4th Of July Giveaway

Posted on 2 Jul 2016 by Author Julie Seedorf

I am teaming with 20 authors for a 4th of July Giveaway. One winner will receive 21 e-books and a $210.00 Gift Certificate from Amazon. Here is the link to register. http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/df645d05224/

Here is a list of the authors and their Facebook Pages, take time to like and visit and learn more about them:

Peggy Gillespie Hazelwood

Reading Between The Lines, Will It Change Your Reviews?

Posted on 3 May 2016 by Author Julie Seedorf

This past weekend I was frazzled. I have a problem relaxing and doing nothing because there is always something to do. This past weekend I forced myself to look beyond my messy house and all the social media promotion with my books to stay home in my comfy chair and read always having a cup of coffee by my side. What could be better relaxation than that?

Recently while chatting with a friend who is an award winning author, we commiserated on the fact we seldom read for fun anymore because we read books by other authors whom we know and support and need to give reviews or blurbs for books. This weekend I chose to read books by authors I don’t know and for pleasure. They so touched my heart I felt I needed to expand on that, especially one book and one author.

The first book I read was by Claire Cook called Seven Year Switch. You might recognize her from her book made into a movie called Must Love Dogs. Seven Year Switch focuses on a single mom whose husband left her and her daughter seven years ago and now he is back. I haven’t had that experience in my life but in reading the book I could resonate with her feelings of responsibility and wanting to believe people we love maybe can change. The decisions she made for her life made me ponder the decisions I have or may be making in my life. It was well written and touched my heart.

The second book I read was Hearts On A String by Kris Radish. I have mentioned before that one of my favorite books of all time is Annie Freeman’s Fabulous Traveling Funeral. Kris Radish has a knack for putting together strangers and melding their lives over a journey of some sort. In Annie Freeman’s Traveling Funeral the ashes of a friend are scattered in her favorite places on earth. This resonated with me because I like quirky things and I have always pondered the end and wondered what I wanted my family to do after I was gone. I have always said I don’t think normal and I feel as if I am a fish out of water having to conform to the way others live their lives because I haven’t found anyone to share the quirkiness with me. This book hit my quirkiness right smack in the face. I have always felt if I knew this author in person we would be good friends.

I downloaded Hearts On A String this weekend and found I couldn’t put it down. I am glad I didn’t read the reviews for this book before I started as I might not have bought it. Isn’t that human nature we look at the bad reviews but not the good and that is also what we hear in our own internal chat with ourselves. But you see, those people that read this book and gave it a bad review didn’t get it. Hearts On A String is about a group of women of all ages meeting my chance in an airport bathroom. Their antics were funny and quirky, which is why I kept reading. It led them through a string of unusual circumstances and through it all they were able to get past their mistrust and share their story with strangers. Haven’t you found it is almost easier to share with strangers because we might never see them again and we don’t have to worry whether they accept us or not? I wanted to meet women like these women.

This book hit what I have been feeling in my life. I have felt like the outsider. I have felt like I had to conform. I have felt like I was going through the motions because no one got who I was or perhaps because I was afraid to uncover what I felt wasn’t accepted. I have felt the weight of not letting go of the responsibility.

We all look for people who have the same likes and interests in our lives because it feels safe. We don’t seek out those who are complete opposites or might shake something up in our lives. I think that is why I liked this book. It brought together five woman who were totally opposite and would never have given each other a chance. Through the rough patches and the ups and downs of the book and the story, they each learned something about themselves, their lives and each other because they took a chance, even if it was unwillingly. This book has heart.

Some of the reviews that were not kind, which I read after I read the book, felt it wasn’t realistic. Obviously some readers just look at plot but don’t take the time to examine the characters. And a book doesn’t need to be realistic to have a lesson.

Reviews and reviewers are interesting because when we read the reviews we forget it is a personal opinion of someone who might have very different personalities and likes from us. I find movies that are only three stars are the ones I like the best and even some movies which have tanked are my favorites. I am not a big fan of Oprah’s book club choices or many of the New York Times best selling books, yet I am a fan of many Indie Authors and Authors whose names you probably never heard of. The only difference the never heard of authors haven’t been discovered yet. And is a matter of personal taste.

Readers tend to read the books that are shouted about the most when they should be reading the books that receive no press or by small publishing companies that have limited budgets. Book Clubs tend to read the popular shouted about books when they too should be reading the books from authors who haven’t got the backing of the big publishing companies because readers are missing out on some great reads and some great wisdom.

My advice, read reviews with thought but make your own choice. Look for an author whose book you haven’t heard of in the genre you love. And…take a chance outside of that genre too. Reach out and expand your love of reading. And….in your life of friends….expand your choices, you may find those that are opposite of you will bring a flavor to your life that you love.

Amy Reade and The House of The Hanging Jade

Posted on 26 Apr 2016 by Author Julie Seedorf

I would like to welcome my friend Author Amy Reade. Today is the launch of her new book The House of The Hanging Jade. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet but I love Amy’s books and I will download it today and give it a review when I am done reading. So enjoy getting to know Amy.

Amy M. Reade grew up in northern New York. After graduating from college and law school, she practiced law in New York City before moving to southern New Jersey, where she lives now with her husband, three children, dog, two cats, and a fish. She writes full time and is the author of Secrets of Hallstead House, a novel of romantic suspense set in the Thousand Islands region of New York, and The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor, a novel in the same genre set outside Charleston, South Carolina. Her third novel, House of Hanging Jade, is set in Hawaii and will be released in April, 2016. She is currently working on the first book of a series set in the United Kingdom (expected release date in early 2017). She loves cooking, reading, and traveling.

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Julie has asked me to write a guest post about a topic of my choosing- oh, the possibilities!

I figured her readers would want me to write about a topic I know a little something about. I know about a lot of stuff- here’s what comes to mind first: laundry, how to disgust three kids using just one recipe (chicken pot pie, if you’re interested), first aid, how to clean a fish tank, the fine art of applying flea and tick medicine to both cats and dogs, and my personal favorite, decluttering the car.

But then I thought to myself, do people really want to know about the nitty gritty of my life?

Wouldn’t they rather learn about visiting far-flung places?

My newest release is called House of the Hanging Jade and it’s set on the Island of Hawaii, more commonly called the Big Island. Having been lucky enough to spend some time on the island, I wanted to write a book that would share some of its rugged beauty with readers.

So I’ve asked my main character, Kailani, to take you on a driving tour of her tropical island home. Have a good trip, Kailaini!

“I’m Kailani Kanaka. It’s nice to meet you. Hop in the car and we’ll get started. Before we go, I’ll give you a quick rundown of the area immediately around the home where I live and work.

“House of the Hanging Jade is set near the northwest coast of the island. It’s an area where thousands of acres of ranchland butt up against sheer black cliffs falling into the Pacific Ocean. From the lanai of the house which gives the book its title, I can see the island of Maui. During the winter, whales calve in the ‘Alenuihaha Channel between the Big Island and Maui.

Alenuihahachannel

“The lava fields that are closely associated with the Big Island are so old on this part of the island that much of the lava has been covered by a velvet cloak of grasses and trees swaying in time with the trade winds.

“So let’s set out. We’ll leave the House of the Hanging Jade and make a right onto the main highway, heading south. If you watch the water closely you may be able to see whale antics- anything from blowhole spouts to flippers slapping the water to full breaches. Often these behaviors are part of the courtship ritual between males and females, but sometimes you’ll be lucky enough to see a competition of sorts between males who are vying for a female’s attention. Then the breaches and flipper slapping become much more frequent and the males really put on a show.

] Breach

“We’re coming to a part of the island where you’ll begin to see vast expanses of ropy black lava extending mauka (toward the mountain) and makai (toward the sea). The lava may look smooth, but it’s really very sharp and you have to be careful walking on it. If you keep your eyes peeled, you might see wild Hawaiian goats, too. They’re dark, so they blend in with the lava.

“Coming up on the right is the airport and pretty soon we’ll be going through the town of Kailua-Kona. It’s a small bustling city catering to locals and tourists alike. This is one of the towns where the cruise ships dock.

kona

“A little further south is Kealakekua Bay, where Captain Cook was killed in 1779. He was the first white man to visit these shores, which he called the Sandwich Islands. There’s some great snorkeling in this area.

“As we round the southern tip of the island you can see Ka Lae in the distance. This is known as ‘South Point’ in English and is the southernmost point in the United States. Isn’t it beautiful?

“Let’s take a quick detour off the main road and have a look at Punalu’u Black Sand Beach. The sand is formed by lava rock that has been pulverized by the action of the waves. This is a favorite resting place for honu, or sea turtles.

] Punalu'u Black Sand Beach 2

“Now let’s continue up the southeastern coast. You’ll be amazed at the visible volcanic activity. Steam rises off the Pacific Ocean where the flow of lava meets the water. The Big Island is actually getting bigger every year from the new land being formed by lava.

“Kilauea Volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983. On several occasions the flow of lava has threatened homes and land; you may recall seeing in the news over the past year that the flow necessitated the (optional) evacuation of several people and families living in the volcano’s shadow.

] Kilauea eruption

“So now we’re coming into the northeastern part of the island. You’ll start to notice a change in the scenery soon. You’ll see more rainforest, less scrub, more waterfalls. We’ll come to the city of Hilo pretty soon. Hilo is the biggest town on the Big Island. My favorite Thai restaurant is there, too. The Hilo Farmers Market is a must when you’re in town- you can find any tropical fruit or vegetable your heart desires, and it’s likely been picked that morning.

“On the other side of Hilo, we’ll stop at Akaka Falls, a state park with breathtaking waterfalls amidst a primeval bamboo forest. I take a special trip to these falls in House of the Hanging Jade.

] Akaka Falls

“Let’s start heading back toward home. We’ll drive through the eucalyptus forests and take one more detour to see Waipi’o Valley. It’s not easy to get down to the bottom of the valley, but the views are really better from the top. There’s no way to express the majesty of those huge black cliffs. Once we get back on the main road, we’ll take a right at Honoka’a and drive through the ranching town of Waimea. Home to a gigantic private cattle ranch, Waimea is a cowboy, or paniolo, town. It’s cooler here than on the coast, and the views of the ocean from this elevation are beautiful.

“Coming out of Waimea, we can take one of two routes back to the House of the Hanging Jade. Let’s take the Kohala Mountain Road, which will wind us through verdant hills with gorgeous and unforgettable views. I had a terrifying encounter up here on the Mountain Road, and it’s not something I like to talk about. But House of the Hanging Jade describes it in detail. I haven’t been back since!

“At the end of the Kohala Mountain Road we’ll head right and make a stop at Pololu Valley. It’s one of the prettiest places on the Big Island and I don’t want you to miss it. Another dark cliff that plunges to the Pacific, Pololu Valley has a switchback trail that’s great for hiking.

Pololu Valley

“And now we head back through the town of Hawi, another place where some pretty frightening things happen in House of the Hanging Jade, and it’s back home. Aloha and mahalo for joining me today!”

Thanks, Kailani, for taking readers on a tour of your Big Island. I hope they enjoyed it!

] Waikoloa sunset