pick up your copy today!

PURCHASE LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Our-Lady-Victory-African-American-Community-ebook/dp/B08JJL8JFF/

Congratulations, Shirley, and happy early birthday!

LOVE – THE BEAT GOES ON – Lynda Filler #BookReview

Published on by Jan Sikes39 Comments

5 star

IF I COULD GIVE THIS BOOK 10 STARS, I WOULD!!

Love The Beat Goes On

THE BLURB:

When your cardiologist tells you to “Get your affairs in order, your heart condition is incurable,” what do you do?
Lynda shares her personal story in the typical fast-paced, edgy, in-your-face style she’s known for in her writing. She will walk you through her journey to self-love sharing her belief in journals, love, prayer, soul, spirituality and positive mindset.
She’s hard-hitting but compassionate. She writes about romantic experiences that may shock you, but makes no apologies for her unconventional life style. Nor does she hold back taking responsibility for the things that she believes created her dis-ease.

You will definitely question a woman who walks around in denial; then makes a decision to drive, all alone, from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to Whistler, Canada with undiagnosed Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy. Men and women are often self-care-challenged and Lynda was no the exception.

If you are fighting any kind of illness or dis-ease, you are not alone! Lynda has walked her talk, and after an experience in the summer of 2015 relating to Dr. Wayne Dyer, she is now ready to release her story

Lynda knows how it feels to be told you’re not healing or your condition is incurable. At no point will she undermine anything your physicians tell you to do. She is not a medical doctor. She will explain the powerful, yet simple concepts, beliefs, balance and faith that she believes led to her healing. Most of all, she will show you how she used these simple principles to design and live, the fully healed life she now enjoys in 2017.

You will shake your head in wonder, laugh, and maybe cry too. If you want less pain, worry, and stress about dis-ease and life in general, you will want to read this simple yet powerful story.

MY REVIEW:

I have read a lot of new-age books over the years and got something good from each of them, but this book by Lynda Filler is amazing. Her honesty about the journey from receiving a death sentence for an incurable disease to healing in a rainstorm while a Shaman beat on his drum is not just compelling, but astounding.

I loved every fragment of this story. She takes the reader through the full gamut of emotions while she seeks to heal her diseased heart for which the doctors had no cure. But, the lessons she learns, the incredible experiences she has, are inspired and inspiring.

I highly recommend Love The Beat Goes On to anyone who is seeking a higher level of consciousness, whether you are sick or healthy. Also, the resources she lists at the end of the book are invaluable. I have listened to some of the Shamanic healing videos by Akal (her Shaman guide in Sedona) and they take me instantly into a state of peace, of bliss. This is a book every human should read and take away the lessons given. If I could give it ten stars, I would. It’s that good.

 

Lynda Filler
Lynda Filler

 

“The author’s style is reminiscent of CLIVE CUSSLER, LEE CHILDS or BALDACCI.” N. Huff

Lynda Filler makes her home in sexy, sultry Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and writes both novellas, fiction, and non-fiction. She’s been accused of writing autobiographical stories, but so far no can get her to admit it! She’s been writing her whole life but only started publishing with the encouragement of NYT/USA Best Selling author Russell Blake of the popular JET series. When she is not in Mexico, she travels to the Pacific Northwest or Paris, France to visit her children. She loves to hear from her fans on FaceBook where you can find book news, crazy fun quotes, and photographs of both Mexico and Lynda’s travels.

TWITTER         FACEBOOK     BLOG    BOOKS ON AMAZON

Lynda Filler is a member of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB

EMPTY CHAIRS – by Stacey Danson – Book #REVIEW! #RRBC

Published on by Jan Sikes25 Comments

5 star

Empty Chairs

If I could give this book more than FIVE STARS, I would.

Here’s the Blurb For EMPTY CHAIRS: Standing Tall and Fighting Back Book 1

Stacey Danson, lived through and beyond horrific child abuse. This book tells of her brutal beginnings, the streets of Sydney at the age of eleven were preferable to the hell she endured at home. She ran, and those streets became her home for five years. She was alone, ill, and afraid. Stacey also had an unshakeable belief that she would do more than just survive her life. She would not allow her future to be determined by the horrors of her childhood. She reached out for something different; there had to be more to life; if she could only find it. She had a dream of a life where pain and humiliation had no place. She was determined to find that life. Empty Chairs is the beginning of the journey. Now she is living the dream.

And now, my REVIEW:

This true story from Stacey Danson aka Suzanne Burke captivated me from the first word to the last. How could any so-called mother inflict such horrific and sadistic abuse on her young daughter? What kind of sick mind would let her think it was okay to sell her child’s body to soothe her addiction? Sassy-Girl’s mother, that’s who. So, when this child made the decision to run, looking forward to life on the streets as opposed to her current “life in hell,” I cheered for her. Did it matter that she’d beaten her mother severely? Hell no! I cheered for that too. But, this young girl of ten years old couldn’t have been more lost as she struggled to learn the rules of the streets. The daily chore of finding a safe place to wait out the nights proved difficult. Her instinctive distrust of people, in general, was her biggest ally. But, the part of the book where Sassy-Girl celebrated her first ever Christmas broke my heart. As she watched the families play in the park with children who ran and laughed and played, she realized on a small scale just what she’d missed. And the moment she started to think she had a grip of living on the streets, the unthinkable happened. A brutal rape that left her incapacitated for days on end only served to strengthen her resolve to not let herself be vulnerable ever again. And, when she lay sick and unable to move for days, I began to fear she would die. All I can say about this book is that if you think homeless kids on the streets are all thugs or brats, you need to sit down and read this. My heart will never forget this young child and the many others out there today like her. Stacey Danson bared her soul in such a way that at times I almost felt like an intruder for reading. This is a well-written gripping story from start to finish. But, if you are squeamish or faint-of-heart, this book might push you over the edge. And, now I am compelled to read the sequel to this story, “Faint Echoes of Laughter.“

Suzanne_Burke

For more books by Suzanne Burke aka Stacey Danson, visit her Amazon Author Page

Suzanne Burke is a member of the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB.

Follow Suzanne:

Twitter      Facebook       Blog

 

#RRBC Pay-It-Forward – Stephanie Collins

Published on by Jan Sikes13 Comments

Collections

One of the most incredible and uplifting benefits of a membership in the RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB is that other members promote and uplift their fellow authors. And, nothing does it better than a Pay-It-Forward day.

So, today, I set aside all self-promotion to introduce you to #RRBC (RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB) and #RWISA (RAVE WRITERS – INT’L SOCIETY OF AUTHORS) Author, Stephanie Collins. She has quite a story to tell.

w_Angel

Her book, With Angel’s Wings, is a deeply moving and personal memoir. 

Twenty-five-year-old Laura resides in Littleton, New Hampshire with her three-year-old daughter, Emily. Her husband, Kevin, a marine, has been called out to sea for six months. Laura has just given birth to her second daughter, Hannah.

“Uh-oh. We’ve got a problem here. I’m hearing a significant murmur.” Just thirteen days after giving birth, Laura’s life was changed forever by those words from the pediatrician.

This is the raw and honest recount of Laura’s unexpected journey into the world of parenting a medically fragile, special-needs child. Will her marriage survive? What about her relationship with her older daughter who presents challenges of her own? Will Laura keep her sanity? What part will Laura’s stepbrother, Daniel, play in the events to unfold? And how does a cow angel fit into this dramatic journey?

Having garnered nineteen separate awards and 139 reviews on Amazon, this book has taken wings of its own.

Even though I don’t know Stepanie Collins personally, I am as proud of her as a mother who just watched her child ace a National Spelling Bee! She shows her support of other authors by promoting their books, blogs, and events. She is the true face of what #RRBC and #RWISA stands for and it is my honor to promote her here today.

She encourages young mothers around the globe not only with her book but with a blog where she regularly posts new updates.

I invite you to take a look at her book trailer.

BOOK TRAILER

Then head on over to Amazon to pick up your copy of

With Angel’s Wings

You can follow Stephanie

stephanie

TWITTER             FACEBOOK          WEBSITE         BLOG