Past Tense by Shawn & Ron Kilgarin: A Kindle Fire Giveaway Tour

A fun way to find new authors and books is through book tours. I’m delighted today to participate in Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tour for PAST TENSE: 365 Daily Tools for Putting Stress Behind You For Good,  a self-help/self-management book by Shawn and Ron Kilgarlin.

PAST TENSE by Shawn and Ron Kilgarlin

The title of this book, PAST TENSE, says a lot. In our hectic lives, most of us feel we’re way past tense when it comes to the stress we deal with daily.

The Kilgarlins have created a handbook of sorts to help reduce the pressures of stress. The book is filled with simple solutions for just about every pressure you can image. There are tips and techniques to follow, along with inspiring quotes and sayings from people of all walks of life.

The book is broken down into 24 sections. They include: Isolating Your Stressors; Stress Handling Tools; Better Health, Less Stress; Beating Stress With Organization; Beating Stress With Friendship; Love and Appreciation; Family and Stress; Community and Happiness; When Stress Leads to Addiction; Faith Conquers Stress; Dealing With Holiday Stress; First Day of School; Peer Pressure; Meditation for Stress Relief; Overcoming Heartache; Time Management; Being Productive; Overcoming Postpartum Depression; Stress-Beating Supplements and Ideas; Stress and the College Student; Stop Fuming and Fretting; Over a Lifetime; Dealing With Abuse; and Mental Health Challenges. 

Each section contains numerous ways to deal with that problem, as well as various facets of it. Here are just a few examples of what you’ll find:
* Stress Handling Tools - Read
* Family and Stress - Spend Quality Time
* Being Productive - Sticky Notes, Almost As Great As Banana Bread
* Stop Fuming and Fretting - Let It Out: Blast Your Music
* Mental Health Challenges - Become Your Own Best Friend

PAST TENSE is not a book you would want to read from cover to cover and then put away. This is more of a book to savor a page or two (or maybe a section) at a time. You can go to a specific section that deals with the stress you’re feeling or just open to a page and see how it relates to you that day. It gives you 365 engaging "page-a-day" stories to help with your stress level.

When it comes to stress, each of us deals with it differently and have diverse needs to manage it. For that reason, I think PAST TENSE will appeal to each person individually as each will get what they need from it.

The book also contains a resource guide, website and telephone support for abuse, group therapy information, and a meditation guide. PAST TENSE will remind you of simple things you can do to reduce your stress and provide helpful tips and techniques to maintain your stress level.

We may never get rid of stress completely in our lives, but this handy book provides sage advice on reducing and managing it.

PAST TENSE: 365 Daily Tools for Putting Stress Behind You For Good by Shawn and Ron Kilgarlin, American Screening Corp, @2013, ISBN: 978-1623331214, Hardcover, 452 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book as part of the authors’ virtual book tour. The book was sent to me by the authors in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
 


As I mentioned earlier, the authors (a husband and wife team) are on tour. For more on their tour, links to other sites they are visiting, where to find them on the web, and a chance to win a Kindle Fire HD, check out their Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Tour Page.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS     Shawn V. Kilgarlin is a writer, speaker, and Chief Operating Officer of Louisiana-based American Screening Corporation (ASC), a nationwide leader in drug testing products since 1999. In 2011, she was named a Cambridge Who's Who Professional of the Year in Health Care Support.
    Ms. Kilgarlin's husband (and co-author), Ron Kilgarlin is ASC's CEO and an internationally recognized sales expert. Their company has helped over a million people deal with the plague of substance abuse.
    While unusually active in her industry and community, Ms. Kilgarlin's true passions are writing and helping those in need. She is the author of the book God's Love Letters: Overcoming Adversity. Past Tense is her second book. 

Thank you for stopping by today. Do you have a tip or technique that helps you deal with stress?

Princess April Morning-Glory On Tour

Reading a fairy tale to a child before bedtime should be magical for both listener and reader. The late Letitia Fairbanks penned just such a tale in Princess April Morning-Glory.

The story follows Princess April as she leaves the Enchanted Forrest for the Great World beyond when she became upset that her wings are too small for her to fly. With only her blue butterflies for company, Princess April goes on a grand adventure and then tries to find her way home.

Along the way Princess April learns to be brave, courageous, and undertakes 3 good deeds in order to return home. Just as she is about to find her way home, she encounters the wicked Fairy Misery who imprisons her in a dungeon. With the help of a hummingbird and a magical wand from her father, Princess April overcomes evil and finally returns home.

This is an enchanting story that will quickly become a favorite at bedtime. Enhancing this story is the beautiful and amazing illustrations by the author that bring the story to life. There are even tiny illustrations among the words.

To add to the charm, the author penned the book in a lovely calligraphy-style writing. While the text might be difficult for young children to read, it will be a lovely writing style for them to learn as they grow. The book also includes 10 suggestions for doing good deeds youngsters (and adults) can attempt.

Princess April Morning-Glory will delight youngsters, while the story behind the story will capture adults’ attention. The author is the nieces of the late Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford of the golden age of Hollywood. The book, written and illustrated in 1941, was recently brought to life by Kelley Smoot Garrett, the step-daughter of the author. Letitia began work on this tale on Dec. 11, 1939, which was her 26th birthday and the night her uncle, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., died.

If you’re looking for an enchanting fairy tale, be sure to pick up Princess April Morning-Glory. It’s a story all ages can enjoy.

For more on the author and additional background on this fascinating tale, visit here.

Princess April Morning-Glory by Letitia Fairbanks, Sandramantos Publishing, @2013, ISBN: 978-0988784802, Paperback, 66 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book as part of a virtual book tour. The book was sent to me by Kelley Smoot Garrett in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
 

As this review is part of a virtual book tour, I’d also like to give a bit of background on both Letitia Fairbanks and Kelley Smoot Garrett. 

In addition, you can enter the Rafflecopter below for a Kindle Fire HD giveaway sponsored by Pump Up Your Book Promotions.

About Letitia Fairbanks:

Letitia Fairbanks, the niece of Douglas Fairbanks Sr. and Mary Pickford, lived a life guided by artistic passions. 

In 1939, wanting to commemorate her late uncle, Letitia began work on Princess April Morning-Glory, allowing a creative outlet for combining her lifelong loves: painting, writing, and illustration.

Holding firm to her artistic identify, Letitia gravitated toward portraiture, landscapes, and still-lifes. She was also a biographer, co-authoring Douglas Fairbanks: The Fourth Musketeer, with Ralph Hancock. 

Her marriage to Hal Smoot in 1966 marked the beginning of a particularly joyful and creative period. Needle points and annual Christmas cards, which featured a painting from the previous year, not to mention her role as a wife, mother, step-mother and grandmother brought her much fulfillment. After a life rich in artistic accomplishment, Letitia passed away in September of 1992.

About Kelley Smoot Garrett:  
Kelley Smoot Garrett was born in Dallas, raised in Manhattan and has lived the life of a West Texas wildcatter, as well that of an IT professional. 

At one time or another in her life she’s called places as diverse as Scourie, Scotland; Austin, Abilene and Midland, Texas; Singapore; Paris; and Auckland, New Zealand — home. She is proud to be the daughter of Sue Ashby and Harold Smoot and the step-daughter of Letitia Fairbanks Smoot. 

She currently lives with her husband Danny Garrett, three cats, and one happy only-dog, Moxie in the Texas Hill Country.

Additional information about Princess April Morning-Glory can be found on the book’s website.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Thanks for stopping by today. Are you familiar with the Fairbanks’ name? Did you have a favorite fairy tale you enjoyed when you were growing up? I’ve include the book trailer for Princess April Morning-Glory for your enjoyment. It shows some of the beautiful illustrations and text from the book.

Author C.J. West Giving Away A Kindle Fire A Month

It’s my pleasure to welcome author C.J. West here today to tell us about an exciting and fun contest he has planned for each month in 2012 involving his latest release, ADDICTED TO LOVE.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the book: How far would you go to preserve soul-consuming passion?
 
Wes Holiday sells his landscaping business and retreats to a quaint mountain town to heal after ending a ten year relationship with a woman he couldn’t bring himself to marry. In three weeks he is so captivated by a hair stylist that he deprives himself of food and sleep to be near her. When the local sheriff is murdered, Wes is recruited to keep the peace in the town his parents built, but he knows nothing about law enforcement and he’s struggling to understand how a woman he just met can dominate his every waking thought. Soon the idyllic town with a penchant for romance is rocked by a bizarre series of murders that defy explanation and it is up to Wes to stop a raging epidemic of violence before the entire town is destroyed. 

C.J. joins us now to tell about his intriguing contest.

Thank you, Mason for having me on your blog today. I’ve recently released my 6th novel, ADDICTED TO LOVE, and I’m excited to be promoting it this holiday season. 

My readers know that I love contests and that I really appreciate the way they spread the word about my work year after year. So, in 2012 I’m putting those things together in my biggest contest ever to thank my supporters.  

I’m giving the majority of my marketing budget directly to my readership rather than paying for ads. Each month I’ll randomly draw a winner who will choose either a Kindle Fire or a gift certificate worth $200 to Amazon, B&N or an independent bookstore. 

To enter, simply help spread the word about my work by tweeting, sharing on Facebook, or sending an email. Anyone can enter by visiting the contest homepage here. Spreading the word is as easy as two clicks on the social media site of your choice or you can choose to get creative. 

For your readers who aren’t familiar with my work, I write creative suspense novels that each have a unique feel. I’ve written intense revenge stories, psychological and political intrigue and stories of spiritual redemption.

ADDICTED TO LOVE is about unrelenting passion, a connection with one special person that can’t be denied. Wes Holliday comes to Highland Falls and is struck by the way everyone in this remote town feels passion so strongly. Soon Wes is overcome by passion so intense that he can’t focus on his work. A bizarre series of murders strikes Highland Falls and it is up to Wes to save the town from a raging epidemic of violence.

I hope you’ll give ADDICTED TO LOVE a try and remember what it was like to fall deeply in love. 

C.J., thanks for sharing this amazing contest with us. ADDICTED TO LOVE sounds like a fun read and you’re sure to have people talking about it all year long.

Anyone already have a Kindle Fire? If so, tell us about it. If you were a winner in C.J.’s contest, would you select the Kindle Fire or a gift certificate? Sorry I’m still not around blogdom much these days, but thanks so much for stopping by.