Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Book Tour & Book Review: The Walk-On by Richard Podkowski #blogtour #giveaway #fiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @PublishingAcorn



Commercial Fiction

Date Published: February 23, 2023

Publisher: Acorn Publishing


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In the twilight of his NFL career as a middle linebacker for the Chicago Storm, Mike “the Steelman” Stalowski masks his physical pain and mental anguish with alcohol and painkillers. The fan favorite has a rebel image and a notorious reputation, and he plays a violent gridiron game fueled by inner rage. 

While estranged from his wife and living in the fishbowl environment of professional sports, he unexpectedly meets the fresh-out-of-college Kim Richardson. She sees through Mike’s star persona to who he really is—a kind guy from the Southeast Side of Chicago who has never forgotten his humble blue-collar roots. The lives of the star-crossed, seemingly mismatched couple collide during a whirlwind romance that culminates in a tragic series of events.


The Walk-On is a timeless tale of love and loss that explores the consequences of personal decisions and the rewards of faith, redemption, and hope.


Early Reviews

“An interesting read where star linebacker Mike Stalowski confronts the inevitable challenges every NFL player faces as they transition to their post-football life. His experiences may seem exaggerated, but they are still very real.”

Gary Fencik, Chicago Bears, Super Bowl XX Champion

 

“Despite his NFL fame and bad-boy attitude and antics, I empathized with the humble guy from a blue-collar background fighting painful emotional and physical demons. . .Ultimately, The Walk-On is an incredible story of love and loss, with faith and mentorship fostering hope for the future.”

Bill Rancic, Author of the New York Times bestseller, You’re Hired

 

“Just like the protagonist’s very fast sports car, The Walk-On will leave you, from the very first paragraph, just a little breathless as you navigate all the sharp turns that come fast and furious at the reader. . .”

Jean Becker, Author of the New York Times bestseller, The Man I Knew: The Amazing Story of George H. W. Bush's Post-Presidency

 

“The Walk-On is a fascinating story of self-sabotage and redemption. A page-turner!!!!” 

Mary Pat Kelly, Bestselling author of Galway Bay, Of Irish Blood, and Irish Above All

 

 



Review

Podkowski's writing style is smooth and easy to follow. I really enjoyed the storyline, it made for a well-rounded read.

The characters are well-developed and sympathetic. There is no cartoon black and white but realistic handling of events.

It's a journey and a well done one. 


  About the Author

Richard Podkowski, a native of Chicago’s South Side, began writing fiction while studying criminal justice at Loyola University Chicago.

As a United States Secret Service special agent, Richard protected U.S. presidents and foreign dignitaries and investigated major domestic and international financial crimes. After retiring from the Secret Service in 2003 as a supervisory special agent, he became a management member of a Fortune 100 company's global security group. For the last several years, Richard has been a private sector strategic security consultant.

Inspired by professional athletes who lived in a fishbowl under constant media scrutiny and made life-altering mistakes, Richard wrote The Walk-On. Other projects include a holiday rom-com manuscript and a crime story. In his free time, Richard enjoys riding his road bike, working out, and making Christmas ornaments. He currently resides with his family in Los Angeles.

 

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Book Blitz: Vices / Virtues by Beatrice De Soprontu #promo #womensfiction #fiction  #VicesVirtues #BeatriceDeSoprontu #rabtbooktours @desoprontu @RABTBookTours

 

Women's Fiction

Date Published: July 14, 2019

 

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"Simultaneously compelling, intriguing, and effortlessly entertaining read. De Soprontu imparts views on themes of poverty, race, identity, strength, and deliverance, all tightly bound within this intricate psychological opera." KIRKUS REVIEWS

"VICES/VIRTUES is a beautifully written, strikingly moving, look at the interacting lives and diverse backgrounds of women in an unconventional profession" Indie Reader

 

Cristela had a childhood shrouded in secrets. Ashamed of their circumstances, her mother told lies and encouraged her daughter to do the same. As Cristela grew, she unraveled the lies, but found that deception is a hard habit to break. Now, as an adult, Cristela creates a secret alter ego as the dominatrix Mistress Clara.

By day, Cristela is a good-girl poster child. By night, Mistress Clara masters the hidden erotic realm of an S&M dungeon. With her knack for duplicity things should work smoothly except for one complication – friendship. The quirky array of fellow dominatrices at the dungeon are nothing like the stereotypes she expected. Divided between her affection for the girls at the dungeon and her desire to keep her fetish activities secret, Cristela fears her two worlds are colliding. Can Cristela break her history of deceit? In a world of vices and virtues, salvation isn’t something you find, it’s a path you make.

 

About the Author

Beatrice De Soprontu began writing at the age of four, when she scribbled on the walls with a crayon. Now an adult, she mostly scribbles on her home computer surrounded by her noisy children and their less noisy father. Born and raised in New York City, (which includes: Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn, maybe even Staten Island – a.k.a. the real New York and not the tourist trap that is Manhattan), she enthusiastically travels the world on a budget whenever she gets the chance.

 

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Book Blitz & New Release with Giveaway: Matt Miller in the Colonies by Mark J. Rose #promo #releaseday #giveaway #fiction #literary #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @Matt_in_1760s

 

Book Four: Architect

 

General and Literary Fiction

Date Published: February 28, 2023

Publisher: The Skydenn Looking Glass


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Twenty-first-century scientist Matt Miller has become a wealthy businessman and politician with a beautiful wife and family. Yet, despite his every effort, Matt’s world is crumbling around him. Grace has recovered from her physical injuries, but her mental scars deepen as the threat to her family remains and her brother’s trial looms on the horizon. The Millers find themselves at the center of a maelstrom that threatens to engulf the entire colony of Virginia and make it the epicenter for a revolution. As the events around Matt unfold and his situation worsens, an opportunity presents itself to right the wrongs he has caused, but only if Matt can leave his life in the colonies behind.


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Monday, February 27, 2023

Book Tour & Book Review with Giveaway: Vagabonder by R.T. Coleman #blogtour #bookreview #giveaway #scifi #fantasy #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @beccawritesstuf


Science Fiction/Fantasy

Date Published: 09-20-2022

Publisher: Aurelia Leo


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Humans have always feared Caen’s kind.

Survivors of a mysterious virus, Ruĝa Morto, that killed 80% of Earth’s population two centuries ago, they have endured enslavement as Neurologically Compromised Individuals, or NiCIes, owned by OnyxCorp. Now, in 2261, Caen begins a perilous journey to seek the Vagabonders, the original moon colonists, whom many believe hold the key to freeing his people.

He knows he is hunted. He expects death at every turn.

But he doesn’t anticipate meeting Dr. Ligeia Obumbwe, a human biogeneticist desperate to protect her brother Finn, yet another victim of the endemic virus. When OnyxCorp promises to keep Finn safe in exchange for her work in their lunar lab, she accepts despite her increasing unease regarding the Corporation’s motives.

Ligeia and Caen become unlikely partners in a dangerous quest to reach the Vine, the space elevator that is the first step in their journey to the moon.

What they find along the way could help them bring OnyxCorp to its knees…or destroy everything they love.



REVIEW
R.T. Coleman does a fantastic job of bringing her reader straight into her visionary world. I enjoyed the use of vivid imagery to transport us. 
There is a lot of action and drama throughout this to keep you flipping pages. It's got a great overall theme that really comes through in the writing and story. 
I enjoyed these characters and thought they were likable and relatable. 
Well written and engrossing til the very end. 

About the Author

R. T. Coleman grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she nurtured a passion for reading and writing while nestled among blankets and pillows in her bedroom closet. Her love of science fiction was born when she saw Star Wars in the theater in 1977. Imagine her disappointment when she realized she could never actually be Princess Leia.

She lives in Springfield, Arkansas, with her partner Joe on their 25-acre farm, where she works as an instructional designer by day and a writer and editor by night. Vagabonder is her debut novel.

 

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Escaping My Demons by Joseph Fagarazzi #promo #autobiography #nonfiction #giveaway #josephfagarazzi #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

Autobiography

Date Published: November 6, 2022

Publisher: Ocean Reeve Publishing Queensland Australia


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Throughout this book we learn about the sufferance of a baby boy, unwanted by his teenage parents.

This boy grew up with an aggressive and womanising father that constantly reminded him that he was a mistake that ruined his father’s life.

While been beaten and mentally abused, all he craved from his parents was love but received nothing but humiliation and sufferance from his father.

This caused detrimental trauma to the young boy, and he grew up believing that he would never achieve anything in life.

I was this little boy, and this is my story.

 

What Readers Are Saying


"Great read, very compelling, could not put it down. Read in one sitting. You are a good guy, glad that I know you!"

- Peter Healey

 

"Reading Escaping my Demons gave me an insight into how difficult Joseph's childhood was ... This would be a good self-help book for those who have had less-than-ideal family life and the proof has shown that in the end we make our own lives and can choose toe either be a victim or a winner."

-Vicki Ebert

 

"The book 'Escaping my Demons' is Fragarazzi's road map to the emotional freedom he now enjoys today."

-Kez Wickham St George

 

About the Author

Joseph Fagarazzi was born in Venice, Italy in 1951. His life story, and his book, Escaping My Demons, are based on his strength and persistence in surviving as an unwanted ridiculed child by biased parents.

Learn more about Joseph and how his life journey took him to live in Australia on www.josephfagarazziauthor.com


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Book Blitz & Giveaway: Hangmen by Dale Arenson #promo #nonfiction #memoir #motorcycleclub #giveaway #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 

Riding With an Outlaw Motorcycle Club in the Old Days

 

Memoir/ Motorcycle History

Date Published: 01-09-2021


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Take a thrill-packed ride with the outlaw bikers of the Hangmen Motorcycle Club during the wild days of the 60s and 70s, and experience what it feels like to live on the edge.

When 15-year-old Dale drops out of school, he’s not sure if he wants to be a Marine or a biker. Neither of them pays well, but both fulfill his need for adventure and excitement. As soon as he gets his first Harley, the decision comes easily and the young man falls into the dangerous life of a 1% outlaw biker in Southern California.

For almost a decade, Hangmen Motorcycle Club becomes his family, and passionate yet kind-hearted Dale experiences true brotherhood with this extraordinary group of men. Caught up in gang brawls, run-ins with the law, partying and some romance, there is never a dull moment in his day. Perennial values such as honor, loyalty, and freedom also become part of his life. For Hangmen Motorcycle Club—a modern version of the gunfighters of the Old West—is all about living life to the fullest as free spirits, preserving one’s liberties, and protecting one’s kin.

With hundreds of raving reviews, Hangmen is a page-turner to be enjoyed from beginning to end whether or not you are a biker. It is packed with unexpected twists and turns and the author’s sense of humor brightens up even the bleakest situations. Ultimately, Hangmen is a book about humanity and probably the most authentic and raw immersion in the motorcycle club subculture of the 60s and 70s.

 

About the Author

Dale Arenson is a bestselling author of gripping memoirs inspired by his risky and unconventional life. A high-school dropout, he found the supportive family he always craved as a member of the famous Hangmen Motorcycle Club. After many run-ins with the law and brushes with death and animated by the desire to better himself, Arenson reinvented himself as a commercial pilot and had a successful career in aviation for 35 years.

Always up for a good challenge, later on he became a World Champion and Record Breaker Rifle Shooter.

A big admirer of classics such as Plato, Hemingway, and Marcus Aurelius, Arenson is now taking his turn at writing books that entertain, inspire, and stand the test of time.

 

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Friday, February 24, 2023

Book Blitz: Abolishing the Traditions of Men in the Church by Aniekan Okono #promo #nonfiction #religion #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @BookBuzznet

 

An ex.po.sé on Christian doctrines and traditions which are against God’s covenants.

 

Religion / Nonfiction

Date Published: 01/24/2023

Publisher: Times of Truth Publishing


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This book shows how the original Hebrews, including the followers of Christ, understood God’s voice; how they knew a Scriptural text was inspired and should be accepted.

It highlights issues which have arisen because, in early Church history, the original voice wasn’t understood and followed properly.

Since the death of the last of the 12 Apostles, traditions of men have taken over the Church, and these have had negative effects on the world despite the Church putting so much effort into evangelism and winning souls.

This book shows how and why Christianity is not the fastest-growing religion, despite efforts in evangelism and soul-winning.

This book goes further to provide more accurate interpretations of the events from the Garden of Eden down to the tree of life in the book of Revelation. It uses principles of interpretation, as provided by the Bible itself.

The book has pointed out traditions of men in the Church with respect to teachings on Hell, Heaven, who goes to Heaven, what happens when we die, binding the devil, witches and wizards, one is taken and one left, pleading the blood of Jesus, the Church as the bride of Christ, times of the gentiles, salvation, brothers and sisters of mine, repent or you’ll burn in hell and many other daily teachings.


About the Author

Aniekan Okono is a graduate of Business Administration. He holds professional certificates in Business Analysis, Business Architecture and Enterprise Architecture.

He is an Enterprise Architect by profession and an avid Bible reader.

 

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Book Tour & Book Review: Of Lessons Lost by Fred Snyder #blogtour #bookreview #historical #fiction #oflessonslost #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

 




Historical Fiction

Date Published: November 4, 2022


This fast paced novel opens with brothers Yaakov and Lazer's daring escape from the back of a Nazi vehicle en route to their execution in occupied Poland. Surviving alone in the woods until the war ends, the brothers return to their hometown in search of Wilus Chomelstien, the mayor that had informed the Germans of their plans to organize an armed resistance. The brothers want Wilus to pay for his disloyalty. But the outcome of their meeting with Wilus will haunt them and their descendants far into the future.

 


 



Review

The plot was smooth and I liked the way it flowed from chapter to chapter, and the drama kept me turning the pages quickly. 

Wonderfully written and full of surprises the entire way through. You won’t want to miss this one!


  About the Author


I am a retired senior executive for a fortune 100 company. Years ago my first novel (Ezekiel’s Vision) was launched via a conventional book publisher.  My new self-published novel is titled: OF LESSONS LOST.


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Thursday, February 23, 2023

Book Blitz: The Voice of Villainy by Lona Bailey, PhD #promo #nonfiction #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @MKWebsiteandSEO

 

The Betty Lou Gerson Story

 

Nonfiction

Date Published: January 28, 2023


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She voiced one of Disney’s most infamous villainesses. With her husky timbre and most unforgettable cackle, Betty Lou Gerson terrified an entire generation as Disney’s original “Cruella de Vil” in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). Betty used her whiskey-soaked voice to give us an innovative portrait of elegant villainy beyond entertainment’s stereotypical “old hag” antagonists in radio, film, and television. She had a prolific radio career in both Chicago and Hollywood before the silver screen and was featured in many popular television series in the 1950s and 1960s such as Perry Mason, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Hazel. Though “Cruella” is perhaps her most recognized role, she also performed in other beloved film classics including Cinderella (1950), Mary Poppins (1964), and Cats Don’t Dance (1997).

The great irony of Betty’s story is that while her voice frightened audiences through nearly all mediums, off mic, she was in fact no villainess at all. Betty traversed through some of the most volatile eras in American history, while overcoming many personal tragedies of her own. She was among twentieth century entertainment pioneers and an iconic voice of feminism.


About the Author

Lona Bailey is a Golden Age of Hollywood researcher and writer of "Uncredited: The Life and Career of Actress Virginia Gregg" and "The Voice of Villainy: The Betty Lou Gerson Story."

As a PhD and former therapist, Lona is passionate about telling the untold #storiesofwomen who perhaps weren’t finished using their own voices during their earthly journeys. Lona is a mother of three with a balanced perspective on the multidimensional elements involved in legacy-maintenance with particular interest in the preservation efforts of the #GoldenAgeofHollywood. Lona’s #biographic works are delicately researched and written with a candid and fair pen and plenty of room for levity.

#OldHollywood holds millions of secrets in its gothic #sensationalism; with its #darksecrets, come just as many shimmering triumphs– and Old Hollywood wouldn’t be as we know it without both.

 

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Book Tour: The Game of Value Creation by Karl Yaacoub #blogtour #nonfiction #business #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours @KarlYaacoub


Nonfiction / Business

Date Published: September 27, 2022

Publisher: Mindstir Media


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The Game of Value Creation takes you inside the world of active investors, who acquire companies that offer substantial opportunities for value creation and turn them into success stories using a proven, calculated, and tactical approach, so that you too can benefit from the strategies that work for the big fish in your own business.

Karl Yaacoub, a former investment banker and private equity investor, reveals how to view a business as a series of interconnected parts while applying the same principles as world-leading institutions to help your organization achieve success.



About the Author

Karl Yaacoub has over 11 years of experience in investment banking and private equity. He started his career with Standard Chartered Bank, a British multinational financial institution listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges, where he completed assignments and deals in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

He then joined a newly formed investment company with a capital of USD 680 million that had just listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), where he played an active role in sourcing and assessing investments in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Europe and Southeast Asia and executing deals totaling USD 500 million.

Karl has executed deals in a variety of industries, including but not limited to commercial real estate, oil and gas, chemicals, technology, healthcare and education.

He has worked closely with a range of professionals who work for the world’s top investment banks, private equity firms, sovereign wealth funds, management consulting firms, family offices and legal firms. He enjoys a truly international network of colleagues, investors and friends around the world.

Karl is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) Charterholder and holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

He is a Chicago Bulls fan and enjoys live music entertainment and unusual gastronomic experiences. He and his family reside in Chicago, Illinois. He is reachable via email at karl.yaacoub@gmail.com.


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