Today, I have a memoir in our book blitz spotlight! Learn about Ayahuasca Is and author Eleonora Duvivier! 

Date Published: April 10, 2025

"I haven't read anyone that has integrated so much introspection and philosophy into a memoir-type book. The world before the word really shines in that for me. I especially enjoyed her talking about the part when her mother goes swimming in the ocean and she and her brother are sitting on the beach. Also, how she goes on a little later and talks about the relationship between an individual and one's attempts to get to authentic objectivity by shattering our locked sense of subjectivity through ayahuasca. Very cool. I read Being and Time by Martin Heidegger and there are a lot of passages about authenticity and individualistic subjectivity. Her writing reminded me a lot of those passages. Authenticity is a big area of interest to me in the world of existential thought." - Alexandra Furtado

About the Author

Connect with the Author

Website

Instagram

BookBuzz

Buy the Book

Amazon

Publisher

Today, I have a nonfiction parenting book to share in our book blitz spotlight! Learn about Parentship in Families as Teams by author Steliana Van de Rijt-Economu. 

Nonfiction

Date Published: May 15, 2025

Publisher: Mindstir Media

Website

www.mothersasleaders.com

Instagram

Linkedin

Facebook

Facebook

Amazon

B&N

Today, I have a new children's chapter book to share! Learn about Katy in Central Park from the Kitty in the City series by author Ella English, read a quick excerpt from the book & be sure to enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post. 

Book 2 in the Kitty in the City Series

 Read an Excerpt

A prickly feeling crept up my neck like icy pinpricks. The hairs on my arm stood up straight.
 

Weasel let out a soft, worried meow.

I whirled around. A chunky calico cat was perched on top of the wall, glaring down at us. The
sun lit him up like a spotlight. He wore a little red vest, and a black bandanna was tied under his
chin.

“Well, looky what we have here,” he said. His eyes narrowed, and his pointy teeth poked out. “If
it isn’t Weasel, my old pal. And look, he even has a little girlfriend with him.”

The cat leaped off the wall and landed with a thud. He strutted up to Weasel, who gulped.

“Who are you?” I asked. My heart skipped a beat. This cat was scary.

“I’m Calico Jack,” said the cat.

A fluffy gray cat with a black eye patch crept along the wall. With a squeak, she somersaulted
and landed next to Weasel. The gray cat rubbed her head on Weasel’s cheek. She purred loudly.

Weasel’s furry face lit up. “Hi, Mary!” Weasel said.

“How’s it going?”

Calico Jack was still glaring at us. His tail swished from side to side.

Mary circled Weasel, bumping him with her head.
“Some friend you are, leaving us high and dry. Just ran away in the middle of the night, didn’t
he, Jack?”

“A traitor is what you are. A no-good bum.”

Calico Jack pushed his face close to Weasel’s good ear.
“Want me to rip this one up too? It would make a nice matching pair, eh, Mary?” Calico Jack
gave a belly laugh, and Mary joined in.

EEEEYYOOWWW!

A sudden shrill cry pierced the air. Something slammed onto Weasel’s back.
Weasel yelped as an orange and white striped cat dug her claws into his back. With a twist, he
shook her off onto the ground.

The new cat’s fur stood straight up, like she’d been zapped with electricity. A jagged scar marked
her pink nose. She wore a tiny white shirt with a belt wrapped around her middle.

“Well, well, look who finally decided to show his face,” the frizzy cat said in a crackly voice.
She licked a paw and smoothed down her spiked neck fur. 

Meet the Author 

Ella English is a British author and illustrator known for her children's books, particularly her Kitty in the City series and the Merblood Saga. She writes and illustrates imaginative stories, often with themes of dreams, adventure, and friendship. After moving from London, Ella English now lives in Baltimore, USA, with her two daughters. 

This morning, I have a culinary themed cozy mystery to share! Learn about Truffles to Die For from The Cook and Inspector Mysteries by Joanne Pence! 

The Cook and Inspector Mysteries, Book 9

Date Published: June 25, 2025

When culinary dreamer Angie Amalfi sets her sights on chocolate stardom, her kitchen becomes a cocoa-covered lab of decadent disasters and divine delights. Her goal? To invent the perfect chocolate candy—“angelinas”—a melt-in-your-mouth masterpiece that could finally make her name in San Francisco’s cutthroat foodie scene. 

But when Angie donates her “not-quite-there-yet” test batches to a local charity mission, she stumbles into more than gratitude. The mission’s minister seems to have secrets simmering beneath his saintly smile, and when Angie volunteers for their big fundraiser, she’s suddenly stirring up something far more sinister than ganache. 

Her fiancé, Inspector Paavo Smith, warns her to stay away—especially with rumors swirling of police corruption and a killer on the loose. But when Paavo is framed and suspended, Angie ditches her spatula for sleuthing gear. Someone’s cooking up a setup—and she’s not about to let Paavo take the fall. 

To help clear his name, Angie will need more than her confectionery skills… and the clock is ticking. 

Sink your teeth into Truffles to Die For—a deliciously suspenseful cozy mystery. Indulge yourself in murder with a chocolate twist!

About the Series

The Cook and Inspector Mysteries

A Quiche Before Dying, Book 2

The Marinara Murders, Book 3

Close Encounters of the Deadly Kind, Book 4

Death by Devil’s Food, Book 5

Blind Date’s Bitter End, Book 6

The Taverna Affair, Book 7

The Music Box Mystery, Book 8

Truffles to Die For, Book 9

Buy the Book

Amazon

B&N

iBooks

 Buy the series on Amazon

About the Author

"Joanne Pence is a master of the mystery genre. She pulls the reader in and sets the roller coaster in motion."--Carolyn Haines, USA Today bestselling author 

"Joanne Pence provides laughter, love, and cold chills." --Carolyn Hart, NY Times bestselling author

"Angie Amalfi is the Queen of the Culinary Sleuths" --RT Book Club

"Joanne Pence is a master chef"--Mystery Scene magazine

"Pence's tongue-in-cheek humor keeps us grinning." --San Francisco Chronicle

Connect with the Author

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Goodreads

BookBub

BookBuzz

This morning, I have a historical fiction novel to share! Learn about Whiz Kid and authors Joel Burcat & David S. Burcat and read an excerpt from the book! 

Historical Fiction

Date Published: 07-01-2025

Publisher: Sunbury Press, Inc.

Pressured by his pregnant wife to finish his novel or take a secure job at a prestigious ad agency, Ben must also navigate the era’s class divisions and antisemitism. His best friend’s elite world clashes with his working-class South Philly roots and Jewish identity. 

Temptation, ambition, and loyalty collide—especially when Ilene, a captivating classmate, threatens to unravel his carefully balanced life. As the Phillies’ Whiz Kids chase a pennant, Ben’s own reckoning builds to a climax, culminating in a surprising decision that redefines his future. 

Co-written with David S. Burcat, Joel Burcat’s late father, Whiz Kid is a deeply American story of resilience, legacy, and the true cost of following one’s heart.

Read an Excerpt

[Ben Green is talking with his friends about his professor’s reaction to a chapter of his novel. He’s glum.]

Ben sat next to Stan, facing Ilene. She looked at him and gently touched her fingers to the top of his hand. “What is it, Benji? You don’t look so good.” 

Ben slowly pulled his hand out from under hers, turning it over briefly to squeeze her fingers before letting go. “Oh, it’s nothing. You know I’m writing this novel. I showed it to Chesterfield. He called it ‘interesting.’” 

“Interesting? That’s good, isn’t it?” asked Stan, raising his eyebrows and smiling. 

“That might be the single-most intentionally vague word in the English language. It means absolutely nothing. Nothing. Interesting painting. Interesting play. Interesting manuscript. It’s a nice way for the professor to say ‘no comment.’” Ben rested his elbow on the table and put his hand on his chin. “Hey, Ilene, give me one of those Kents, would you?”

David S. Burcat was a Navy corpsman in World War II, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (English Literature and Dentistry), and a proud son of Camden NJ and his adopted town of Philadelphia. He worked in advertising in the 1950s before returning to Penn to study dentistry. He wrote Match Point, the novella within the novel, in about 1950. He died in 1998. Whiz Kid- A Novel is his first published book. Dave was the father of co-author, Joel Burcat.

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Blog

Goodreads

Instagram

LinkedIn

​Amanda Iles: Amanda Iles is a writer who creates prose on behalf of Silicon Valley executives and companies, from Steve Jobs to the latest hot startups. Before writing professionally, she earned a biology/philosophy degree and worked in a developmental neurobiology lab at UC San Diego, followed by a graduate degree from the prestigious UC Santa Cruz science writing program.

Tom Hogan: Tom Hogan is an author and screenwriter based in Austin, TX. Left for Alive is his first novel. He is also the screenwriter for The Devil’s Breath, a noir thriller set in Auschwitz. It was a finalist at the Napa Valley Film Festival and semi-finalist at the Austin Film Festival.

Tom’s past writing experience has been on the non-fiction side. He is the co-author (with Carol Broadbent) of The Ultimate Startup Guide: Marketing Lessons, War Stories, and Hard-Won Advice from Leading Venture Capitalists and Angel Investors. The book highlights the lessons Tom and Carol learned as principals at Crowded Ocean, a marketing firm that has launched over 50 Silicon Valley startups. He has also written extensively for travel books, political journals, and Newsweek. 

Professionally, Tom has split his career between academia and technology marketing. He was a lecturer in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Santa Clara University and UC Santa Cruz. He joined Silicon Valley in its infancy, where he was the original creative director at Oracle. Moving into the VC (Venture Capital) world, he was a co-founder of Crowded Ocean and now advises startups in Silicon Valley and Austin.

connect with the author:  website ~ facebook ~ instagram ~ goodreads

 

---

Enter the Giveaway

THE FOREVER FACTOR by Tom Hogan and Amanda Iles Book Tour Giveaway