Wrapping Up the WordCrafter “The French Winemaker’s Daughter” Book Blog Tour
Posted: December 20, 2024 Filed under: Blog Tour, Book Review, Books, Fiction, Historical Fiction, history, Review, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: Historical Fiction, Loretta Ellsworth, Strong Female Protagonists, The French Winemaker's Daughter, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, World War II, WWII 6 Comments
This is the final day of the WordCrafter The French Winemaker’s Daughter Book Blog Tour. Today, we have my review of The French Winemaker’s Daughter to wrap things up.
If you’d like to learn more about this moving historical fiction novel and you missed a stop on the tour, you can still visit each stop through the links in the schedule below.
Tour Schedule
Monday: Writing to be Read – Interview with author Loretta Ellsworth
Tuesday: Carla Reads – Guest post from author Loretta Ellsworth
Wednesday: Kyrosmagica – Guest post from author Loretta Ellsworth
Thursday: Book Places – Guest post from author Loretta Ellsworth
Friday: Writing to be Read – Review of The French Winemaker’s Daughter
About The French Winemaker’s Daughter
Set during World War II, an unforgettable historical novel about love, war, family, and loyalty told in in the voices of two women, generations apart, who find themselves connected by a mysterious and valuable bottle of wine stolen by the Nazis.
1942. Seven-year-old Martine hides in an armoire when the Nazis come to take her father away. Pinned to her dress is a note with her aunt’s address in Paris, and in her arms, a bottle of wine she has been instructed to look after if something happened to her papa. When they are finally gone, the terrified young girl drops the bottle and runs to a neighbor, who puts her on a train to Paris.
But when Martine arrives in the city, her aunt is nowhere to be found. Without a place to go, the girl wanders the streets and eventually falls asleep on the doorstep of Hotel Drouot, where Sister Ada finds her and takes her to the abbey, and watches over her.
1990. Charlotte, a commercial airline pilot, attends an auction with her boyfriend Henri at Hotel Drouot, now the oldest auction house in Paris. Successfully bidding on a box of wine saved from the German occupation during the Second World War, Henri gives Charlotte a seemingly inferior bottle he finds inside the box. Cleaning the label, Charlotte makes a shocking discovery that sends her on a quest to find the origins of this unusual—and very valuable—bottle of wine, a quest that will take her back fifty years into the past. . . .
A powerful tale of love, war, and family, The French Winemaker’s Daughter is an emotionally resonant tale of two women whose fates are intertwined across time. Loretta Ellsworth’s evocative and poignant page-turner will linger in the heart, and make you think about luck, connection, and the meaning of loyalty.
Purchase Link: https://www.amazon.com/French-Winemakers-Daughter-Novel-ebook/dp/B0D3CJYP5Y
My Review of The French Winemaker’s Daughter
I received a PDF copy of The French Winemaker’s Daughter from author Loretta Ellsworth to review for this tour. All opinions stated here are my own.
Any book with two strong female protagonists is my kind of book. I’m a fan of historical fiction, and this story peaked my interest, with it’s compelling synopsis in the back matter. It was definitely worth the read.
In this story, we follow little Martine, a Jewish child, as she survives the war with the help of the kind people she meets along the way, after the German’s take her Papa and her friend away. We follow the story through the eyes of a child, displaced from her family and the vineyard that’s been her only home, filled with guilt for losing a bottle of wine that her father entrusted her with, and the hope of once again being reuinted with her Papa.
In the present day, we follow Charlotte, and airline pilot, who acquires a bottle of wine that was confiscated by the Germans, which turns out to be quite valuable and carries a mystery in a note written on the back of a false label. We follow her as she searches the vineyards around Paris, trying to locate the vineyard the wine came from and learn the identity of its rightful owner. She ends the search after learning that in all probability, father and child did not survive the war, but fate steps in and takes a hand in sealing the connection between these two women.
A lovely duel story line which is well written to bring both stories together and give readers a very satisfying ending. I cheered for both women as they triumphed over the adversities that life threw their way. And I give The French Winemaker’s Daughter five quills.
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Day 4 of the WordCrafter “The French Winemaker’s Daughter” Book Blog Tour
Posted: December 19, 2024 Filed under: Blog Tour, Books, Fiction, Guest Post, Historical Fiction, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: Historical Fiction, Loretta Ellsworth, The French Winemaker's Daughter, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours Leave a commentWe’re over at Book Places today for Day 4 of the WordCrafter The French Winemaker’s Daughter Book Blog Tour with a guest post from author Loretta Ellsworth. Join us in exploring the origins of this wonderful historical fiction novel.
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“Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour Giveaway Winners!
Posted: October 17, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Promotion, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Giveaway Winners, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Garden, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 2 Comments
We had a great tour for the release of Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow and now it’s time to announce who the lucky winners of the giveaway are.
And the winners are…
(Drum roll please)
- Chris Hall
- Annette Rochelle Aben
- Gwen M. Plano
Congratulations ladies, and thank you for following the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour. Your support is appreciated and I know you will enjoy this dark story collection. Happy reading!
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Final Day on the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 14, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Exchange", "The Tomb", Anthology, Joseph Carrabis, Midnight Garden, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 5 CommentsThis is the final stop on the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour and we’re wrapping up with a guest post by contributing author Joseph Carrabis about the inspiration of his story, “The Tomb” and a reading of his story “The Exchange”, which are both featured in this deliciously dark anthology, Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow.
About Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow
17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest Midnight Garden… if you dare.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology
Reading of “The Exchange” by Joseph Carrabis
Inspiration for “The Tomb”, by Joseph Carrabis
The Tomb
The Tomb was originally written in the late 1970s. and no one was interested in it. What you read is the last major edit, circa 2011. The original version – and much of what’s in the published version – came from a dream.
The story is personal to me as I was blind – technically “limited eyesight” and legally blind – until about four years ago. I was considered for some experimental surgeries back in the late 1970s and one thing or another dropped me from consideration. Finally, in 2020 – yep, the year of Covid – Technology caught up to what I needed it to be and several operations later, I can see.
In case you’re curious, going from an auditory landscape to a visual one is not easy. Susan (wife/partner/Princess) got a chuckle out of my staring at something while I matched what it looked like to the sound it made (and which I recognized).
The story itself deals with the fact that “seeing” means seeing everything, some of which isn’t pretty, and some, which others might consider ugly or horrid, is beautiful simply because it can be seen.
About Author Joseph Carrabis
Joseph Carrabis told stories to anyone who would listen starting in childhood, wrote his first stories in grade school, and started getting paid for his writing in 1978. He’s been everything from a long-haul trucker to a Chief Research Scientist and holds patents covering mathematics, anthropology, neuroscience, and linguistics. After patenting a technology which he created in his basement and creating an international company, he retired from corporate life and now he spends his time writing fiction based on his experiences. His work appears regularly in several anthologies and his own published novels. You can learn more about him at https://josephcarrabis.com.
Excerpt From “The Puppet Men”
Excerpt From “Self-Mutiny”, by Zack Ellafy
Giveaway
Three lucky winners will receive a digital copy of Midnight Garden in a random drawing following the tour. All you have to do to enter is follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop that you visit. If you missed a stop, you can go back and visit through the links in the schedule below.
Schedule
Monday – October 7 – M.J. Mallon: Interview & Reading from “The Seagull Man” – Writing to be Read
Tuesday – October 8 – Danaeka Scrimshaw: Inspiration for “The Fae Game”) & Denise Aparo: Reading from “Jack Moon & the Vanishing Book” – Roberta Writes
Wednesday – October 9 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Last Drop” & Inspiration for “Striders” – Paul Martz
Thursday – October 10 – Paul Martz: Reading & Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink” – Writing to be Read
Friday – October 11 – Molly Ertel: Inspiration for “Antipenultimate” & Abe Margel: Inspiration for “My Balance” – Kyrosmagica
Saturday – October 12 – Paul Kane: Inspiration for “Drip Feed” & Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “Grande Ture” – Undawnted
Sunday – October 13 – DL Mullan: Reading from “Kurst” & Ell Rodman: Inspiration for “The Drummer” – BookPlaces
Monday – October 14 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Exchange” & Inspiration for “The Tomb” – Writing to be Read
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Day 7 of the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 13, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Blog Tour, Book Release, Book Sales, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "Kurst", "The Drummer", DL Mullan, Ell Rodman, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Garden, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press Leave a commentJoin us over at BookPlaces for Day 7 of the Wordcrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour where cobtributing authors DL Mullan and Ell Rodman share their inspiration for their stories, “Kurst” and “The Drummer”, and another chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow.
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Day 6 of the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 12, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Book Release, Book Sales, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "Drip Feed", "Grande Ture", Joseph Carrabis, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Garden, Paul Kane, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 3 CommentsToday we’re over at Undawnted for Day 6 of the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour with the inspiration for contributing author Paul Kane’s story, “Drip Feed” and a reading of “Grande Ture” by Joseph Carrabis. Drop by and comment here for a chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow.
http://www.undawnted.com/2024/10/kane-carrabis-midnight-garden-anthology.html
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Day 5 of the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 11, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours | Tags: "My Balance", Abe MArgel, Antepenultimate, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Garden, Molly Ertel, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press Leave a commentToday we’re over at Kyrosmagica for Day 5 of the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour with contributing authors Abe Margel and Molly Ertel share the inspirations for their stories “My Balance” and “Antepenultimate”. Join us and get a chance to win a free digital copy of Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow.
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Day 4 of the WordCrafter Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 10, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "The Blackest Ink", Midnight Garden, Paul Martz, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 13 CommentsWelcome to Day 5 of the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour. Thanks for dropping by to help us send off this deliciously dark anthology, Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow. Today we have a guest post and a reading of “The Blackest Ink” from contributing author, Paul Martz, which I think you’ll enjoy.
Giveaway
Three lucky winners will receive a digital copy of Midnight Garden in a random drawing following the tour. All you have to do to enter is follow the tour and leave a comment at each stop that you visit.
If you miss a stop, you can go back and visit through the links in the schedule below. (Links won’t work until the stop goes live).
Schedule
Monday – October 7 – M.J. Mallon: Interview & Reading from “The Seagull Man” – Writing to be Read
Tuesday – October 8 – Danaeka Scrimshaw: Inspiration for “The Fae Game” & Denise Aparo: Reading from “Jack Moon & the Vanishing Book” – Roberta Writes
Wednesday – October 9 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Last Drop” & Inspiration for “Striders” – Paul Martz
Thursday – October 10 – Paul Martz: Reading & Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink” – Writing to be Read
Friday – October 11 – Molly Ertel: Inspiration for “Antipenultimate” & Abe Margel: Inspiration for “My Balance” – Kyrosmagica
Saturday – October 12 – Paul Kane: Inspiration for “Drip Feed” & Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “Grande Ture” – Undawnted
Sunday – October 13 – DL Mullan: Reading from “Kurst” & Ell Rodman: Inspiration for “The Drummer” – BookPlaces
Monday – October 14 – Joseph Carrabis: Reading of “The Exchange” & Inspiration for “The Tomb” – Writing to be Read
About Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow
17 authors bring you 21 magnificent dark tales. Stories of magic, monsters and mayhem. Tales of murder and madness which will make your skin crawl. These are the tales that explore your darkest Midnight Garden… if you dare.
Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/MidnightGardenAnthology
Inspiration for “The Blackest Ink”, by Paul Martz
How to Mix “The Blackest Ink”
“The Blackest Ink” is a tale of unrequited love set in future Istanbul. Abdul is an apprentice to the master calligrapher Zolia, who has perfected a lettercraft so beautiful that it imbues inanimate objects with life. When Abdul awkwardly expresses his love for Zolia, she rebuffs him, and the story unfolds from there.
The story had its genesis in this MIT research article. Entirely by chance, researchers had discovered an exceptionally black material that absorbs 99.995% of all incoming light. The material was made from carbon nanotubes, which are atomic-scale tubes constructed from carbon atoms. The article resonated with me. I’d been fascinated with structures built from carbon atoms since a post-grad neighbor brought me a sample of graphene from his lab. I imagined carbon nanotubes as a kind of atomic siphon. I couldn’t help but wonder, where did the light go? If carbon nanotubes absorb light, what else might they absorb? Souls? Emotions? Reality?
And–if they were used as a pigment to make ink, how black would it be?
I was thrilled to learn that “The Blackest Ink” was a runner-up in Wordcrafter’s 2024 Short Fiction contest, and look forward to reading every dark tale that grows in Midnight Garden.
Reading Excerpt from “The Blackest Ink”, by Paul Martz
Excerpt From “Black Moon”, by Julie Jones
Excerpt From “Amahle’s Demon”, by Roberta Eaton Cheadle
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Day 3 of the Wordcrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 9, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: Anthology, Dark fiction, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Garden, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press 1 CommentToday we’re over at the Paul Martz blog site for Day 3 of the Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour with contributing author, Joseph Carrabis, sharing his inspiration for “Striders” and a reading of “The Last Drop”. Join us to get a small sampling of the deliciously dark stories featured in Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow and a chance to win a free digital copy.
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Day 2 of the WordCrafter “Midnight Garden” Book Blog Tour
Posted: October 8, 2024 Filed under: Anthology, Audio Excerpt, Blog Tour, Book Release, Books, Dark fiction, Giveaways, Guest Post, Short Fiction, Stories, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press | Tags: "Jack Moon and the Vanishing Book, "The Fae Game, Danaeka Scrimshaw, Denise Aparo, Midnight Anthology Series, Midnight Garden, Roberta Writes, WordCrafter Book Blog Tours, WordCrafter Press Leave a commentIt’s Day 2 of the WordCrafter Midnight Garden Book Blog Tour and we’re over at Roberta Writes with contributing authors Danaeka Scrimshaw and Denise Aparo. Join us in the lauch for volume 2 of the Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series from WordCrafter Press, Midnight Garden: Where Dark Tales Grow with guest posts on inspiration and excerpt readings from their stories, and a giveaway where you could be the winner of a free digital copy.
