TLC Book Tours » admin

Emma Sweeney, author of As Always, Jack, on tour July 2012

admin — Sat, 19 May 2012 05:19:46 +0000

About As Always, Jack

• Publisher: Axios Press

In the days just after the end of World War Two, a young Texas Navy pilot named Jack Sweeney falls crazy in love with a California girl just before he is shipped off to the Pacific with his squadron. He woos her with letters and makes away with her heart. He returns safely; he marries her.

Over thirty years later, a young woman returns to her childhood home in California for her mother’s funeral. Before leaving the house for the last time, without knowing what she’s looking for, she opens a dresser drawer in her mother’s room. Towards the very back of the drawer she discovers a packet of old letters tied up with a pink ribbon. In these letters she meets the man she has forever longed to know and love, the man her mother rarely spoke of during all the years of her childhood. In these letters she meets her father, Jack Sweeney, for the first time.

As Always, Jack is in part the bittersweet story of a daughter’s search for her father, an account of her struggle to unlock the mystery of his disappearance on the eve of her birth. Preserved in this story, however, is another, more universal one: the sweet and classic tale of true love in a time of war.

About Emma Sweeney

Emma Sweeney is the author of several gardening books as well as a literary agent based in New York. She formed her own agency in 2006 and has had five New York Times bestsellers, including the #1 New York Times best seller, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. She is a member of the Association of Authors’ Representatives and the Women’s Media Group, where she served as its president in 2003. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a BA in English Literature. She divides her time between New York City and Rhinebeck, New York.

Christian Hosoi, author of Hosoi, on tour June/July 2012

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:34:07 +0000

About Hosoi

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (June 12, 2012)

Raised at the legendary Marina Del Rey Skatepark—where his father was the manager and the Dogtown and Z-Boys crew were his mentors—Christian Hosoi never questioned that he would become a full-time skateboarder. But no one could have predicted his meteoric rise to the apex of a burgeoning sport—or the spectacular way he would crash and then create himself anew.

A professional skater by thirteen, known for his rock-star flair and dramatic aerials, Hosoi was at the top of the world before he was twenty, engaged in the rivalry that would shape years of skating: Christian Hosoi vs. Tony Hawk. At the height of his celebrity in the late 1980s and early ’90s, Hosoi was the highest-paid skateboarder in the world and made the most of his celebrity status, counting Hollywood’s elite as his friends. But the kid who first got stoned at age eight later found himself smoking meth full-time. And as Hawk walked away with every accolade, Hosoi went underground.

In January 2000, he was convicted for trafficking $65,000′s worth of methamphetamine across state lines. In this gripping memoir, Hosoi recounts the crushing reality of his prison sentence and the day he made the phone call that would save him—to his now-wife, Jennifer. She guided Hosoi toward Christianity, to the faith that sustained him in prison, welcoming him into a new life when he was released nearly five years later.

In the summer of 2009, Hosoi won the gold medal in the X Games Legends Competition. He won gold again in 2010. And now Hosoi’s classic skateboard designs are flying off the shelves once again.

Packed with interviews from skateboarding stars past and present, Hosoi is not only a tell-all about fame, fortune, and failure—it’s also a strong testimony to the power of faith and the gift of change.

About Christian Hosoi

Christian Hosoi is widely recognized as one of the greatest skateboarders of all time. A professional by thirteen, he went on to become an industry icon. After serving time in prison for drug trafficking, he devoted his life to Christianity. Since then, he has risen to prominence in the skateboarding world once again and was the subject of a full-length documentary narrated by Dennis Hopper, Rising Son. Hosoi is an outreach pastor at the Sanctuary, “the raddest church” in Huntington Beach, and lives in Southern California with his wife, Jennifer, and four sons.

Chris Ahrens has worked as a full-time writer for nearly thirty years, with four popular books on surfing to his credit and bylines in publications that include the Los Angeles Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Outside, Family Circle, Skateboarder, Surfer, Surfing, and The Surfer’s Journal. He wrote and directed the award-winning skateboarding documentary D.O.P.E. (Death or Prison Eventually), and served as editor-in-chief of Risen magazine from its inception in 2002 until May 2010.

Facebook

Stephen Prothero, author of The American Bible, on tour June/July 2012

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 21:27:09 +0000

About The American Bible

• Hardcover: 544 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (May 29, 2012)

Since Thomas Jefferson first recorded those self-evident truths in the Declaration of Independence, America has been a nation that has unfolded as much on the page and the podium as on battlefields or in statehouses. Here Stephen Prothero reveals which texts continue to generate controversy and drive debate. He then puts these voices into conversation, tracing how prominent leaders and thinkers of one generation have commented upon the core texts of another, and invites readers to join in.

Few can question that the Constitution is part of our shared cultural lexicon, that the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision still impacts lives, or that “The Star-Spangled Banner” informs our national identity. But Prothero also considers lesser known texts that have sparked our war of words, including Thomas Paine’sCommon Sense and Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In The American BibleChristopher Hitchens weighs in on Huck Finn, and Sarah Palin on Martin Luther King Jr. From the speeches of Presidents Lincoln, Kennedy, and Reagan to the novels of Harriet Beecher Stowe and Ayn Rand—Prothero takes the reader into the heart of America’s culture wars. These “scriptures” provide the words that continue to unite, divide, and define Americans today.

About Stephen Prothero

Stephen Prothero is the New York Times bestselling author ofReligious Literacy and God Is Not One, and is a professor of religion at Boston University. He and his work have been featured on the cover of Time magazine, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, National Public Radio, and other top national media outlets. He writes and reviews for the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Boston Globe,The Washington Post, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times,Salon, Slate, and other publications.

Website | Twitter

Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy, on tour June/July 2012

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:13:56 +0000

About The Flight of Gemma Hardy

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (June 26, 2012)

Taken from her native Iceland to Scotland in the early 1950s when her widower father drowns at sea, young Gemma Hardy comes to live with her kindly uncle and his family. But his death leaves Gemma under the care of her resentful aunt, and she suddenly finds herself an unwelcome guest. Surviving oppressive years at a strict private school, Gemma ultimately finds a job as an au pair to the eight-year-old niece of Mr. Sinclair on the Orkney Islands—and here, at the mysterious and remote Blackbird Hall, Gemma’s greatest trial begins.

A captivating homage to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a sweeping saga that resurrects the timeless themes of the original, but is destined to become a classic all its own.

About Margot Livesey

Margot Livesey is the acclaimed author of the novels The House on Fortune Street, Banishing Verona, Eva Moves the Furniture, The Missing World, Criminals, and Homework. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Vogue, and The Atlantic, and she is the recipient of grants from both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. The House on Fortune Street won the 2009 L. L. Winship/PEN New England Award. Livesey was born in Scotland and grew up on the edge of the Highlands. She lives in the Boston area and is a distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Emerson College.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

J.J. Keeler, author of I Hardly Ever Wash My Hands, on tour July 2012

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:55:52 +0000

About I Hardly Ever Wash My Hands

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Paragon House (March 1, 2012)

I Hardly Ever Wash My Hands: The Other Side of OCD focuses on harming obsessions (fear of hurting oneself or others), rather than the traditional hand-washing compulsion normally associated with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and provides a candid look at the daily challenges faced by those who suffer with OCD.

Living with OCD is not for sissies. From her fears of having a bomb in her teddy bear, to her fear of running over innocent pedestrians, to her fear that she may have strangled someone, J.J. Keeler knows what it’s like to suffer from OCD. In her new memoir, I Hardly Ever Wash My Hands, Keeler offers a revealing look at this challenging disease and proves that despite the daily struggle of facing irrational fears, OCD suffers can learn to deal with their demons. An intrepid survivor of a childhood filled with both imaginary and real fears, Keeler develops into a courageous adult who manages to face the depths of her obsessions and shows us how she has learned to live with them.

A fascinating biographical recounting of a life with OCD, I Hardly Ever Wash My Hands also includes recent facts and statistics about the disease, along with a final chapter that lists sixteen strategies for coping with life as an OCD sufferer. I Hardly Ever Wash My Hands is for those with OCD or who love someone with OCD, and for those who would like to learn how to live with the daily challenges of this complex and often devastating mental illness.

About J.J. Keeler

A successful freelance writer, designer of custom children’s books, and muralist, J.J. Keeler has a degree in English Literature from the University of Colorado. In addition to her current work as an artist and freelance writer, Keeler has been a technical writer, greeting card copywriter, and illustrator of coloring and picture books for children. She has produced freelance articles for a number of magazines, including a featured bimonthly column, From the Horse’s Mouth, in Twins Magazine and a comic strip, Greetings from Mars, which ran in the Denver Daily Newspaper. Keeler currently resides in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with her husband, daughter, and five pets.

For more information on J.J. Keeler or I Hardly Ever Wash My Hands, please visit: www.paragonhouse.com or www.amazon.com. You can also follow J.J. on Twitter and Facebook.

Natalie Serber, author of Shout Her Lovely Name, on tour June/July 2012

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:22:33 +0000

About Shout Her Lovely Name

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (June 26, 2012)

Mothers and daughters ride the familial tide of joy, regret, loathing, and love in these stories of resilient and flawed women. In a battle between a teenage daughter and her mother, wheat bread and plain yogurt become weapons. An aimless college student, married to her much older professor, sneaks cigarettes while caring for their newborn son. On the eve of her husband’s fiftieth birthday, a pilfered fifth of rum, an unexpected tattoo, and rogue teenagers leave a woman questioning her place. And in a suite of stories, we follow capricious, ambitious single mother Ruby and her cautious, steadfast daughter Nora through their tumultuous life—stray men, stray cats, and psychedelic drugs—in 1970s California.

Gimlet-eyed and emotionally generous, achingly real and beautifully written, these unforgettable stories lay bare the connection and conflict in families. Shout Her Lovely Name heralds the arrival of a powerful new writer.

“From the very first page, this extraordinary collection of short stories grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go. It is filled with poignant, thought-provoking observations on the delicate yet unbreakable bond between mothers and daughters. Serber has given readers a remarkable, heart-felt book to be savored, shared and passed on from one generation to another.” —Anderson McKean, Page & Palette, Fairhope, AL

“As its title implies, Natalie Serber’s collection Shout Her Lovely Name is a triumphant battle cry of hard-won victory over the stalemate and injuries between mothers and daughters. She leaves the reader amazed at the tenacity, tenderness, and truth of her characters.” —Siobhan Fallon, author of You Know When the Men are Gone

“Shout Her Lovely Name joins the ranks of the finest books ever to address relations between daughters and their mothers—equal parts love and sandpaper. I ached for these characters and cried at their hard-earned moments of joy. A book to make you marvel that someone really does understand, to make you grateful that she wrote it all down so fiercely, so tenderly.” —Robin Black, author of If I Loved You I Would Tell You This

About Natalie Serber

Natalie Serber received an MFA from Warren Wilson College. Her work has appeared in The Bellingham Review and Gulf Coast, among others, and her awards include the Tobias Wolff Award. She teaches writing at various universities and lives with her family in Portland, Oregon.

Website | Facebook

Ken Budd, author of The Voluntourist, on tour May 2012

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:16:26 +0000

About The Voluntourist

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (May 8, 2012)

VOL·UN·TOUR·IST
n. 1. A guy who attempts to save the world in an attempt to save himself.
2. Someone who can only do it two weeks at a time.
When Ken Budd was thirty-nine, his father collapsed after eighteen holes of golf. Ken and his wife raced to the hospital—but it was too late. In the weeks that followed, as grieving friends revealed how his father had changed their lives, Ken started questioning his own life—and admitting, after years of denial, that he and his wife would never have children.

And then, still struggling with grief—his grief at losing his father, his grief at not being a father—Ken received an e-mail with the subject line: “Katrina Relief Volunteer Opportunities.” He signed up. He went to New Orleans. And he kept volunteering: Costa Rica, to teach English; China, to work with special-needs children; Ecuador, to study climate change; the West Bank, to assist refugees; Kenya, to care for orphans. His goal: to find purpose by helping others, one trip at a time.

Wry, funny, and heartbreakingly honest, The Voluntourist will linger in your mind long after you’ve turned the last page.

About Ken Budd

KEN BUDD is an award-winning writer and editor whose writing credits include Smithsonian, the Washington Post, McSweeney’s, Stuff, Washingtonian, Modern Humorist, Opium, and Worldview. Ken lives in Burke, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., with his wife.

Website | Facebook

Ken’s Tour Stops

Tuesday, May 22nd: Knowing the Difference

Monday, May 28th: BookNAround

Tuesday, May 29th: Book Club Classics!

Wednesday, May 30th: The Written World

Thursday, June 7th: Travel Spot

Tuesday, June 12th: Joyfully Retired

Thursday, June 14th: readerbuzz

Tuesday, June 19th: West Metro Mommy

Saturday, June 23rd: A Life Sustained

Date TBD: My Bookshelf

Date TBD: Lisa’s Yarns

Louisa Young, author of My Dear I Wanted To Tell You, on tour June/July 2012

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:12:37 +0000

About My Dear I Wanted To Tell You

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (June 26, 2012)

The lives of two very different couples—an officer and his aristocratic wife, and a young soldier and his childhood sweetheart—are irrevocably intertwined and forever changed in this stunning World War I epic of love and war.

At eighteen years old, working-class Riley Purefoy and “posh” Nadine Waveney have promised each other the future, but when war erupts across Europe, everything they hold to be true is thrown into question. Dispatched to the trenches, Riley forges a bond of friendship with his charismatic commanding officer, Peter Locke, as they fight for their survival. Yet it is Locke’s wife, Julia, who must cope with her husband’s transformation into a distant shadow of the man she once knew. Meanwhile, Nadine and Riley’s bonds are tested as well by a terrible injury and the imperfect rehabilitation that follows it, as both couples struggle to weather the storm of war that rages about them.

Moving among Ypres, London, and Paris, this emotionally rich and evocative novel is both a powerful exploration of the lasting effects of war on those who fight—and those who don’t—and a poignant testament to the enduring power of love.

About Louisa Young

Louisa Young grew up in London, England, in the house in which Peter Pan was written, and she studied modern history at Cambridge. She was a freelance journalist and has written ten books, including the Orange Prize–longlisted Baby Love. She is the co-author of the bestselling Lionboy trilogy, which has been published in thirty-six languages. She lives in London and Italy with her daughter and the composer Robert Lockhart.

Website

Kristina Riggle, author of Keepsake, on tour June/July 2012

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:07:32 +0000

About Keepsake

• Paperback:384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 26, 2012)

From the critically acclaimed author of Real Life & Liars and Things We Didn’t Say comes a timely and provocative novel that asks: What happens when the things we own become more important than the people we love?

Trish isn’t perfect. She’s divorced and raising two kids—so of course her house isn’t pristine. But she’s got all the important things right and she’s convinced herself that she has it all under control. That is, until the day her youngest son gets hurt and Child Protective Services comes calling. It’s at that moment when Trish is forced to consider the one thing she’s always hoped wasn’t true: that she’s living out her mother’s life as a compulsive hoarder.

The last person Trish ever wanted to turn to for help is her sister, Mary—meticulous, perfect Mary, whose house is always spotless . . . and who moved away from their mother to live somewhere else, just like Trish’s oldest child has. But now, working together to get Trish’s disaster of a home into livable shape, two very different sisters are about to uncover more than just piles of junk, as years of secrets, resentments, obsessions, and pain are finally brought into the light.

About Kristina Riggle

Kristina Riggle lives and writes in West Michigan. Her debut novel, Real Life & Liars, was a Target “Breakout” pick and a “Great Lakes, Great Reads” selection by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association. The Life You’ve Imagined was honored by independent booksellers as an IndieNext “Notable” book. Things We Didn’t Say was named a Midwest Connections pick of the Midwest Booksellers Association.

Kristina has published short stories in the Cimarron Review, Literary Mama, Espresso Fiction, and elsewhere, and she works as co-editor for fiction at Literary Mama. Kristina was a full-time newspaper reporter before turning her attention to creative writing. As well as writing, she enjoys reading, yoga, dabbling in (very) amateur musical theatre, and spending lots of time with her husband, two kids and dog.

Her latest novel, Keepsake, is about a compulsive hoarder and her estranged sister reluctantly joining forces to clean out the hoarded home when Child Protective Services comes calling, and much more than junk is uncovered.

Website | Twitter | Facebook