Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Book Spotlight and Giveaway: A Song for Bellafortuna by Vincent B. "Chip" LoCoco
A Song for Bellafortuna by Vincent B. "Chip" LoCoco
Publication Date: May 14, 2015Publisher: Cefalutana Press
Formats: Ebook, Paperback, AudioBook
Pages: 284
Genre: Historical Fiction
SHORT LIST FINALIST IN THE WILLIAM FAULKNER-WILLIAM WISDOM WRITING COMPETITION.
A Song for Bellafortuna is an inspirational Italian Historical Fiction novel concerning a young man’s desire to free his Sicilian village from the domination of one family’s long reign. For years, the beautiful, yet secluded, hilltop village of Bellafortuna, Sicily, was a great producer of wine and olive oil. The entire village prospered. However, after the arrival of the Vasaio family, production dwindles and the villagers soon find themselves in crushing debt to the Vasaios. Only one family in the village remains outside the control of the Vasaios, but the reason haunts Antonio Sanguinetti every day of his life.
Antonio is determined to erase this legacy by offering financial and emotional support to his fellow villagers. He introduces them to the choral song from Verdi’s opera, Nabucco, which becomes the rallying cry for the villagers and offers them hope for a better life. When Antonio’s only son, Giuseppe, discovers his family’s past, he becomes determined to take on the Vasaios and remove them from power. Led by the young Giuseppe, a plan is hatched that could result in either complete freedom for the villagers, or if it fails, forever solidifying the Vasaios’ control.
Find out what happens in A Song for Bellafortuna, a sweeping epic historical fiction tale of love, drama, sacrifice, and redemption, set among the beautiful landscape of Sicily. Already listed by Amazon as a Top New Release in Historical Fiction and Italian Historical Fiction.
PRAISE
"Vincent B. LoCoco writes a heartwarming piece of historical fiction . . . He captured the essence of the Sicilian culture, especially regarding the value of ancestry and music . . . A Song For Bellafortuna is a beautiful tale of antiquity." – Readers Favorite 5 Star Review"The book was a joy to read. It is a wonderful story, told in a magical way.” -Cavaliere Ufficiale Aldo Mancusi, President of the Enrico Caruso Museum of America in New York "An inspiring story of an Italian village threatened by commerce and saved by opera." -John Biguenet, author of The Torturer’s Apprentice and Oyster
Paperback Available at Amazon | Audio Book Available at Audible.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway One winner will receive a paperback copy of the book.
Rules
– Must be 18 or older to enter.– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE
Monday, August 17 Review at Just One More Chapter
Tuesday, August 18 Spotlight & Giveaway at Unshelfish Spotlight & Giveaway at Raven Haired Girl
Wednesday, August 19 Review at Book Nerd Spotlight at A Literary Vacation Spotlight & Giveaway at View From the Birdhouse
Thursday, August 20 Spotlight & Giveaway at Peeking Between the Pages
Friday, August 21 Spotlight at CelticLady's Reviews
Monday, August 24 Review at Diana's Book Reviews
Tuesday, August 25 Spotlight & Giveaway at Passages to the Past
Thursday, August 27 Interview at Books and Benches
Friday, August 28 Spotlight at The Never-Ending Book
Monday, August 31 Review at Svetlana's Reads and Views
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Did You Know Tuesday: The Partridge Family - Fun Facts
The show originally aired on Friday nights (ABC), as part of a tv line-up that included: The Brady Bunch, Nanny and the Professor, The Partridge Family, and That Girl.
The Partridge Family aired four seasons (1970 - 1974) and launched the career of teen idol David Cassidy, as well as lots of child and teen oriented marketing: record albums, coloring books, paper dolls, paperback books, and lunch boxes. (I had a Partridge Family lunchbox as a little girl!)
Shirley Jones, who was married to Jack Cassidy, was the real-life stepmother of David Cassidy.
The show was loosely based upon the lives of The Cowsills.
Shirley's mother was played by Rosemary DeCamp. Her father was originally played by Ray Bolger, and later played by Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester from The Addams Family).
The youngest son, Chris, was originally played by Jeremy Gelbwaks but replaced after one season by Brian Forster.
The show was set in San Pueblo, California - a fictional town.
Shirley Jones and David Cassidy are the only cast members who sang on the Partridge Family record albums.
The Partridge Family bus was inspired by the geometric paintings of Piet Mondrian.
If the Partridge house looks familiar, it's because you've seen it before as the home of Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched.
So ... did you watch The Partridge Family? What do you remember about this show? And did you prefer The Partridge Family or The Brady Bunch? I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below!
Cover Reveal and Giveaweay - Silenced in the Surf by Kate Dyer-Seeley
Welcome to the cover reveal for Silenced in the Surf by Kate Dyer-Seeley! This is book three in the Pacific Northwest Mystery series and releases March 29th, 2016.
About the Book:
Covering a windsurfing competition should have been a breeze for reporter Meg Reed, but with a killer in the curl, she's headed for rough waters…
Hood River in the Columbia River Gorge is the windsurfing capital of the world, and Meg is stoked to cover the King of the Hook event for Portland's Northwest Extreme magazine. Before the competition gets under way, Meg has a chance to try some windsurfing on her own. But when the current sweeps her downriver, she spots a body snagged on the rocks. The dead man is Justin Cruise, aka Cruise Control, a celebrity windsurfer and not exactly a nice guy. It's soon clear his death was no accident, and Cruise had no shortage of enemies. As Meg dives right in to discover who wiped out the windsurfer, she'll need to keep her balance--or she too may get blown away.
Praise For Scene Of The Climb
"A splendid overview of the greater Portland and Columbia River Gorge region, perfect for travel buffs. Her protagonist shows promise with her determined attitude and moxie." --Library Journal
"A fun, terrific adventure." --Suspense Magazine
Includes Adventure Guides!
----------------------------------------------------------------
Don't miss out on the first two books, Scene of the Climb and Slayed on the Slopes!
About the Author:
Kate Dyer-Seeley writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series for Kensington Publishing. The first
book in the series, Scene of the Climb, features the rugged landscapes of the Columbia River Gorge and a young journalist who bills herself as an intrepid adventurer in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme.
Her work has appeared in a variety of regional and international publications including: The Columbian, The Vancouver Voice, Seattle Backpacker, Portland Family Magazine, and Climbing Magazine.
Kate lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and son, where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub. Better yet—at all three.
Giveaway:
Signed copies of Scene of the Climb and Slayed on the Slopes, Windsurfing Barbie kit, Pink inflatable pool float, Clif bars, Burt’s Bees Pink Grapefruit lip balm, Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate bar with raspberry
US only
Ends August 27th
Prizing provided by the author, hosts are not responsible in any way.
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.
Monday, August 17, 2015
Guest Post: Collecting Vintage Children's Books
I really enjoyed writing a guest post today for Mother Daughter Book Reviews. You'll find the link above, and I hope you'll stop by and leave a comment! Pictured above -- Ramona the Pest, Henry Huggins, and Ribsy the dog, all from one of my favorite authors, Beverly Cleary.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)