Pre-release Interview with author of Persephone's Fugitive (The Cayman Islands Trilogy) Dianna T. Benson & Giveaway

Occasionally one is given the opportunity to be part of a discovery and then become an encourager of that which you have discovered. I didn't really discover Dianna T. Benson, and I've forgotten how our connection was made, but I did discover her writings. I'm so glad I had an opportunity to be one of her The Hidden Son reviewers. This was her first published book as book one in The Cayman Islands Trilogy. Wow! What a read. If you haven't picked it up and read it by now, then I encourage you to do so. 

Then along came her second published book, Final Trimester that released in 2014. Again, a super read filled with suspense and drama, personal interaction, and factual information drawn from Dianna's own EMT experience. Dianna graciously met with a class of high school students at Alamance Christian School (I work there) and they picked her brain real good! What a sweetie to give of her valuable time to encourage these kids in writing and how to get their story down on paper.

Now Dianna has graciously given a bit more of herself to us in the following questions posed by Chat With Vera. And she has also given us another suspense story to crack the spine of and settle in with for a good read. Looking forward to book two in the Cayman Islands Trilogy, Persephone's Fugitive!

Why you are publishing 2 series (sort of switching back and forth) concurrently instead of focusing on simply one at a time?

When my publisher had a sudden opening in their June 2014 release schedule, Persephone’s Fugitive wasn’t yet complete and wouldn’t be ready by September 2013 in time for the typical publishing industry nine months production. So we decided together to release Final Trimester (Book One in the Quigley Triplets Series) to fill the vacancy since I completed it back in 2009.  

Where do you feel you have come from since signing for your first contract/book and today as a 3-book published author? 

I gained confidence as a novelist when six agents offered me representation in 2007 and even more confidence when I signed with my traditional print publishing house in 2012. But it wasn’t until many months after my first book, The Hidden Son, released in 2013 and all the complimentary reviews and fan mail spilled in and I won the Selah Award for Best Debut Novel that I actually felt like a real author. However, with that comes pressure and deadlines of completing a new book (and just as good if not better than the last one) in less than a year, every year. In the last three years I’ve developed my writing process well to where I can achieve the less than a year timeframe as well as weed in vital marketing tasks (speaking engagements, book signing events, radio/TV/blog interviews, etc.) while I’m in the midst of writing my next book.

What have you gained or learned from being a published author? 

In 2012-2013 I realized I knew next to nothing about the distribution process of the publishing industry. But I learned fast, and now I could write a detailed explanation about it. 

Every author is different; for me, the toughest aspect of being a novelist is bouncing back and forth between the business side and the writing. In the last three years, I’ve learned how to switch gears between the business side of an author’s life to the actual creative writing side—I never write on the days I have a radio/TV interview, speaking engagement, book signing event, or any other type of marketing task. Whenever possible, I bunch my marketing together in the same week(s) and take that time off writing. On the flip side, when I’m not buried in marketing, then I dig in and focus on writing.  

I’ve gained the wisdom of understanding what the character in the movie Cool Runnings meant when he said: “If you aren’t enough without an Olympic medal, you’ll never be enough with it.” I’m a lifelong high-level athlete so the line really speaks to me, especially since my oldest daughter competed at the US Olympic Swim Team Trials for a spot on the 2012 US Olympic Swim Team. But in this case I applied it to my writing…before I had a pending contract offer with B&H (the large traditional print publisher discontinued their fiction department) and before I signed my nine-book contract with my small traditional print publisher, I pondered this question: Am I enough right now without ever being published with a traditional print publishing house? I answered the question with a second question: Would I ever quit writing? The answer to that is no; not only am I not a quitter (I’m one of those people who don’t know how to give-up), my brain automatically develops scenes and dialogue on a daily continual basis, like my respiratory system exhales and inhales each day throughout the day. With this thought in my mind’s forefront, I was able to answer the first question: Since I have no control over the publishing industry, my love of writing and my natural writer brain keeps me writing, no matter what. Most importantly, with my third book Persephone’s Fugitive release March 16, 2015, I’ve learned to keep it all in perspective—as an author of fictional suspense, I’m not saving lives. I’m an entertainer. I leave the saving lives to full-time career EMS crews and firefighters. My goal with my books is to entertain while honoring EMS crews globally.  

Thank you, Vera, for hosting me and featuring my newest release, Persephone’s Fugitive.

About the book: When a routine 911 call turns deadly, paramedic Sara Dyer finds herself held at gunpoint by injured prison inmate, Jason Keegan. The situation rapidly spirals out of Sara's control when the confrontation becomes a tense standoff between Keegan and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.

As her patient's hostage, Sara fights to save them both before Keegan blows them up. She realizes his warning to the Cayman police is no empty threat since he'd rather die than spend the rest of his life in a prison cell. Sara soon discovers Keegan is just as determined to survive as she is—provided he can escape Grand Cayman and disappear forever. As she struggles to trust in God’s protection, help from an atheist turns her struggle into a lure away from her faith.

GIVEAWAY: 1 copy for 1 of Chat With Vera's readers. Begins April 1 & ENDS April 22 @ 12:01 a.m. ET. Open to USA addresses only.
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Dianna T. Benson is the award-winning and international bestselling author of The Hidden Son and Final Trimester.  Persephone’s Fugitive is her third release. An EMT and a HazMat and FEMA Operative since 2005, Dianna authentically implements her medical and rescue experience and knowledge into all her suspense  novels.  She  lives  in  North  Carolina  with  her  husband  and  their three  children.www.diannatbenson.com

Toad Weather by Sandra Markle & illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez [Review & Giveaway]

ISBN: 9781561458189
$16.99 Hardcover
32 pages, Ages 4-8

About the book: There's nothing to do on a rainy day, Ally thinks. But Mama says shes seen something amazing, so despite Ally's misgivings, she sets out with her mother and grandmother. On her journey, she sees all sorts of things: dripping awnings, splashing cars, storm drain geysers, and oil slick patterns. They turn the corner, just in time to see a big crowd. Whats happening?

My thoughts: Beautifully done art brings to life a rainy day when light glistens and colors reflect on the watery surfaces. Love the gentle images of the characters as they grace the pages when they sally forth to see what is happening outside in a rainy world.

As Ally gazes at the dull, wet world just outside her window definitely feeling rainy-day doldrums, in bursts her mother who has something wonderful to show her. Mama tells Grandmother and Ally to grab their slickers and boots and come with her. Well, Grandmother doesn't want to go out in the wet. But ultimately they all go.

I loved the text which tells a story with just enough words. The illustrations are colorful and yet still translate the feeling of a wet, rainy, dull, gray day. Love the splashes of various colors in this world of gray.

The story isn't just about going out and splashing around a bit in the rain. No, this has an endearing real-life adventure. You see, when it is "Toad Weather" magical things happen. The story is not just about the rain, it is about the life of toads and why Toad Weather is such a great "happening."

GIVEAWAY: Publisher is offering one of  Chat With Vera's reader the opportunity to win a copy. If you (same name or mailing address) have won prize in another giveaway, you are not eligible to win it again from this giveaway. Publisher has right to deny prize to winner in case of duplication. Begins March 28 & ENDS April 14 @ 12:01 a.m. EDT. Open for USA addresses only.

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Teachers' Guide & a coloring sheet

Author & illustrator information: Sandra Markle is the author of more than two hundred children's books, which have won numerous awards, including Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, IRA/CBC Children's Choice, NSTA/CBC Outstanding Trade Books for Children, NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended, and ALA Notable Books for Children. She lives in New Zealand.

Thomas Gonzalez was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to the United States as a child. An artist and painter, he also illustrated The House on Dirty-third Street and the New York Times bestseller 14 Cows for America. He lives in Georgia.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Peachtree Publishing to facilitate this review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Micro-scrubbers from sugar cane husk clean in moisturizing Dial® Hand Soap [Review & Giveaway]

Growing up Southern in the coastal city of Wilmington, NC I remember lots of things. Going to the grocery store on the corner (we walked) with Mama was a treat. Sometimes she'd buy me a large, red apple. And I remember a few times, they were selling sticks of sugar cane. We would chew on the ends - kind of a chewing, sucking that drew the juice of the cane forth into our mouth. A treat to be sure. But those days are long gone. I haven't seen sugar cane since I was a child.

We are aware that sugar cane is the source of sugar and syrups. And now we have learned that the Dial corporation has incorporated the micro-scrubbers of the cane into a deep conditioning, moisturizing hand soap so that we can get a moist and deep down clean wash each and every time we lather up.

Presented to the consumer in a sleek, modern, abstract shaped bottle that will look lovely on the kitchen or bath counter, this quality soap will make all your hand washing moments sweet and pleasant and really do a good job of cleaning as well.

Dial has long been known for producing quality cleaning soaps. This is true with The Boutique Collection that includes the Sugar Cane Husk Scrub hand soap.

Dial® Healthier Skin. Healthier You.®

GIVEAWAY: One of Chat With Vera's readers will win 2 free product coupons from the Boutique Collection. Open to USA addresses only. Begins March 28 & ENDS April 9 @ 12:01 a.m. EDT.
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DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary product to facilitate this review as a member of the Purex Insider Blogger group. Opinions expressed are solely my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Go Natural. Thoughtfully. Perfectly Natural Soap by Foxbrim - 100% Natural & 98% Organic

We've grown so accustomed to simply using the products that line our store's shelves and make our selection based only because we like how they work, what they smell like, or how they might taste. We have given little thought as to what that product actually consists. Fortunately, there is been a movement afoot to root out the chemicals and get back to ingredients from natural sources. Some even reaching for a higher level of "natural" in that they aim for organic natural ingredients.

Foxbrim has been working to create products along this "new" line and the result is much like the products of yesteryear when life was simple, more natural. Their newest product is Perfectly Natural Soap. It comes in a small pump bottle much like we find hand soaps. But this is not simply a hand soap. It is a natural product that can be used all over the body and even for one's hair. Versatile!

I have found that it takes a very small amount to work. The lather is not excessive. After washing, my hands felt very nice and soft. Even a kind of "silky." This tells me it has not dried my skin as some harsh soaps/detergents have done. I found the scent to be reminiscent of soaps of many years ago - just a simple clean fragrance. Ingredients include: wonderful hand-picked botanicals of Saponified Coconut Oils, Organic Sunflower and Organic Castor Seed.

I am enjoying having the opportunity to use this new soap and can heartily recommend it.

Product Description (provided by Foxbrim) - Perfectly Natural Soap - 100% Natural & 98% Organic

Perfectly Natural Soap brings you a wonderful mix of 100% all-natural botanical ingredients to effectively cleanse skin. Ecologically simple and pleasant to skin, you'll enjoy a powerful yet gentle cleanse. Absolutely no additives, fragrances, synthetics or harsh chemicals used. The soap we've been asked to create is finally here. Perfect for face and body. Perfect for use both morning and night. Perfectly Natural Soap by Foxbrim.

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary product to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own. I received no compensation for this review.

Elba Naturals presents an Advanced Firming Eye Cream [Review & Giveaway]

Folks, when you combine being a lady-of-a-certain-age and the ravages  of allergy season, you have very tired eyes - eyes that need all the help they can get to make them look and feel better. You need a product that doesn't irritate and annoy as well.

These days of pollen, changing seasons, and itchy eyes have fared well for me during the past couple weeks

Advanced Hair Repair Shampoo and Conditioner Set with Argan Oil and Macadamia Oil & Argan Oil Mask By Arvazallia

Find it HERE

I was given the opportunity to review Arvazallia Advanced Hair Repair system. I don't have "damaged" hair, but I do have "aging" hair. My hair has always been thick and straight. Beauticians usually use a conditioner on my hair, but I don't because the products I have purchased in the past have left my hair heavy and harder to style/manage.

I decided to give Arvazallia a try because I have heard so much hype about argan oil for the hair.

America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great by Ben Carson, M.D. with Candy Carson [Review & Giveaway]

About the book: What is America becoming? Or, more importantly, what can she be if we reclaim a vision for the things that made her great in the first place? In America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great, Dr. Ben Carson, author and professor at John Hopkins Medical Institutions, helps us learn from our past in order to chart a better course for our future. From his personal ascent from inner-city poverty to international medical and humanitarian acclaim, Carson shares experiential insights that help us understand what is good about America, where we have gone astray and which fundamental beliefs have guided America from her founding into preeminence among nations.

Written by a man who has experienced America's best and worst firsthand, America the Beautiful is at once alarming, convicting and inspiring. You'll gain new perspectives on our nation's origins, our Judeo-Christian heritage, our educational system, capitalism versus socialism, our moral fabric, healthcare and much more. An incisive manifesto on the values that shaped America's past and must shape her future, America the Beautiful calls us all to use our God-given talents to improve our lives, our communities, our nation and our world.

My thoughts: I truly don’t feel qualified to offer opinions, criticisms, or evaluations on anything written by an individual with the intellectual qualities of a neurosurgeon.