Vegetable Soup

What has vegetable soup got to do with writing? In this case, absolutely nothing. It was just the phrase that came to mind when I started thinking about what I was going to include in this post.

Vegetable soup is made up of a little of this and a little of that. Well, that’s what this post is today. I’m thanking a fellow blogger for an award, listing winners of several book giveaways as well as the gift certificate, and posting two new books and three new audio giveaways.

First, I’d like to say thanks to Stephanie at Hatshepsut: The Writing of a Novel for presenting me with the A is for Awesome Blog Award recently. Stephanie has an awesome blog herself. She is

obsessed with Hatshepsut, but teaches high school history in Alaska. How cool is that? If you haven’t checked out her blog, be sure to drop by. You won’t be disappointed. Thanks Stephanie.

Next up is book giveaway winners. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways.
* Christy H. of Utah and Julia H. of Minnesota won the two-book set (WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE DYING and WHY DID YOU DIE IN THE PARK) by Patricia Batta.
* Ann B. of Virginia and Maria D. of Missouri won the two copies of STRANGE NEIGHBOR by Ashlyn Chase.
* Sharon B. of New Mexico and Jemi of Just Jemi won the two copies of I LOVE THIS BAR by Carolyn Brown.
* Cheryl M. of Ontario, G. M. of Texas, Julia H. of New Mexico, Joyce S. of Texas and Crystal of Crystal Clear Proofing won DESIRES ME by Robin DeHart.
* Carol M. of Pennsylvania, Cindy W. of Indiana, Karen K. of Pennsylvania, Marjorie R. of Ontario, and Kay of My Random Acts of Reading won ALIBI by Teri Woods.
* Cheryl K. of Illinois, Tracey B. of Alabama, and Ann of Cozy in Texas won THE SECRETS OF NEWBERRY by Victor McGlothin.
* Lisa G. of Massachusetts, Margie T. of Minnesota, and Ingrid of The Conscious Cat won THE CASTAWAYS by Elin Hilderbrand.
* Eleanor H. of Pennsylvania, Sharon B. of New Mexico, and Keith T. of Michigan won OIL by Tom Bower.

Now for the big giveaway - the $60 gift certificate from csnstores.com. Before I do the drum roll and announce the winner I just want to say this was one of the best giveaways and the hardest that I’ve done. It was the best because of all the phrase those entering submitted. If you haven’t read all the finished sentences, be sure to read all the comments. They are great and I’ve thought about compiling them together into a story.

It was the hardest contest because I wanted everyone to win. The winner was not selected from what was submitted. That was just a way to let me know those commenting did want to enter. I used the RANDOM.ORG to select the winner and once I put the information in, pushing the button to get a winner was hard. Like I said, I wanted everyone to win. But there could be only one and the winner is -- drum roll now --- VR from VR Barkowski  I notified VR of her win earlier this week and she was kind enough to keep it secret until now. Thanks again to everyone who enter and congratulations VR. Maybe in the future we can do something like this again.

Time for new book giveaways. I’m only posting five today, but I do have five more audio books to giveaways, as well as another book. But since this post is already quite lengthy, I’ll post the remaining new giveaways the first of next week. Tomorrow I hope to have a book review to share with you.

Now the giveaways and the guidelines. I have three copies of each of these books/audios. To enter the giveaway, just send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with “Win and the book title” in the subject line and include your name and mailing address in the body of the e-mail. You must send an e-mail for each giveaway you wish to enter. The contest is open to only residents of the U.S. and Canada and no post office box addresses can be accepted. The deadline to enter these giveaways is 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 13.

QUEEN PIN (ISBN: 9780446542883) by Jemeker Thompson-

Hairston, David Ritz, and Geoff Martin. This 224 page hardcover is listed as a biography and autobiography. Here’s a brief blurb: “Jemeker Thompson-Hairston paid a heavy price for her involvement in the drug game. Learning from her sources of a federal investigation, Jemeker went on the run. It was love for her young son that brought her back to Los Angeles, even though she knew she would be arrested. A subsequent 12-year sentence would cost her not only her legitimate business and the fortune she'd amassed through the drug trade, but the most precious thing of all: time with her child. But not all was lost. Fortunately, while Thompson-Hairston was serving out her sentence, one pivotal moment helped her turn her life around, setting her on a path to help and inspire others like her.”

MORE CHURCH FOLK (ISBN: 9780446577762) by Michele Andrea Bowmen. This 320-page hardcover is listed as fiction and

will be published July 28. Here’s a brief blurb: “It is now 1986, and the preachers of the Gospel United Church are preparing for their much-anticipated Triennial General Conference. The last time readers encountered the good Rev. Theophilus Simmons, he was a newlywed and the pastor of a modest-sized congregation in Memphis. Now he's the father of three and running a congregation in St. Louis. His best friend, Rev. Eddie Tate, is now with a fast growing church in Chicago, but he is getting real frustrated with the way things are run in the Gospel United Church.”

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nelson DeMille delivers THE

LION, (ISBN: 9781607882206) the much-anticipated sequel to THE LION’S GAME. This fiction audio is unabridged. Here’s a brief blurb: “John Corey, former NYPD Homicide detective and special agent for the Anti-Terrorist Task Force, is back. And, unfortunately for Corey, so is Asad Khalil, the notorious Libyan terrorist
otherwise known as "The Lion." Last we heard from him, Khalil had claimed to be defecting to the US only to unleash the most horrific reign of terrorism ever to occur on American soil. While Corey and his partner, FBI agent Kate Mayfield, chased him across the country, Khalil methodically eliminated his victims one by one and then disappeared without a trace.

Now, years later, Khalil has returned to America to make good on his threats and take care of unfinished business. "The Lion" is a killing machine once again loose in America with a mission of revenge, and John Corey will stop at nothing to achieve his own goal — to find and kill Khalil."
Listen to an excerpt.
Start reading the story online.

PRIVATE (ISBN: 9781607884484) by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro and read by Peter Herman. This fiction, suspense and thriller audio is unabridged. Here’s a brief blurb: “PRIVATE, the world's most powerful investigation firm, takes on three twisted, almost unsolvable, crimes. James Patterson's most electrifying series yet.

Former Marine and CIA agent Jack Morgan inherits his father's renowned security and detective business--along with a case load that tests him to the breaking point. Getting to the bottom of an NFL gambling scandal and an unsolved LAPD investigation into 18 school girl slayings would be enough. On top of all that, Morgan takes on solving the horrific murder of his best friend's wife.

As Morgan fights the urge to exact brutal revenge on that killer, he has to navigate a workplace imbroglio that could blow the roof off his elite agency. And it's an especially explosive situation . . . because the love affair is his own."
Listen to an excerpt.
Start reading the story online.

BACKSEAT SAINTS (ISBN: 9781607882220) by Joshilyn Jackson

and read by the author. This fiction audio is unabridged. New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson returns with a gripping new novel, in trademark Jackson style, that follows one woman's struggle to evade certain death at the hands of her abusive husband, all the while uncovering the family secrets that have held her captive.

Joshilyn Jackson, a native of the Deep South, has worked as an actor and an award-winning teacher, and is now a writer and a mother of two. She is the author of GODS IN ALABAMA; BETWEEN, GEORGIA; and THE GIRL WHO STOPPED SWIMMING. Joshilyn lives with her husband and children outside of Atlanta. Visit her at www.joshilynjackson.com.Listen to an excerpt.
Start reading the story online.
The Six Degrees of Backseat Saints

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope the weather shines on you pleasantly and lends itself to a wonderful day of living. Till tomorrow, be safe, be happy and enjoy reading (or writing).