Spotlight & Author Interview: No Names to be Given + Giveaway

Tour Banner No Names

Join us for this tour from Sep 20 to Oct 8, 2021!

Book Title:  No Names to Be Given
CategoryAdult Fiction (18 +)
Genre
Vintage Women’s Fiction
Publisher:  Admission Press Inc
Release date:   08/2021
Format available for review:  audiobook ( MP3 audio )
Tour Dates: Sep 20 to Oct 8
Content RatingPG + MNo bad language, but mature subjects like suicide and a rape scene. These are both mild and not explicit. Fade to black kind of scenes. 


“A gorgeous, thrilling, and important novel! These strong women will capture your heart.” Stacey Swann, author of Olympus, Texas.

“An
insightful and sympathetic view offered into the lives of those who were adopted and those who adopted them.” Pam Johnson, author of Justice for Ella.

“A novel worthy of a Lifetime movie adaptation.” Jess Hagemann, author of Headcheese.
“Readers can expect deep knowledge of the world the characters inhabit.” Sara Kocek, author of Promise Me Something.

“I found myself thinking about Becca, Sandy, and Faith frequently as I went about my day—I was always excited to sit down and find out what happened next.” Sarah Welch, author of Austin Brown Dogs: The Shelter Dogs Who Rescue Us.

 
 
Book Description:

Today’s young women will not understand how our families made us feel shame so intensely; we surrendered our first-born children to strangers. Faith Reynolds, No Names to Be Given 

The widely anticipated debut novel by Julia Brewer Daily is a glimpse into the lives of women forced by society to gift their newborns to strangers. Although this novel is a fictional account, it mirrors many of the adoption stories of its era.

When three young unwed women meet at a maternity home hospital in New Orleans in 1965, they are expected to relinquish their babies and return home as if nothing transpired. Twenty-five years later, they are brought back together by blackmail and their secrets threatened with exposure—all the way to the White House.

Told from the three women’s perspectives in alternating chapters, we are mesmerized by the societal pressures on women in the 1960s who found themselves pregnant without marriage.

How that inconceivable act changed them forever is the story of No Names To Be Given, a novel with southern voices, love exploited, heartbreak and blackmail.

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Author Interview:

What inspired you to write this story?

This debut novel is loosely memoir-like in that it is about women who meet in a maternity home hospital to relinquish their babies for adoption. I am an adopted child from a maternity home hospital and searched and found my birth mother and by DNA results, my birth father’s family.

What, if anything, did you learn when writing the book?

Although I’m an English major and wrote for the Mississippi Department of Education, universities, and private corporations, writing fiction is a whole new ballgame. Creating a chapter outline and trying to follow it is much more difficult than it sounds.

What surprised you the most in writing it?

The story is fiction, but a thread of my own life is woven throughout the novel. I was surprised by how many childhood and young adult memories I have that rose to the surface during my writing. Many of those memories I had not remembered until they were triggered by my writing.

What does the title mean?

The title comes from a line in the book that reads “She heard the babies crying as if they already knew—they had no mothers to hold them, no names to be given.”

Were any of the characters inspired by real people?

If so do they know? Since my life is woven throughout the novel, I based some of the experiences on my own. A few of my family members may recognize certain traits they possess.

Do you consider the book to have a lesson or moral?

Because the book is set in the 1960s during a time when pregnant women were expected to give up children out of wedlock, I think young women today will learn about a time of which they know little. Perhaps the lesson is for us to learn from history and not repeat our mistakes, mainly the shame inflicted on young women who were forced to give up their babies.

What is your favorite part of the book?

I love the friendships of the three women who were from different walks of life, but bonded in a way that lasted the rest of their lives.

Which character was the most challenging to create? Why?

Faith was challenging because she is a woman of strong religious beliefs, but those are in jeopardy when tragedy strikes her life. Also, it was challenging to write an African-American man’s character, especially during the tumultuous sixties.

What are your immediate future plans?

When the launch of the debut novel winds down and I don’t have as many marketing responsibilities, I will return to writing my second novel. It is a story about a female heir to the largest ranch in Texas who finds an ancient people living on her property. I can’t do it justice until the first book is put to bed!


 

 

Meet the Author:

 

Julia Brewer Daily is a Texan with a southern accent. She holds a B.S. in English and a M.S. degree in Education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

She has been a Communications Adjunct Professor at Belhaven University, Jackson, Mississippi, and Public Relations Director of the Mississippi Department of Education and Millsaps College, a liberal arts college in Jackson, MS.

She was the founding director of the Greater Belhaven Market, a producers’ only market in a historic neighborhood in Jackson, and even shadowed Martha Stewart.

As the Executive Director of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi (300 artisans from 19 states) which operates the Mississippi Craft Center, she wrote their stories to introduce them to the public.

Daily is an adopted child from a maternity home hospital in New Orleans. She searched and found her birth mother and through a DNA test, her birth father’s family, as well.  A lifelong southerner, she now resides on a ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas, with her husband Emmerson and Labrador
Retrievers, Memphis Belle and Texas Star.​

connect with the author: website ~ facebook  goodreads​​


 Tour Schedule:

Sep 20 – Cover Lover Book Review – audiobook review / author interview / giveaway
​Sep 21 – 
Rockin’ Book Reviews – audiobook review / guest post / giveaway 
Sep 21 –Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Sep 22– 
Bound 4 Escape – audiobook review / giveaway 
Sep 23 – Book Corner New and Reviews – audiobook review / giveaway 
Sep 24– I’m Into Books – book spotlight / giveaway
Sep 27 – @booking.with.janelle – audiobook review / author interview 
Sep 28 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
Sep 29 –@fantasybookcraz_mum – audiobook review
Sep 30 – Pick a Good Book – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
​Oct 4 – 
Jazzy Book Reviews – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway 
Oct 5 – Sadie’s Spotlight – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
Oct 6 – Literary Flits – book spotlight / giveaway 
Oct 7 – I’d Rather Be At The Beach – audiobook review / giveaway
Oct 8 – Laura’s Interest – audiobook review / giveaway

Enter the Giveaway:

NO NAMES TO BE GIVEN Book Tour Giveaway

 

Spotlight: Born of Shadows and Magic + Giveaway

born of shadows and magic antho banner

Born of Shadows and Magic

An Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Boxset

 

As myths, legends, and ancient tales rise from the shadows, these heroes and heroines are left to face the darkest challenges of them all. Life’s hard enough as a paranormal. Shifters, vampire, elementals, witches, fae… we all have our weakness, our curses, our wars to wage and battles to fight.

But being a hybrid or a halfling, things just get worse. We don’t fit in anywhere, our powers are thwarted or out of control, and everyone wants us dead.

Can we overcome these trials…or are the odds stacked too high against us?

We’ll risk it all—even our lives—to find out. And hope we don’t die trying.

This paranormal and urban fantasy romance anthology includes 19 brand new, never before published novels from today’s bestselling authors and exciting up-and-coming talent!

Including all new stories by….
Kira Nyte
Fiona McArthur
Renee Hewett & Mandy Rosko
Cassidy K. O’Connor & Sheri Lyn
Krista Ames
Stephanie Hansen
Mia Ellas
Fatima Fayez
Ryan Southwick
C.A. King
Charlie Nottingham
Emma B. Layne
Mireille Chester
Ruby St. George
K. Rea
N.L. Hoffmann
Cherron Riser
Marissa Nofer
Shana Vernon

 

Here’s a peek of what’s inside!

Nora would do anything to protect her sister and avoid the Pit—even take a deal from the one archangel she despises.
The Archangel’s Deal by K. Rea

*
All she wanted was to find the guy terrorizing Midtown; instead, she found a magical underground war going on right under our noses.
A Fire Awakens by Mireille Chester

*
A college freshman turned rumored chosen one must save her university when an ancient demon returns and possesses one of their own.
Faust University by Emma B. Layne

*
All of a sudden, she has a twin, magic, and apparently doesn’t even belong in this realm. Let’s hope they don’t expect her to save the world, too.
Magic in the Shadows by Cassidy K. O’Connor & Sheri Lyn

*
A vigilante hell-bent on revenge, a reincarnated angel in a fragile human body, and a mission to right the wrongs of the past. What could go wrong? Turn out, everything.
The Angel’s Fury by Mandy Rosko and Renee Hewett

*
… and many more!

 

One Click to preorder your copy today!**Only .99 cents!!**Add to GoodreadsAmazon * Books2Read

Moon Lighting

by C.A. Gray

Adrenaline is the cure for her body, mind, and soul.

If she ignores the call of her ancestors, death is sure to follow. If she puts aside the desires of her heart, it’s guaranteed to break.

A mild-mannered teacher by day.

A rogue vigilante by night.

A cop with an agenda.

Two hearts intertwined by fate.

This magic-wielding hybrid isn’t holding back when it comes to justice or love, but can she have both?

I was diagnosed with clinical depression after the loss of my mother, father and husband within three years of each other; all to cancer. 24/7 in-home care, coupled with the loss I felt, left its mark on my psyche.

Depression takes up a lot of my life. Reading and writing are the only things I have found that help (in connection with regular medication), even if only for a short time. To escape to a different world can make a big difference in my mood in real time.

To put things in perspective, when I was at my lowest point, I couldn’t open mail, talk on the phone, or even drive to the store. Walls of sadness surrounded me. As they closed in, tears would fall. There didn’t need to be a reason or trigger.

People ask me why I started writing. My answer is simple: I wanted to create a world into which other people with similar problems could escape. I wanted to share the one place that had helped me for many years.

I have always said that as long as one person finds a little bit of happiness out of my books, I am, in my opinion, an accomplished author. The same is true for every writer out there. Please don’t ever let anyone tell you different.

I read books as well as write them and have visited the worlds many different authors have created. Those worlds not only make me feel better, but give me the strength to face real life again. I want to thank everyone who writes—I want them to know they are making a difference.

Fast forward to today…

C.A. King, USA Today Bestselling Author has over 60 books available across multiple fantasy sub-genres.

Awards include:

Hamilton Spectator Readers’ Choice Award in the Best Local Author category 2017 & 2018 & 2019

Brant News Readers’ Choice Award: Best Local Author 2017

Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards: Best Novella/Short Story 2017 Silver medal

2017 SIBA Awards – Best Novella

2017 SIBA Awards – Best New Adult

2018 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards: Gold Medal in the Fiction – Supernatural genre

2018 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards: Bronze Medal in the Fiction – New Adult genre

2019 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Fiction – Supernatural genre

2019 Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal Winner in the Young Adult – Fantasy – Urban genre

City of Brantford Featured Artist February 2020

Burlington Post Readers’ Choice Award in the Best Local Author Category 2020

Toronto Star Readers’ Choice Award in the Best Local Author Category 2020

Cambridge Times Readers’ Choice Award in the Best Local Author Category 2020

Burlington Post Readers’ Choice Award in the Best Local Author Category 2021

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

 

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Book Blitz & Excerpt: Fireborn + Giveaway

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Fireborn
by Jessa Graythorne
(Halley Ashwood, #1)
Publication date: October 5th 2021
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Halley Ashwood is well on her way to achieving her dream of being a doctor. Focused and independent with a mother she never knew and a father who never loved her, the only constant Halley has ever had in her life is her brother, Flynn. Whilst Halley is logical and grounded, and Flynn a reckless conspiracy theorist, they have always been able to trust each other above anyone else.

Halley and Flynn don’t believe in making promises. So when Flynn leaves Halley a message the day before her scheduled trip to visit him in Amsterdam, asking her to promise him she won’t come, she knows something is wrong. Halley arrives in Amsterdam to find her brother is missing, leaving only those ominous words in his wake. Halley sets out to find out what happened to him and makes a terrifying discovery. Turns out Flynn’s conspiracy theories maybe weren’t so farfetched after all: demons are real, they’re stalking the streets of Amsterdam, and they may hold the answer as to what happened to Flynn.

Determined to find out the truth about her brother’s fate, Halley begins a dark journey that will force her to question everything she thinks she knows about the nature of the world, the forces within it, and even herself.

Goodreads / Amazon

Fireborn_Promo_3

EXCERPT:

Flynn wasn’t here.

The front door was unlocked.

The door to his very expensive, newly renovated, Amsterdam canal house.

“Shit.” My hands slapped down at my sides. “Shit.”

Abandoning my luggage, I climbed the stairs to the first floor. A galley kitchen took up the entire space, a black and chrome affair littered with dirty dishes. My heels echoed dully on the hardwood floor as I crossed to the refrigerator and pulled it open—reasonably full, milk still within date, multiple bottles of juice, all half consumed.

“Okay,” I said to myself, “he still lives here.” He had been here sometime in the past few days. Just not the past day. Which coincided pretty perfectly with the time he had gone AWOL on me. As the refrigerator fell shut, a sheet of paper slipped out from under an I Heart L.A. magnet and fluttered to the floor.

I bent to pick it up and did a double take. It was a work roster for the month of May. And Flynn was rostered on tonight.

He was at work! Of course, he’d gotten caught up at work and hadn’t been able to get away to pick me up. Maybe he’d even mixed up the days with the time difference. How had I not thought of it before? He’d told me over and over how he was working at a bar in town—for God’s sake, he’d been practically high on the smugness of working on the fringe of Amsterdam’s Red Light District and hadn’t understood why I’d not shared his enthusiasm for hookers.

I jammed the roster back under the magnet. There was nothing else to it: Halley Ashwood was about to be set loose in Amsterdam.

Author Bio:

Jessa Graythorne is an Australian author from the south coast of New South Wales. She lives near the beach with her partner and two cats, Henry and Ophelia—who, despite their names, are disappointingly disinterested in Shakespeare.

Jessa holds a Bachelor of Engineering and works in a steel mill. She adores the sea but not the sand, prefers sunrises to sunsets, and would decorate the world with fairy lights given half a chance. After writing, her second great love is travel, and she is eternally thankful that she has been able to spend the past year living vicariously through books.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest / Newsletter

 

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