In the end, the risk is always worth it.
The Stella Spring Giveaway Starts Today!
Today’s The Day! The Stella Spring Giveaway is Under Way!
But quickly, let’s review:
The Stella Spring Giveaway includes paperback signed copies of all 3 books in The Stella Trilogy PLUS matching Bookmarks. The Stella Trilogy is a 3 Part Standalone Series about one woman and her family’s struggle for identity and freedom. By standalone, I mean it was written to be read in any order as a standalone novella. Short, sweet, and to the point, start at Book Three and work your way down to Book One. Or, read in chronological order, you decide! Already have this series? Win it for someone else! Have teens? This Historical, Young Adult Series is perfect for getting their summer reading list off to a great start.
So now that we know what The Stella Trilogy Spring Giveaway is, I have a surprise. I told you we were starting this exciting Spring Giveaway and that there will be 3 winners. What I didn’t tell you is that I have thrown in another prize!
2nd and 3rd Place winners will receive The Stella Trilogy with matching bookmarks, as promised. BUT the first place winner will receive an extra gift!
$25 Amazon Gift Card
- Gift Card is nested inside a specialty gift box!
- Gift Card has no expiration date!
- Gift Card is redeemable towards millions of items store-wide at Amazon.com!
Spread The Word
Don’t be shy! Share This Link on your blog or across your social media pages. Let your friends know of this unique opportunity to win. All that is required is their email address! Each contestant can only enter once. BUT extra entries can be unlocked!
(If you have eBook versions, this is the perfect opportunity to get this series in paperback, signed and with my special seal!)
You can enter the contest HERE.
The contest begins Today! April 12, 2016 and ends Tuesday, April 26, 2016 so there’s plenty of time to enter: ENTER HERE
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*See What The Readers Are Saying!*
Kathryn Reed on Between Slavery and Freedom (Stella, Book 1)
“Yecheilyah Ysrayl takes us on a colorful and thought provoking journey through the eyes of a mulatto slave woman Stella. Generations later, Stella’s descendant Cynthia May has no idea of Stella’s life as a slave, nor the true identity of their bloodline. Since Cynthia is a racist she is in for a rude awakening. Stella is reminiscent of a wonderfully written slave narrative, a story of history and pain, it is a brilliant opener of the Stella series.”
Colleen Chesebro on Beyond The Colored Line (Stella, Book 2)
“By the time the Great Depression eases, Stella and her family move to segregated Chicago, where life is not much better. Aunt Sara, a school teacher, struggles to wait for the school district to pay her. Sara has made the step into white society by dating an affluent doctor and encourages Stella to do the same. After a discussion with Aunt Sara, Stella decides to pass for white. Sidney McNair is born and enters a white society where she had the freedom to go where she chooses and to buy whatever she likes. Stella has crossed the colored line.
”Christa Wojo. on The Road to Freedom (Stella, Book 3)
“The Road to Freedom – Joseph’s Story is something of a prequel to Beyond the Colored Line, and Stella’s son tells us about his own journey through turbulent times when South fights hard and dirty to stay segregated. Joseph and a group of his young, impassioned friends want to do something about it but don’t know exactly what. Like the first book, Ysrayl works her magic of putting the reader into her characters’ minds to witness history through their emotions and perspectives. At one point in the story, the friends are trapped in their vehicle as it’s mobbed by a pack of violent racists. My heart was literally pounding at this point. I was horrified that anyone had to experience such ugly cruelty.”
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Ink Pen
Dear Ink Pen,
No, just listen.
I want your lips
nestled
against the collar bone
Of this page
I don’t care that people do not hand-write anymore
I need you
nibbling at history
and touching passions
I desire your soul
pressed hard against my fingers
I need you
touching minds
and resurrecting souls
In private places
Let your hands roam their computer screens
Kissing the interior of their hearts
Freeing the thoughts of men
Leave us naked with hope
Vulnerable
And open with the desire
For your nose against the nape of our necks
Let us drink of the truth dripping from your mouth
The taste of light lingering on your breath
But first I need you
Your lips
Nestled
Ball pointed
Against the collar bone
Of this page.
Yes, that’s it.
Now
touch them.
Consequence of a Lonely Heart
The thought arose midnight
somewhere between
the witching hours of deception
and the sparkling thighs
that rubbed away
what was left
of her common sense.
Ignoring the blanket stretch of solitude
reaching for the sweat
dripping from the threads of her hands
the thirst of her shadow
descending from the heavens like an angel
waiting for her to open herself up
so that the incarceration of her heart
can be weighed against the gold of her patience
she could not have been less wise
than to let deception
play its numbers on her skin
like melting pearls
sliding down the creases of a well-worn backbone
that she traded in for a brief moment
of Black Orchard or Issey Miyake cologne
though neither could wash away the shame
to which lust had gifted her thoughts
and the rose petals aligning the secret bath
to which she has mixed in her cup of distorted priorities
only smelled of death
in becoming another
she failed
to become herself
#Book #Review – Ivory Dawn (The Razor’s Adventures) by P.S. Bartlett
Title: Ivory Dawn (The Razors Adventures)
Author: P.S. Bartlett
Print Length: 20 pages
Publication Date: May 15, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00XQPBJ6K
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
Ivory Dawn is a short story and the first book in The Razor’s Adventures Pirate Series. The prequel to Demons and Pearls, the story is about four young women living life on the banks of the Ashley River. All cousins, they are led by Ivory Shepherd who quickly emerges as the group’s leader. When the women are raided by a group of pirate men seeking to do them harm, it is apparent that these are not ordinary women. With blades and guns, they prove prepared to handle their own. However, the battle is not yet finished. Captain Christopher Barclay of Demon Sea and his men pay the women a visit and so is the beginning of The Razor Adventures.
Ivory, Miranda, Cass, and Keara have obviously been through some challenging times which have helped strengthen them in many ways. This first book serves as an introduction to the characters and opens with the attack on their farm. We then watch as the women defend themselves while protecting each other with fearlessness. As a woman who strongly believes in survival and preparation, I think it’s important for women to know how to defend themselves in any situation. I enjoyed how the author also managed to show us their soft, emotional side as they sat around the fire to ponder their now serious situation. Despite how tough, they are still women and I think it was important to show off that feminine caring side of them as well. The side that is concerned and warm as opposed to hard and cold. Bartlett highlighted this emotion well against the warmth of the fire. And as Ivory takes hold of the rum and four glasses, though the strongest of the group, I find she has probably suffered the most. It will be interesting to see what kind of pain and struggle is behind those eyes.
I’m a little behind on this series so the next adventure for me is Demons and Pearls, which I am reading next. I look forward to reading more about the women’s backstory and seeing how the adventure develops.
Ratings:
Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5
Entertainment Factor: 4/5
Characterization: 5/5
Authenticity / Believable: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4 / 5
You Can Find Ivory Dawn
The First Book in The Razor’s Adventures Series
on Amazon
“I’m taking a fantastic voyage. Won’t you join me?” – P.S. Bartlett
Millionaires Fleeing Chicago For Fear of Civil Unrest
There’s a lot going on in this world. Keep your eyes wide open.
Also In The News:
Planet Nine: Mysterious Planet Headed For Earth
Woman Discovers Her Husband Is a Pedophile One Week After Marriage
Real Writers Don’t Self-Publish
Check out this excellent post by Kristen as a response to the “For me, traditional publishing means poverty. But self-publish? No way” article as posted to The Guardian.
Personally, I admire aspects of both Traditional and Self-Pub and I couldn’t have said it better. I really liked Myth #2: “Self-Publish and ALL Time Will Be Spent Marketing Not Writing”. This is actually not true and proves a lot of people judge books by their covers (pun intended). Sure, Indie’s promote a lot and this is what is seen in public, but those Indie’s who do more promo and marketing than they do writing their next book is…umm, doing it wrong and are not staples for the entire Indie Author Community.
One of the things I love about doing what I do is that I have the ability to connect so closely with you guys and speak on the topics that matter to you. Yesterday, a fellow writer shared an article from The Guardian, For me traditional publishing means poverty. But self-publish? No way. She wanted my take on what the author had to say.
All right.
For those who’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, I hope I’ve been really clear that I support all paths of publishing (vanity press doesn’t count).
All forms of publishing hold advantages and disadvantages and, as a business, we are wise to consider what form of publishing is best for our writing, our work, our goals, our personality, etc. But my goal has always been to educate writers so they are making wise decisions based off data, not just personal…
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The PBS Blog 