Book Tours and Giveaways!

About the Book

Book: The Happy Rainbow

Author: Lillian Jane McAdoo

Illustrator: Caryl McAdoo

Genre: Picture Book – Pre-school to Third grade

Release date: December 8, 2022

A precious promise from God is fading fast when a cloud meanders between the rainbow and the sun, shadowing it. The forest animals must act fast to save the beautiful happy rainbow.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Lillian Jane McAdoo, about to celebrate her seventh birthday, wrote this story while in Kindergarten at the Primrose School of Highland Village, Texas, and she’s now a first grader at Hilltop Elementary School in Argyle. Besides telling stories, she enjoys t-ball, ballet, and roller skating. An only child, Lillian knows how special she is to all, and THE HAPPY RAINBOW is her debut book!

Singing and playing with cousins and friends are some of her favorite things to do. She lives with Daddy in Carrollton, Texas—he’s a great DFW Metroplex real estate agent—and her mother at her Nanny and Pops in Argyle. Lillian loves visiting Grami and O’Pa’s home, The Peaceable, out in the country where she plays with all the dogs, rides four-wheelers, and collects the hens’ eggs for her paternal grandmother!

About the Illustrator

Award-winning author Caryl McAdoo prays her story brings God glory, and her best-selling stories—over sixty published—delight Christian readers around the world. The prolific writer also enjoys singing the new songs the Lord gives her; you may listen at YouTube. She’s always enjoyed drawing and graphic arts! Sharing four children and twenty-five grandsugars (six are greats), Caryl and Ron, her high-school-sweetheart-husband of fifty-four years, live in the woods south of Clarksville, seat of Red River County in far Northeast Texas. The McAdoos wait expectantly for God to open the next door.

More from Caryl

Oh, what a joy family is! I’m so glad the Father thought of the generations! It was my blessing to help my grandsugardoll Lillian Jane McAdoo write her debut story THE HAPPY RAINBOW. I asked her questions and she wrote her story in a purple composition book with a Crayola when she visited The Peaceable this summer. Lillian is six years old!

I asked, “What’s something you love?”

“Rainbows!”

“I love rainbows, too. So how is this rainbow?”

“Happy!” she says.

“All right then! Do you want to call your book THE HAPPY RAINBOW?”

“Yes!”

“So, you might start your story by introducing the rainbow. Then where is your rainbow going to be? What’s beneath her?”
“She’s in the sky and there’s a forest under her like your house, Grami!”

And so it went. At first, she wanted to be through before it even got to the middle, so I explained every good story had a beginning, a middle, and an end. I told her how everything had a beginning, a middle, and an end—except for God. A day has a beginning, morning, breakfast—a middle, noon, lunchtime—and an end, evening, supper.

A house has a beginning, middle, and end when it is built, lived-in, then is torn down. Trees, animals, fish, bugs, flowers, vegetables . . . everything—except God—so that they were very important! Those beginnings, wrote a blog post  middles, and ends! But we could do something else if she needed time to think about her story.

“That’s what authors do,” I told Lillian. “You don’t have to write your whole book in a day.” That made her happy.

We had several discussions while we were away from the actual writing. We researched rainbows on Google and learned so many interesting things about them.

I told her how in my stories, Grami liked to have something bad happen—a crisis—that the main character has to overcome. “Can you think of something that might happen to the rainbow?”

Lillian came up with the rainbow fading, going away, but she wanted to stay in the sky. So, I asked, “What do you suppose could make it fade?”
“The sun not shining.”
“Can you think of something that keeps the sun from shining down on you?”

“A cloud.”

“Sure! So, what if a cloud got between the sun and the rainbow? Could it shade the rainbow and make it fade?”

And so it went, the questions based on her answers. And over her visit, the story came out, all handwritten—she asked how to spell many words—in the composition book with her crayon.

She was so proud, but not as proud as Grami was of her! She told me more than once how she was the author and her name went on the cover!  Politely, of course, but she sure had me grinning.

After she left, I started the illustrations, all done on the computer with free images at PicMonkey. I would send each to her and get her approval.

A couple of months back, I had the honor of leading my sugardoll to invite Jesus into her heart. As the story came forth, I’d share ways that her story honored Him.

Like the rainbow didn’t get angry with the cloud, but politely asked it to move, or the sweet little cloud, sad about the dilemma he caused, wanted to oblige the rainbow, but couldn’t without the wind (help)!

How the animals joined together to pray for the rainbow like we can join together and pray for our friends when they are in trouble. Of course, about how the rainbow shows bright and proud again at the end, proclaiming God’s promise to all men!

It thrilled me to be a part of Lillian’s first picture book! The whole process proved a very rewarding experience. Perhaps she’ll keep writing!

My review!

How fun that grandma and granddaughter wrote this book together. Young Lillian Jane McAdoo will have more books to write, I’d venture to guess.

This is a wonderful story that reminds us of God’s love for us and that He hears us when we pray. The illustrations are sweet and colorful. And the book includes many rainbow facts, making it a great resource for your use when teaching children about rainbows.

Grab a copy of The Happy Rainbow and enjoy! 

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 16

Vicky Sluiter, March 17

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 18

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 19

Cover Lover Book Review, March 20

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 21

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 22

Texas Book-aholic, March 23

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 24

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 25

For Him and My Family, March 26

Mary Hake, March 26

Pause for Tales, March 27

Artistic Nobody, March 28

Simple Harvest Reads, March 29

Giveaway

To celebrate their tour, Lillian and Caryl are giving away the prize of a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/24dbd/the-happy-rainbow-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book: The Finding of Miss Fairfield

Author: Grace Hitchcock

Genre: Historical Romance

Release date: August 29, 2022

When an engagement of convenience becomes anything but convenient . . .

Forced into a betrothal with a widower twice her age, Charleston socialite, Sophia Fairfield is desperate for an escape. But, while her fiancé is away on business, he assigns his handsome stepson, Carver, the task of looking after his bride-to-be. Much to her dismay, Sophia finds herself falling in love with the wrong gentleman—a man society would never allow her to marry, given Sophia was supposed to be his new stepmother. The only way to save Carver from scandal and financial ruin is to run away, leaving him and all else behind to become a Harvey Girl waitress at the Castañeda Hotel in New Mexico.

Carver Ashton has had his life planned out for him since birth, but when he encounters Sophia Fairfield, he glimpses a new life—apart from his overbearing stepfather’s business. But, when the woman he loves disappears before he can express his devotion, Carver abandons all to find her. However, his stepfather has other intentions for Sophia and will stop at nothing until she is his bride . . . even if it is against her will.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Grace Hitchcock is the award-winning author of multiple historical novels and novellas. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in History. Grace lives in the New Orleans area with her husband, Dakota, sons, and daughter. Connect with her online at GraceHitchcock.com.

More from Grace

Q: What type of fiction do you write? What is it about this type that appeals to you? 

Grace Hitchcock: I write historical romance with a dash of suspense, unless it was for my true crime books which have a bit more than a dash of suspense  For my American setting novels, The Gilded Age speaks to me as it was a time of change for women. While still having that epic romance feel with balls and dancing and courtships with a sweet romance, women were breaking ground and making history and pairing that with the fact that it was a time of emerging inventions, it is an all-around exciting era to research, read, and write.

Q: Who were the Harvey Girls?

Grace Hitchcock: Whenever I tell people I am writing about a Victorian Harvey Girl romance, they usually assume the Harvey Girls are associated with an old-time saloon, but nothing could be further from the truth. In the 1890s, there were not many respectable jobs for women, so when Englishman Fred Harvey created his chain of fine dining restaurants along the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroads, single women without an education, or in need of earning their own way, were given a chance to earn an honest wage without the speculation that they offered anything else but food as a service. With Mr. Harvey’s strict rules about the waitress’s code of conduct, the women were given their independence while still maintaining their good name and place in society under the protective, fatherly arm of Fred Harvey. These extraordinary, brave women became known as the Harvey Girls, the ladies who tamed the Wild West with fine china, good pie, and exceptional service with complete propriety.

While Harvey Houses were built to serve the needs of the passengers on the rail to encourage tourism in the west, the railroad workers and local townsmen also dined at the restaurant, but usually at the lunch counter. At a time when men filled towns and women were scarce, inevitably, a railroad worker or townsman would express interest in marrying a Harvey Girl. In order to marry, she would need to fulfill her work contract or risk paying a fine of a month of salary. The fine was set in place to ensure that Fred Harvey would have enough workers and that he wouldn’t simply train a girl to have her shipped to a town of bachelors and leave him without a waitress.

As you can probably tell, such a set up sends an author’s head to spinning with all the romance that could come from a woman venturing out on her own in a land filled with cowboys, bandits, ranchers, and farmers. The possibilities for romance are endless! There is so much more I could write about these fascinating ladies and their contributions to society, but I hope you enjoyed this taste of history on the Harvey Girls!

Q: What are your publications? And what are you currently working on? 

Grace Hitchcock: After signing with The Steve Laube Agency in 2015, I sold three novellas to Barbour Publishing and then, in March 2019, I released my debut novel, The White City, from Barbour Publishing and signed for a second novel, The Gray Chamber.

My latest release, His Delightful Lady Delia, concludes my 3-book American Royalty series for Bethany House Publishers and hit the shelves in November 2022.

This spring, I signed with Kregel Publications for my first ever REGENCY series!!!! I am thrilled for this dream come true!

While I wait for its release, I’m keeping busy editing and writing book two in my Harvey Girls Aprons & Veils series, The Pursuit of Miss Parish.

The Pursuit of Miss Parish summary:

Love’s gentle promise becomes nothing more than a withered dream.

With dreams of love and a hope for belonging, shy Belle Parish leaves her position as a maid in Charleston to travel to New Mexico with her best friend to become mail-order brides. Colt Lawson’s letters hold great promise and while his devilishly handsome face matches his picture, something does not add up. Discovering his lie only moments before they wed, Belle flees the church and straight into the Castañeda Hotel Harvey House. Giving up the prospect on ever marrying, she dons her nun-like uniform and focuses on her role as a Harvey Girl waitress until a strong, former Texas Ranger rides into her life.

Colt Lawson didn’t want to send that letter to Belle Parish in the first place, but her first response had all but captured his heart. When he is left standing at the altar alone, he is left with two choices—either release his dream of a love marriage, or attempt to win her heart. Wooing her would be a lot easier if that Texas Ranger wasn’t back in town. Who wants a dusty rancher with a past when she could have a shining knight in a Stetson?

While you wait for The Pursuit of Miss Parish to release in Summer 2023, please be sure to check out book one in my brand-new Harvey Girl series set at the historical Hotel Castañeda, The Finding of Miss Fairfield, a tale about Charleston socialite who is on the run from an engagement of convenience.

Happy reading, friends!

My review!

Book one in the Aprons & Veils series, author Grace Hitchcock shows us the hard working life of the Harvey Girls. I really enjoy reading about them, but this one surprised me. I thought they were all placed at tourist destinations’ this one was simply a train stop. It was still very good reading.

Main characters Sophia and Carver were strong and likable. Sophia fought for her independence at a time when women just didn’t do that. Carver was doing the same by bucking his step father. I really would enjoy visiting with such determined people. The secondary characters were equally as well written.

It was difficult to read about Sophia’s heartless father, and the bad guys (won’t give who it was away) in this story. I’d like to say that all received what they deserved but Hitchcock left us hanging. I hope she wraps it up in book two. I still recommend reading this book if you enjoy historical fiction and the Harvey Girls.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

Blog Stops

Connie’s History Classroom, March 12

Christina’s Corner, March 12

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 13

Genesis 5020, March 13

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 14

deb’s Book Review, March 14

Texas Book-aholic, March 15

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, March 15

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 16

Splashes of Joy, March 16

Melissa’s Bookshelf, March 16

Vicky Sluiter, March 17

Cover Lover Book Review, March 17

Simple Harvest Reads, March 18 (Guest Review from Mindy Houng)

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 18

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 19

Books You Can Feel Good About, March 19

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 20

For Him and My Family, March 20

Blogging With Carol, March 21

Back Porch Reads, March 21

Artistic Nobody, March 22 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

EmpowerMoms, March 22

She Lives To Read, March 23

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, March 23

Pause for Tales, March 24

Holly’s Book Corner, March 24

Mary Hake, March 24

Lights in a Dark World, March 25

Jodie Wolfe – Stories Where Hope and Quirky Meet, March 25

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Grace is giving away the grand prize package of $50 Amazon gift card, a signed copy of the book, a bookmark, and a book magnet!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/24b7a/the-finding-of-miss-fairfield-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book: Do Your Best, Tess!

Author: Janet Morris Grimes

Genre: Children’s picture book – ages 4 – 8

Release date: June 28, 2022

Tess is as scattered as the toys and clothes all over her floor. She flits from one activity to another and forms the habit of never finishing anything.

But when her dream is on the line, she discovers the importance of not getting distracted so she can finish what she starts.

Do Your Best, Tess! is a read-aloud participation book. The reader will encourage and cheer for Tess as she learns to truly do her best.

The first in the Character is a Choice! series.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Janet Morris Grimes may not have realized she was a writer at the time, but her earliest childhood memories were spent creating fairy-tale stories of the father she never knew. That desire to connect with the mysterious man in a treasured photograph gave her a deep love for the endless possibilities of a healing and everlasting story.

A wife of one, mother of three, and Tootsie to four, Janet currently writes from her quiet two-acre corner of the world near Elizabethtown, KY.

Her debut novel, Solomon’s Porch, was a 2022 American Christian Fiction Writers Carol Awards Finalist.

More from Janet

The idea for this series started over twenty-five years ago, when it was my turn to write a skit for our children’s worship service at church. I came up with a rhyming, read-aloud, interactive story where the kids could help the main character make better choices. They loved it, and they remembered the fun catch phrase long after that night. We created some great memories through the story, and that’s what I hope to offer to children of today.

Do Your Best, Tess! is about a little girl who’s learning to finish what she starts, and why that’s so important. Tess gets distracted easily, and I think we can all relate, especially with today’s culture.

I so enjoy reading this story to my own grandchildren. They love helping Tess remember to put forth her best effort, even when she doesn’t feel like doing so.

My Review!

A good story for children on the importance of focusing and doing your work. While Tess had consequences, she also had second chances.

The sing-songy style will attract younger children who will want to shout Do Your Best, Tess along  with the reader of the story. This will help it stick in their minds as they go about their day. The colorful illustrations will help to keep their attention.

I recommend it for young readers. Younger children will enjoy having it read to them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 15

Remembrancy, March 16

Vicky Sluiter, March 16

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 17

deb’s Book Review, March 18

A Reader’s Brain, March 19

Lily’s Book Reviews, March 20

Mary Hake, March 20

Texas Book-aholic, March 21

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 22

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 23

Cover Lover Book Review, March 24

For Him and My Family, March 25

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 25

Splashes of Joy, March 26

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, March 27

Pause for Tales, March 28

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Janet is giving away the grand prize package of a $50 Amazon gift card and a signed hard-cover copy of Do Your Best, Tess!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/24dbc/do-your-best-tess-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book: Love’s New Beginnings

Author: Penny Zeller

Genre:Christian Historical Romance

Release date: December 13, 2022

Where it all began…

Lydie Beauchamp recently moved with her aunts—sisters Myrtle and Fern—to the untamed Wyoming Territory. When a teaching position in nearby Willow Falls captures her attention, can she leave her aunts, one of whom just suffered a broken heart, and embark on this new adventure? Will she find the courage to persevere in the midst of challenges, one being a handsome challenge named Solomon Eliason?

Reverend Solomon Eliason has the goal of making a difference. Hired as the pastor of Willow Falls, he must convince the congregation that he is able to undertake the role of a reverend. When he’s nominated to be the adult in charge of the annual prank tradition at the school, he embraces the idea, thinking the new teacher will be an elderly crotchety woman like his former teacher. What he doesn’t realize until it’s too late is that the teacher is far from crotchety and elderly.

When Lydie’s and Solomon’s paths cross in an unexpected way during the prank tradition at the Willow Falls school, can Solomon redeem himself in the eyes of the lovely new teacher?

Take a glimpse into where it all began with Lydie and Solomon’s story in this tender tale that reminds us that God can and does use willing hearts for His purposes.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Penny Zeller is known for her heartfelt stories of faith and her passion to impact lives for Christ through fiction. While she has had a love for writing since childhood, she began her adult writing career penning articles for national and regional publications on a wide variety of topics.

Today Penny is the author of over a dozen books. She is also a homeschool mom and a group fitness instructor. Her desire is to assist and nurture women into a closer relationship with Christ.

When Penny is not dreaming up new characters, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters and camping, hiking, canoeing, bicycling/cycling, reading, running, gardening, and playing volleyball.

She is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency and loves to hear from her readers at her website,  blog, and on Facebook.

More from Penny

Stagecoach etiquette, a casket for sale in the mercantile, and mock turtle soup were just a few of the items included in Love’s New Beginnings. Research is always fun for historical novels, and I even discovered that some people ate skunks back in the “olden days.” Not a regular delicatessen, but they did eat them on occasion. After reading about the ingredients for mock turtle soup and discovering about skunks for dinner (aka supper), I’m even more grateful for enchiladas and regular plain ol’ hamburgers. Historical romance novels are a delight to read, but is Love’s New Beginnings the book for you?

If you love…

To read love stories

Stories set in the late 1800s

Settings in the Wild West in small western towns

Sweet romance and tender love stories

Plentiful humor

Character-driven plots

Faith element organically interwoven into the story

Scenes that tug at the heartstrings

Hilarious antidotes tucked within the pages of a novel

To curl up and escape into the lives of book characters

Realistic plot lines

Close-knit families

Clean and wholesome reads

Memorable characters who stay with you long after the last page

Then Love’s New Beginnings is indeed the book for you!

My Review!

Love’s New Beginnings is a prequel novella to author Penny Zeller’s Wyoming Sunrise series. As a novella, it’s a quick read. Zeller’s style is easy to read as she writes very simply.

Lydie and Solomon both want to do God’s will, and do their best. But to do that Lydie must leave her beloved aunts behind. Oh those aunts. They really made this story wonderful. I loved their bickering and solidarity. They could have their own story! Solomon is dealing with pain from the past that will need healing before he can settle in. I loved watching God at work in their lives.

Full of misunderstandings, precocious children, and townspeople who you’ll like, or not, this was a fun story with a sweet romance. If you enjoy historical fiction then I recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

Blog Stops

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 2

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 3

Vicky Sluiter, March 3

Texas Book-aholic, March 4

deb’s Book Review, March 5

Cover Lover Book Review, March 6

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, March 7

EmpowerMoms, March 7

Connie’s History Classroom, March 8

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 9

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 10

Books You Can Feel Good About, March 10

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 11

Splashes of Joy, March 12

For Him and My Family, March 12

Holly’s Book Corner, March 13

lakesidelivingsite, March 14

Vibrant Wings by Valerie, March 14

Pause for Tales, March 15

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Penny is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon gift card and a signed copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/24949/love-s-new-beginnings-celebration-tour-giveaway