TomeTender Giveaway and Great New Review of THE YEAR OF LOVING
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TomeTender Giveaway and Great New Review of THE YEAR OF LOVING

TomeTender Giveaway

TomeTender Giveaway!

The wonderful and lively TomeTender Book Blog is hosting a giveaway of 2 eBook copies of THE YEAR OF LOVING! What fun! It ends on November 25.

I really enjoy the reviews on TomeTender–they’re very well-written and thoughtful. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that TomeTender gave THE YEAR OF LOVING 5* and called my novel a “Must Read”!

Also, the Romantic Fanatic Book Blog gave THE YEAR OF LOVING 5*!

Brave One wrote,

Great book with a main character that I’m not sure how she keeps going. A few time in this story I was waiting for her to give up, I think most people would with everything she was dealing with. I liked how the author kept me wondering what now!! Boy she didn’t let me down either. This book has great ups and big downs and yes I cried a few times.  The author makes this like a friend that you taking with and helping on this path. Great story!!

https://twitter.com/tracilslatton/status/798890271069114368

Take a look for yourself, and good luck if you enter the Giveaway!

Two Excellent Reviews of THE YEAR OF LOVING
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Two Excellent Reviews of THE YEAR OF LOVING

Two excellent reviews of THE YEAR OF LOVING

Two of my favorite book review blogs posted reviews of THE YEAR OF LOVING, and they were great reviews.

Tome Tender Book Blog, whose tag line is “When it comes to books, who needs shelf control”–a sentiment with which I heartily agree–ran the most beautiful review yesterday. The review started off by saying “In two words I can give my recommendation of Traci L. Slatton’s The Year of Loving. READ IT!”

Well, those words are music to a novelist’s ears!

About the love triangle, Dii the reviewer wrote,

Two men want Sarah, one is far too young, self-absorbed in his own life, one is older, powerful and used to taking control of every situation. While both have their good sides, Sarah is not ready to commit to anyone until she can rein in her own personal issues. For anyone who has ever felt like it is you against the world, like your heart is being stabbed repeatedly with a rusty blade or like a cockroach under someone’s shoe, you will relate to Sarah in all her flawed glory.

It delighted me that Dii got that love triangle so perfectly.

Dii wrote with great compassion about the character of Sarah and her troubles with her daughters:

Traci L. Slatton has NOT created a Shrinking Violet in Sarah, or a woman who spends her energy wallowing in self-pity. Sarah is a strong woman, vital and oh my, her wickedly wry sense of humor is priceless! Her headstrong determination sometimes is her worst enemy, but hey, no one is perfect. I almost needed a leather strap to bite on when she tangled with her daughters and their callous attitudes when her concern WAS to be a good parent who tried to set high standards for them, knowing she was powerless to help them see that her boundaries were far healthier than their father’s “gifts.” Another connecting point for so many. Love her, hate her, Sarah is real, she feels, she tries to do what is right, no matter what, but she is a woman alone and she recognizes that, too, no excuses, no apologies.

It thrilled me to read this review because Dii had perfectly understood what I was trying to do with this story and its characters. It’s gratifying all the way into the mitochondria of my cells!

So check out this wonderful blog and the review here.

Tome Tender's excellent review of The Year of Loving

Sandy at The Reading Cafe called THE YEAR OF LOVING “realistic, revealing and sensitive.”

THE YEAR OF LOVING is a story of hardships and struggles; embittered exes, and troubled and rebellious teens caught between the destructive nature of battling parents. Traci L. Slatton writes a tale of one woman’s emotional journey into the abyss of relationship failure, financial strain, and an independent nature that comes across as complicated and unrelenting. The premise is intense; the characters are controversial and tragic. There are moments of heartbreak and grief; acceptance and moving forward; falling in love and letting go of the past.

She’s another one of those treasured readers who deeply understands a story, and she writes a thoughtful review. So read Sandy’s review here.

The Reading Cafe
Blood Sky Book Blog Tour
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Blood Sky Book Blog Tour

This post lists tour stops for the Blood Sky Book Blog Tour.

Bewitching Book Tours Set up a really nice book tour for my forthcoming novel BLOOD SKY.

Schedule Blood Sky by Traci L. Slatton

August 24- September 21

August 24 Spotlight
Booklover Sue
http://bookloversue.blogspot.com

August 25 Spotlight
Zenny’s Awesome Book Reviews
https://zennysawesomebookreviews.wordpress.com/

August 26 Spotlight
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, and Sissy, Too!
http://3partnersinshopping.blogspot.com/

August 27 Spotlight
T’s Stuff
http://teresanoel.blogspot.com/

August 28 Interview
Deal Sharing Aunt
www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com

August 31 Guest blog
Roxanne’s Realm
www.roxannerhoads.com

September 1 Spotlight
Books That Hook
http://booksthathook.com/

September 2 Review
Fantatical Paranormal Romantical
http://fanaticalparanormalromantical.com/

September 3 Spotlight
Lisa’s World of Books
www.lisasworldofbooks.net

September 4 Character Interview
Eclipse Reviews
www.totaleclipsereviews.blogspot.com

September 7 Spotlight
Books and Tales
http://booksandtales.blogspot.co.uk/

September 8 Interview
Literary Musings
www.literarymusing.weebly.com

September 8 Spotlight
Books N Pearls
http://booksnpearls.com/blog

September 9 Interview
Author Karen Swart
www.authorkarenswart.blogspot.com

September 10 Interview
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
www.creativelygreen.blogspot.com

September 11

September 14 Interview
Urban Fantasy Investigations
http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com/

September 15 Spotlight
Marianne Willis Author
https://mariannewillisauthor.wordpress.com/

September 16 Spotlight
Live Laugh and Love Books
https://livelaughandlovebooks.wordpress.com

September 16 Spotlight
Around the World in Books
http://www.aroundtheworldinbooks.ca/

September 17 Spotlight
Houston Havens
https://houstonhavens.wordpress.com

September 18 Spotlight
CBY Book Club
http://cbybookclub.blogspot.co.uk

September 18 Spotlight
Geeks In High School
http://www.geeksinhighschool.com

September 18 Spotlight (review)
Books and Authors
http://bookreviewsandauthors.blogspot.com/

September 21 Guest blog
Fang-tastic Books
www.fang-tasticbooks.blogspot.com

Bewitching Book Tours

The Never Ending Journey of the Independent Artist, My Latest on the HuffPo
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The Never Ending Journey of the Independent Artist, My Latest on the HuffPo

I am an independent artist, married to an independent artist, with friends who are, yes, independent artists. This piece on the Huffington Post reflects what I’ve learned.

In part, the article says:

What I experienced was that the big traditional publishing companies had gotten mired in the quicksand of conventional thinking and groupthink. They had forgotten the importance of nurturing a midlist author through a few books to build a readership. They overlooked the appeal of richness and diversity in a book list and so refused to invest in truly original, unorthodox projects.

Worst of all, they had taken the selection of books away from people who love books—editors—and turned it over to people desperately searching for a business school algorithm to make every book a bestseller out of the starting gate—the marketing department.

Not that some wonderful books don’t sneak past the eyes of the marketing department. But, increasingly, legacy publishers emulate corporate Hollywood studios: turning out branded, franchise entertainment, mindless drivel that appeals to the horny, nerdy teenager in us all.

The great books and movies that make it past gatekeepers usually do so because they are spearheaded by someone passionate about the project. These projects come from the creative heart and soul of a dedicated individual. They require perseverance and vision in order to unfold in the world.

With no luck but bad luck with the legacy publishers, I embarked on my own passion process. I founded Parvati Press. I started independently publishing my own books and recently other authors.

 I’m fortunate to have two strong-minded individualists in my life as models for my journey: my husband Sabin Howard, and my friend dancer Lori Belilove, Founder and Artistic Director of the Isadora Duncan Dance Company and Foundation.

Catch the whole article here on the HuffPo.

Though I did realize this morning that there is one thing I forgot to mention explicitly in the post: the pleasure inherent in this path. It’s just fun to think ‘outside the box’ and to operate outside the confines of corporate mentality. It’s scary, yes, because it’s insecure. But it is ever so delicious.

 

independent artist

huffington-post

Recent BROKEN Spotlights; Recent Pix
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Recent BROKEN Spotlights; Recent Pix

Kindly Jackie Burris, who brims over with a love of animals, recently hosted me on her fabulous blog, HOUSEWIFE BLUES AND CHIHUAHUA STORIES. I’m grateful for the exposure and she posted my guest article about “Writing, Yoga, and Dogs.”

Busy, multi-talented Drey of DREY’S LIBRARY hosted a guest post and shared her thoughts of BROKEN in a review, concluding with this very sweet comment, “Pick up Broken for a look at the artsy scene in Paris in the early days of WWII and the story of a conflicted young woman whose truth is so much more than she thought it could ever be.”

Meantime, I had some author photos done recently. See below.

Recent BROKEN Spotlights
Recent BROKEN SpotlightsRecent BROKEN SpotlightsRecent BROKEN Spotlights

Night Owl Reviews selects BROKEN as a “Top Pick”
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Night Owl Reviews selects BROKEN as a “Top Pick”

Night Owl

Reviewer HC Harju wrote a splendid review for Broken, and I could really tell that she had an emotional response to this novel:

Broken is a wonderfully written emotional rollercoaster. It coaxed and sometimes dragged me through a wide range of feelings within a few pages. One minute I was enjoying the passion and desire and the next I wanted to punch Knochen in the face. In between these two extremes were the times that I wanted to cry with Alia and comfort her. These characters are so real that you feel as though you are there with them. You feel you have found a friend along the way…and occasionally a new enemy as well.

See the whole review here.

Check out my author page on Night Owl Reviews here.

Night Owl