Tuesday 28 June 2016

"Summer Just Got Hotter!"~Sun, Sand and Sea #NewRelease #lovetoread #Suspense #eBooks #99cents #RPBP @JudithLucci

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​Everyone, we've been waiting for this day for months. Its RELEASE Day for Sun, Sand & Sea. Get it NOW for only $0.99. You will make #11 great authors so happy! TREAT YOURSELF!

Just $0.99 http://smarturl.it/sunsea99

"A summer breeze, sandy shore, and sparkling waters. Is it the perfect setting for love or something more dangerous?
First loves, second chances, mystery, and intrigue, even murder.
Drift away with this collection of stories about Sun, Sand and Sea to 11 beaches…where anything can happen."

Reader Review

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"Summer just got hotter!!"

"Wow, just wow. Amazing stories by amazing authors. These stories will touch your heart and heat up your day with a definite sizzle. Love, love love this set!"

~Anita Scott Shofner on June 28, 2016

Sunday 26 June 2016

Excess & Leftovers! #RPBP #ASMSG #WLM



Welcome to the final feature in our June celebration of Our Frugal Summer in Charente. 

Life, work and family events sometimes mean that the rearrangement of my working schedule is necessary in order to ensure that I can fulfil my roles as wife, mother, stepmother and authorpreneur (to name but a few!) 


The last two weeks have been hectic, emotional, exhilarating and so much more... but that's another story (watch this space!) - Today we are back in the kitchen garden, so let's begin...

Links to all bookstores where you can get your 99c copy are on my author website 



Part 3: Excess!

When you grow your own vegetables one thing you can almost guarantee during the summer is that at some stage you will experience a 'glut' of produce. This means that you have to quickly find ways to eat and/or preserve it to avoid waste. When you are living a frugal lifestyle, for whatever reason, waste is not an option. Every part of everything you grow or buy needs to be used, eaten or recycled.
When our zucchini's (courgettes) became a glut of enormous marrows some creativity was needed and we ended up with chutneys, pickles and of course the infamous marrow rum. Which was amazing!!
(All the recipes are in the book - only 99c/99p until 30th June)


Part 4: Leftovers!

Frugal cooking involves not only the frugal use of the ingredients and the cooking resources, such as gas and electricity, but also frugal management of portion sizes and leftovers. 
As a big family of food lovers we had never had a problem with leftovers before because between them Nigel and the kids cleared everything at every meal. In France when we became a smaller family unit of 3 (sometimes 2) the leftovers needed a little more thought and consideration to avoid waste. I had to call upon my childhood memories to resurrect or reinvent the recipes for bubble & squeak, hash browns and other leftover meal favourites.
This got me thinking - I wonder what everyone else does with their leftovers? And so this weeks competition was born.
Simply post in the comments below or on the Facebook page the name of your favourite leftover dish and if you want to you can share the recipe too!


If the comment you write gets the most likes or shares you will win a digital copy of my travel memoir box set!

Share the love of food and your recipes below



To ensure that the time critical elements of our celebration month are not missed by anyone I have added them to this blog post. All the information you need to get involved and win some great prizes is featured below!


The Goodreads giveaway to win a signed, gift-wrapped copy of Our Frugal Summer in Charente ends on 30th June so click the link now to enter - Good Luck!



Have you liked the Facebook page or commented during June? If so you have been entered into our prized draw to win a signed paperback copy - if you have visited or commented (if you already like the page) yet? then do it now - it makes a a great gift for the food or garden lover in your family!
If you haven't liked the page yet then pop over now!

https://www.facebook.com/OurFrugalSummerinCharente/

Have a great weekend and don't forget the We Love Memoirs Summer Fete is on TODAY. Lot's of games, competitions, prizes and so much fun!



Talk soon,

Sarah Jane




Don't forget that the royalties from the The What, Why, Where, When, Who & How Book Promotion Series supports the FREE services we provide to authors at Rukia Publishing. Book 1 is permafree, Book 2 only 99c/99p and Book 3 $1.99/£1.49 - help the new or aspiring author in your family!

Amazon and all other bookstore links on Sarah Jane's author website

Monday 13 June 2016

"She makes me want to be a better man" #Historical #Romance #Series #ebook #paranormal #RPBP 'Past, Present and Future' by @tkincaidauthor




About The Book

Sally is totally focused on the new love in her life until she receives heartbreaking news, which causes her to question who she is and what she has to offer in a relationship. With help from an unlikely spirit, Sally begins a journey of self-discovery that sets her on the path to new revelations about her past.

Benny Stone has always lived his life as a playboy, until he met his red headed beauty. Just as things are heating up, he watches her life spiral out of control. Now, if he wants to save this fragile relationship, his strength and support will be needed more than ever

Together Sally and Benny must discover the missing pieces of her life and overcome the obstacles that will allow Sally the freedom to pursue her fated love. 




The Family Tree Series Book 1



Past, Present and Future is the second book in The Family Tree series, it follows the events in Freeing Lost Souls.








Sneak Peek into the book...
Past, Present and Future

As Sally and I pull into Bruce and Sarah’s driveway, we can hear Buc barking his greetings from inside the house. That dog cracks me up. Every time he sees Sally he goes nuts, jumping and running in circles. It’s really funny to watch.

“I’m going to take him outside and toss the ball. Would you like to join us?” 
“Actually, Bruce was looking for something of his mom’s to give to Sarah. He couldn’t find it. I think I’ll see if I have better luck. Are you all right dealing with Buc on your own?”
She laughs. “Of course.” Standing on her tiptoes, she kisses me on the cheek. “See you in a bit.”
Before she can turn completely for the door, I grab her waist and back her up to me. I plant a soft kiss on her neck. “See you soon, baby.” She turns in my arms to give me a proper kiss.
“You know what it does to me when you kiss me on my neck like that,” she whispers as she kisses me again.
I laugh and pull away. “Of course I know what it does to you. Why do you think I do it? Now, go wear that dog out so I can start looking for this brooch for Bruce. You can show me later what my kisses do to you.” I swat her on the ass as she runs off with Buc, giggling as she goes. I haven’t gotten up the nerve to ask her to move in with me yet. Seeing how happy Bruce is with Sarah, I want that same happiness, and I know that I could have that with Sally. She makes me want to be a better man and not be the player everyone thinks I am.

About The Author
Tracy Kincaid is a native Southern Californian who transplanted to South Western Pennsylvania. A wife and mother of three. When she is not writing you can find her reading or crafting. She enjoys the outdoors, whether it be working in the garden or hanging out with family and friends.


She currently has two books out. Changing Lives was released in July 2015. Freeing Lost Souls: Book One in The Family Tree Series was released in January 2016. Book Two in The Family Tree Series: Past, Present and Future will be released June 27, 2016. 

Make sure you sign up for her newsletter to get up-to-date info on book releases and book signings: http://eepurl.com/bM5pmL
Catch Up With Tracy Kincaid
Website: http://www.tkincaidauthor.com
Blog: http://www.tkincaidauthor.com/blog.html
Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/tracykincaidauthor
Facebook book club: www.facebook.com/tksbookclub
Facebook craft page: www.facebook.com/eclecticcraftsbytandd
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tkincaidauthor
Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/pub/tracy-kincaid/15/344/316_
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1218428.Tracy_Kincaid
Etsy Page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EclecticCraftsTandD
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Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/tkincaidauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracykincaid/
Google Plus+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/103402406000306648756
Join my street team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/392969897580884/
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Tracy-Kincaid/e/B0121XT1W6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1437356989&sr=8-1

Help Author Tracy Kincaid raise awareness 
of 
Past, Present & Future
Click these two campaigns and share!
Join Tracy on Facebook for her 
Release Day Party!


When: JUNE 27th
Time: 11:30am


Friday 10 June 2016

Run, Butfield, Run! May Contain Fish, but then he is The Fishy Runner! #RPBP #ASMSG




Hello everyone,

As my regular readers will know, I am a strong believer in the adage that everyone has a story that others will be interested in. The story may be of general interest, or a niche subject, but everyone has an experience or a journey that they can share. My husband is no exception to this rule and when I came upon his running journal, which he used as a training guide to inspire his colleagues to get their running shoes on, I suggested that he share his experience of 'running on fish' as there are many misconceptions about the abilities of amateur and professional athletes who adhere to a non-meat eating diet. You will notice that I deliberately did not say vegetarian or vegan at this point. The reason being that Nigel has been both of those and continued running, but what he hadn't tried, as an adjunct to this training for a variety of distance running events, was being a pescatarian. 
(The practice of following a diet that includes fish or other seafood, but not the flesh of other animals. Most pescatarians maintain a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet with the addition of fish and shellfish.) Courtesy of Wikipedia



As Nigel shares his story he seeks to inspire everyone from the coach potato who hasn't had a pair of running shoes on since taking part in P.E lessons at school, to people who have dabbled in short and long distance running for weight loss, fitness and general well-being. Nigel is a challenge seeker, as you will discover, and he does not isolate his training to one particular distance, terrain or even to just running! Nigel is a family man, entrepreneur and business owner who revels in the challenge, not only of the finding the time to train, but in finding challenging events to train for.
Why not pre-order your copy of his debut book, co-authored by me his ever-supportive wife, and take a look at his journey from army brat who hated sport to long distance trail runner and white collar boxer!



Available to pre-order now at the special price of 99c/99p at:

Amazon
iTunes 
Kobo
Nook

Keep watching for updates and photographs of Nigel doing his Forest Gump impression as we shout from the sidelines " Run, Butfield , Run!"

If you have a running question or would like to start running, pop a comment below and I will have Nigel answer your question personally.

Take care and be sure to warm up and cool down, if you are heading out to pound the pavements this weekend.


Thursday 9 June 2016

A Frogs Tale from Charente #RPBP #ASMSG






Hello and welcome to

Part 2 

    The Featured Book of the Month 

Our Frugal Summer in Charente
An Expat’s Kitchen Garden Journal

By
Sarah Jane Butfield
(If you missed part one click here )
))
Throughout June I will be featuring some behind the scenes stories and images from Our Frugal Summer in Charente and running some giveaways and competitions.

In this weeks episode I have a tale from the riverbank, (well our babbling brook to be precise) plus the first giveaway to announce. So let's begin!


As a child I always struggled at school with making up stories. My imagination just didn't seem to exist, or I didn't know how to use it, and I was much happier re-telling stories based on what I knew and what was going on around me. Over the years, as I became an avid reader, my ability to imagine places and scenarios outside of my own experience has developed too. Now my husband Nigel and my kids would say it has gone to far now and you will see why when I tell you the story of, 'The Frog King.'

At the perimeter of our new garden in Charente there was a small brook which divided our garden from our neighbours field at the back. When we arrived the brook, which was described in the estate agents details as 'an exquisite babbling brook' was overgrown and resembled a dirty ditch! The water was green and there were dead birds and other detritus floating ominously. 
As we cleared the area around it Nigel suggested that we dredge the bottom to encourage the water to flow as we had established on a walk through the village to the church that this brook flowed all the way through to a larger expanse of water.
The act of dredging using the garden hoe initially made the situation appear much worse as the grey/brown murky water blended with the green algae and leaves. The smell as we disturbed the lower layers of sludge was horrible, but we continued. As the weeks passed we kept the brook area clear and slowly the water started to clear, so much so that we could see tadpoles in the water. 
In the evening when our work was done we would often go and sit by the brook and dangle our feet into the water which was very refreshing.
One evening as we sat discussing the plan of action for the following day I felt something wrap around my foot and in-between my toes. I immediately pulled my feet from the water and pulled at the green plant that had become entwined. 

"Look Sweetheart, it's seaweed!" I shouted, even though Nigel was sat beside me. 

"It's not seaweed, it's blanket weed, now calm down or you will fall in."

As I removed the green plant from my toes I discovered the iconic black bubbles of seaweed you would find at the beach. "Look, I told you, it is seaweed!" 

Nigel took the plant and examined it before calmly saying, "It's a funny French plant, don't worry about it."

However, as I sat there I couldn't stop thinking about how seaweed could have got into the brook. We lived a good two and half hours drive from the nearest coast. I stared into the water and my imagination started to run wild as thoughts of our little brook linking up to the sea and how far a piece of seaweed might have travelled, could we one day find a message in a bottle thrown from some castaway on an island and so on. Then suddenly breaking my thoughts a large frog leapt out of the water and he too had the seaweed wrapped around him and in that split second as he left the water the seaweed trailed behind him like a royal cloak.

"Oh look it's the frog king."

"What on earth are you talking about now?" Nigel said. I had obviously made him jump as he was now wiping coffee off his trousers with that annoyed look on his face.

"The frog king, look at him he's wearing a seaweed cloak."

"Have you been eating the mushrooms gain? For goodness sake!"

The evening deteriorated from this point as Nigel, convinced that I had finally lost the plot, continued to moan about my outburst by the brook. However, for me it sparked a new idea - a children's story where a frog king seeks to find a suitor for his only daughter, Princess Sophia, but with his exacting high standards and expectations no frog princes were good enough. When the Princess Sophia falls in love with a tree frog visiting from Australia there is trouble at the Frog Palace as she tries to persuade her father that she is in love.




Australian Tree Frog
This weeks giveaway!!!
Comment below with the name of your favourite vegetable to enter the draw to win one of 3 paperback copies of Our Frugal Summer in Charente

See you next week for a boxset giveaway!



Book Three: 
Our Frugal Summer in Charente: 
An Expat’s Kitchen Garden Journal


This book is a regular #1 best-seller in it's categories and rarely goes on price promotion! 

This is an ideal time to get yourself a copy today for only 99c/99p



Amazon  
Kobo  
Nook  
Scribd 
iBooks 
XinXii 
24Symbols 
GooglePlay 
Smashwords 

This book makes the perfect gift at only £4.99/$6.99




June Special - Post and packaging FREE
Get a Signed, Gift wrapped copy (available in UK only) if you purchase direct from the author here


Our Frugal Summer in Charente
Audio book



Thursday 2 June 2016

What Sarah Jane did in Charente? #RPBP #ASMSG #99c


Hello and welcome

The Featured Book of the Month 

Our Frugal Summer in Charente
An Expat’s Kitchen Garden Journal
By
Sarah Jane Butfield




Let's set the scene: Summer has arrived in the UK and as the sun shines on our new life in Wales, (that's a new book in progress for those of you who are following our travel story!)
I want to take you on a journey of self-discovery and determination.

Before we begin, for those of you who are first time visitors to my blog:

Who am I?


My name is Sarah Jane Butfield, I am a wife, mother of 4, step-mother of 3 and grandmother to a beautiful baby boy. After 28 years as a Registered General Nurse, in 2013, I became The Accidental Author when I self-published my first book, Glass Half Full: Our Australian Adventure  Book One in what has now become my travel memoir series.
I have always had a love of food, the eating of it not the preparation! I regularly pictured myself as the green fingered goddess, but the reality was that until 2013 I couldn't even keep a spider plant alive in my bathroom let alone grow vegetables. So with this in mind, taking on the task of keeping us fed in rural France with no jobs, little money and a very limited grasp of the French language meant there was going to be some challenges ahead of us.

Let's start at the beginning:

The story starts when we arrived in France with literally Two Dogs and a Suitcase on a bucket list adventure after losing everything in the Brisbane floods of 2011. However, we quickly realised that the challenges we faced were not limited to the renovation of the property that we now lived in.


Here you can see the front and the rear of the property as it was when we arrived. No sign of a vegetable garden - just a meadow!


So let's take a look behind the scenes of Our Frugal Summer in Charente

My friends and family still joke about the fact that I not only managed to cook in a house with no kitchen, but managed to keep Nigel fed. He is always hungry and ideally needs to eat every 3 hours as he trains for trail running events and marathons.
However, I must confess that we had a few close calls in relation to the suitability of the food we ate especially with the wild magic mushrooms, but you need to read the book for that story!

The early days, before we had even started preparing the garden, let alone grow anything, were like an episode of Ready, Steady, Cook where the contestants get a bag of random ingredients and have to make a delicious meal. Our version of that was making a meal from the bag of misshaped vegetables given to us by our elderly French neighbour, Andre, and cooking them in the kitchen, a word I use loosely. As you can see it was an area set up in the corner of our bedroom.

My Kitchen

My Food Store
The process of converting a piece of meadow land, which had been neglected for many years, into an area where we could grow vegetables, keep some chickens and still leave room for our precious Australian Cattle Dogs, Dave and Buster who accompanied us on this journey, was no mean feat.

Dave and Buster
Once the long grass was cut and the remains of a small outbuilding, by the babbling brook, which had been an outside toilet were uncovered, the task of digging down to find and examine the soil began. We worked all day, every day often seeing little visible evidence of the days work we had completed. That was until February 2013 when the garden started to transform.
From this...

To this...


With our French neighbours watching everyday and even bringing their friends to watch us, we slowly started to plant out bulbs and seedlings, which I had started growing in the house, into out newly prepared vegetable garden. But it was February and all gardeners will know - it's too early for such gardening activity with ground frosts still a regular occurrence. However, we needed a head start on the growing season and it was a risk we needed to take, especially as the seedlings were getting out of control in my daughter Jaime's bedroom. Her room, at the back of the house had the morning sun and through the thin glass of the old French windows my seedlings grew happily, but when the chicks arrived and they too had to live in the bedroom until the enclosure was made the pressure was on to get things moving.

See you next week for a previously untold story involving frogs and seaweed!



Book Three: 
Our Frugal Summer in Charente: 
An Expat’s Kitchen Garden Journal


This book is a regular #1 best-seller in it's categories and rarely goes on price promotion! 

Making this is an ideal time to get yourself a copy today for only 99c/99p



Amazon  
Kobo  
Nook  
Scribd 
iBooks 
XinXii 
24Symbols 
GooglePlay 
Smashwords 

This book makes the perfect gift at only £4.99/$6.99




June Special - Post and packaging FREE
Get a Signed, Gift wrapped copy (available in UK only) if you purchase direct from the author here


Our Frugal Summer in Charente
Audio book