Straight Browsing from the Library: The Christmas Cardinal by Aïda Juodis

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Aïda Juodis will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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The Christmas Cardinal, written by Aïda Juodis, is a soft and whimsical tale that was gently crafted to help provide children who have lost a loved one with comfort and warmth during the holiday season.

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Remember, the cardinal is always there. It’s your loved one who will always care.

From the North Pole and from close by they’ll watch over you with gentle eyes.

So, when you hear the cardinal sing…

remember you’re protected under your loved one’s wing.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Aïda Darija Juodis is a storyteller who blends comfort, wonder, and gentle magic in her writing. The Christmas Cardinal reflects her belief that love endures, guiding us from near and far.

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1834185319
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/61688402.A_da_Juodis

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Browsing from the Library: Winter's Embrace by Pamela Ackerson, Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe, Cindy Lewis Smith, and Jae El Foster

 

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A print copy of 'Winter's Embrace,' autographed by author Jennifer Patricia O'Keeffe. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Embrace the joy of Christmas and some yuletide cheer in this collection of five sweet holiday romances from four of today’s most entertaining authors! Featuring brand new stories from Pamela Ackerson, Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe, Cindy Lewis Smith, and Jae El Foster, this anthology will help you hold the spirit of Christmas and the magic of true love in your heart the whole year round. Meant to Be by Pamela Ackerson: Single and starting over in tiny Lorman, Mississippi, teacher Faith Anjos dives into home renovations with tools in hand and a boat from her late dad's fishing Sundays. Realtor Gabriel White becomes her unexpected ally, sharing lunches, family barbecues, and stolen kisses under patriotic park lights. But when a sassy ex-roommate stirs trouble and life's curveballs hit hard, Faith learns that true love thrives not just in perfect houses, but in the messy magic of Christmas cheer and forever promises. Window Shopping by Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe: Single and sentimental, Whitney dives into downtown's dazzling displays—animatronic toys, frosted windows, violin carols—chasing Christmas cheer alone after helping coworker Chad remotely. Fate intervenes with a literal bump into charming Chad, leading to diner laughs, Santa's lap shenanigans, and hand-holding revelations. As they embrace kid-at-heart traditions amid bustling streets and Santa's sly matchmaking, a parade invite blossoms into dinner-and-movie dreams. Proving the season's sparkle uncovers love when least expected. Mr. Hollister’s Christmas by Cindy Lewis Smith: Thirty-three and resigned to spinsterhood in Goldfield, Josie channels her Georgia Christmas memories into a perfect Eve nuptial for Rose and Hank, footed by taciturn rancher Clint Hollister. Their prickly partnership blooms amid pine boughs, fiddle waltzes, and whispered regrets from a saloon-fueled mail-order mishap. When a wheel-wrecked ride home unveils Clint's hidden role in her arrival—and his lingering loneliness—snowy revelations ignite a romance as timeless as the stars above the Llano River. What the Snow Blew In by Jae El Foster: Snowbound in Deerborne, Connecticut, during a record-breaking blizzard, editor Carina Whitaker hunkers down with wine, her cat Tom Boy, and cherished Christmas ornaments—until a shivering mailman named Jerry delivers a package and seeks refuge from the storm. As power flickers out and drifts bury her home, candlelit evenings spark unlikely conversations, shared meals, and cozy traditions that warm more than the gas fireplace. Amid reading aloud by firelight and piano carols, holiday magic proves that what the snow blows in might just be the love she's been waiting for. The Magic of Mistletoe by Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe: Sarah's winter break turns into survival mode: dodging doll-throwing dollops, sweeping glass shards, and sacrificing her office sanctuary for peace between battling children. Amid cold coffee confessions and contract close-calls with hubby Thomas, festive fumbles—from runaway pillows to reluctant photos—test their bond. Yet as grilled cheeses soothe tears and starry-eyed surprises arrive post-midnight, mistletoe weaves its spell, transforming holiday havoc into heartfelt harmony and impossible dreams come true.

READ AN EXCERPT FROM WHAT THE SNOW BLEW IN BY JAE EL FOSTER

“I knew I should have just gotten everyone gift cards this year,” she muttered as she eyeballed the packages. She’d feel weird bringing Christmas gifts to people once the holiday was over and everyone had tired of it. “I could have just mailed the gift cards, but no… I had to shop like a crazy woman.” She looked from the tree to Tom Boy, who appeared to be sound asleep. “At least you’re here to open gifts on Christmas morning. Speaking of which, I hope you don’t gift me with a dead mouse like you did next year. With all this snow and as cold as it is, all the mice are probably dead already anyway.”

Tom Boy lifted his tail and then slapped it against the pillow, letting her know he’d heard her comment. She chuckled at him, loving the way he could appear sound asleep and still seem to notice every word she said to him.

She tried to turn her focus back to her book, but it was difficult. She wanted to play some background music, but she couldn’t. Every piece of technology in her house was either battery-dead or ran off electricity. There was an old piano in the living room, one that had belonged to her mother, but Carina hadn’t played a single note on it since she was eight. She’d never had the talent of her mother, even after three years of lessons.

“Now would be a perfect time for some brave carolers to brave the snow and entertain me,” she said with a sigh. More than the lack of electricity, the silence was growing on her nerves. This time of year, her house was normally filled with classic Christmas albums blaring from her stereo, and she missed it. With the gifts that wouldn’t be opened any time soon and the lack of holiday tunes filling the space, it was beginning to feel less like Christmas and more like an episode of The Twilight Zone.

Giving up on reading, she closed her book, set it on the table beside her, and took her glass in exchange. After a long swig, she stood and walked to her Christmas tree. Some of the ornaments on it were incredibly old and had hung on her grandmother’s tree for as long as she could remember. Others were ornaments her mother had collected, or ones that Carina had made for her when she was a child. Every single one of them held sentimental value to her, and her eyes fondly traced over them until her glass was empty. Then, she hurried back into the kitchen to refill it.

Website: http://www.thedarkcastlelords.net
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DarkCastleLords
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/dclpublications
Twitter: http://www.x.com/DCLPublications

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G5LVHXK2
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1919104
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winters-embrace-pamela-ackerson/1148900744
Apple: http://www.books.apple.com/us/book/winters-embrace/id6756240259

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Straight Browsing from the Library: The Art of Human Connection by Adir Biniamini

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Adir Biniamini will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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In an age of extreme technology and growing separation, we've lost our way. We've traded authentic human connection for a world of aggressive tactics, self-serving behaviors, and fleeting transactions that leave us feeling isolated and unfulfilled.

The Art of Human Connection offers a powerful and ethical alternative, a return to our shared humanity.

This educational book is your essential guide to mastering the simple yet profound skills that form the bedrock of true success. Through a series of practical insights and transformative principles, you will learn how to:

- Cultivate Self-Awareness: Understand your own emotional landscape and its impact on every interaction.

- Build Authentic Relationships: Master the art of empathy and genuine communication to forge instant rapport and build lasting trust.

- Navigate with Confidence: Learn to move through professional and personal challenges with less friction and more grace.

"The truest version of a person is never who they perform to be, it is who they become when they forget to perform!"

This is a powerful call to action, inviting you to reflect on your own experiences and visualize a clear path to improvement. By embracing this approach, you will discover a liberating truth: your greatest success and most profound connections begin the moment you stop performing and simply start being.

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The Ultimate Hack to Connecting: Forget the Script and Just Be Real

I remember a colleague sharing with me about the recent time walking into a boardroom once where the air felt heavy. Everyone sat stiff, guarded, waiting for the “pitch.” You could almost hear the silent checklist in their minds: Is this person credible? Are they trying too hard? Can I trust them? In that moment, he felt the old instinct to perform, to tighten my shoulders, polish my words, and deliver the perfect script. But then he remembered a truth from The Art of Human Connection:

“The truest version of a person is never who we perform as, it is who we become when we forget to perform.”

So, he dropped the act. He softened his posture, smiled, not the rehearsed kind, but the kind that comes from seeing the people in front of him. He asked a question and let the silence linger. And something shifted. The room exhaled. People leaned in. The barrier dissolved.

That’s the real hack to connection: not perfection, but presence.

Drop the Act: Your Silent Superpowers

Before you speak, your body and voice are already telling your story.

• Body Language: Open posture, relaxed shoulders, and a genuine smile signal honesty and collaboration. When you’re real, others mirror it back.

• Voice: Let your tone carry warmth and variety. Use pauses like punctuation, moments that invite attention and reflection.

The Detective Mindset: Reading the Room

Connection isn’t just about what you say, it’s about what you notice.

• The Pause: After asking a meaningful question, resist the urge to fill the silence. Watch what emerges in the stillness.

• The Cues: A drop in energy signals resistance. A nod and steady eye contact?

That’s your green light to go deeper.

The Liberating Truth

You don’t need to be flawless. You just need to be real.

When you stop performing and start observing, when you trade polish for presence, you become magnetic, not because you’re perfect, but because you’re human, and in a world full of scripts, nothing is more refreshing than someone who simply shows up as themselves.

Ditch the Baggage: Forgive Past Flops

Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes, a conversation just feels clumsy. But dwelling on past perceived failures leads to Self-Condemnation and overthinking, hindering your ability to connect now. The solution is simple but hard: don’t let past perceived failures sabotage your present interactions. Remember, failure happens only when we quit.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Adir Biniamini is a visionary coach and the author of The Art of Human Connection. His journey into coaching began after a long and successful entrepreneurial career where he learned firsthand that genuine connection is the cornerstone of success.

From working at a flea market as a teenager to launching multiple businesses, Adir quickly discovered the power of authentic communication. A pivotal piece of advice, "Be exactly who you are . . . real, friendly, inviting," became his guiding light. Thirty years and successful businesses later, this commitment to genuine human connection remains the cornerstone of his success.

Adir's unique philosophy, forged from a lifetime of business and personal challenges, is built on the belief that a deep connection to ourselves is the key to creating meaningful relationships with others. Through his work, he helps clients master the essential skills of emotional intelligence and rapport, empowering them to navigate challenges and create lasting success in every facet of their lives.

Website: https://adirbiniamini.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/60102851.Adir_Biniamini

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Straight Browsing from the Library: The Hotel Guru's Journey by Robert Rauch

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Robert Rauch will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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For over half a century, Robert Rauch, referred to as "The Hotel Guru", has witnessed and made history within the evolution of modern hospitality. From performing night audits on Sweda cash registers in the 1970s to utilizing AI-enabled revenue strategies today, he has seen it all. The Hotel Guru's Journey combines his fascinating behind-the-scenes narratives with proven operating insights.

This unique operations guidebook shares both the "war" stories and the systems that matter. Rauch shares lessons learned the hard way in trust, crisis management, technology adoption, and leadership. And aside from the entertaining personal experiences, you'll gain access to tried-and-true frameworks, in-the-trenches checklists, and practical guidance for all aspects of hotel operations.

Whether you're breaking ground on your first property, expanding a hospitality portfolio, or seeking to avoid costly mistakes, Rauch's five decades of experience provide your competitive advantage in building a successful and sustainable hotel.

For up-and-coming hoteliers, veteran general managers, and hospitality investors, The Hotel Guru's Journey is your map to long-term success.

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Striving for trust and integrity is essential. Trust is particularly challenging, especially in business, where it’s crucial to trust your partners. Trusting a life partner or spouse is foundational—choosing the wrong spouse can lead to everything else collapsing like a house of cards. But choosing a business partner is more difficult, often happening quickly without an engagement period. My first business partner, Bob Graff, and I worked together at The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, where I’d been transferred after stints in Atlanta, Orlando, Memphis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Scottsdale, and Denver. We both managed restaurants in that 711 room hotel and often dined together after closing. While my hotel industry knowledge was broader, my partner had excellent business acumen and food and beverage expertise. We were both eager to leave our jobs. Hyatt wasn’t bad; it was and still is a great company. But we had an entrepreneurial itch. So together, we launched a company, buying a restaurant out of bankruptcy and adding a talented chef to our team. And our initial success allowed us to acquire two additional restaurant management agreements.

From January to April 1981, business was great. But unlike today, where there’s a year-round base of residents and travelers, back then, the Phoenix Metro Area’s tourist business halted at the end of April. And the season ending abruptly forced us to make changes. We needed to make more revenue and cut costs. First, we needed a liquor license for our own restaurant, BLD’s Eating Emporium. Despite good revenue, our margins were too thin without that license, limiting our customer base. We investigated why our predecessor didn’t acquire one and found out it had been rejected by the church across the street. It was within 100 feet, and they had the right to reject any liquor service at our site. We approached the pastor at the church, requesting a limited liquor license for wine and beer. He offered to send more business for our Sunday brunch but firmly denied our request. We moved on from that outcome but agreed the next step was to cut our expenses. In addition to our own BLDs (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), the owners of the two restaurants we managed hired us to make profits, not lose money. But by the end of August, after losing money all summer at all three restaurants, the business reality was grim. During these tough times, I sought a mentor, and I met the perfect person through mutual friends. He brought me into a consulting assignment and mentioned an opportunity for me to open a hotel as General Manager for one of his clients. That fall, after the tough summer, we left the restaurant business. It was grueling, losing money for us, and didn’t seem like a great career path. Instead, I called my mentor and took the job as a hotel General Manager. We joined the team at the Camelhead Granada Royale Hometel, a 228-suite hotel opening soon. My mentor and I collaborated on projects for many years until his passing after a 30-year friendship.

MEET THE AUTHOR

With a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration from Western International University and a master’s degree in Tourism Administration from Arizona State University, Mr. Rauch has served as president and on the board of numerous tourism organizations. Mr. Rauch is a recently retired faculty member at Arizona State University and taught Tourism Industry Entrepreneurship. He is widely quoted on television and radio and in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Los Angeles Times. He speaks at industry conferences regularly and has developed several leading brand hotels, three of which the firm still owns and manages, and has been a finalist for CEO of the year in San Diego, CA, and Phoenix, AZ.

Mr. Rauch currently utilizes his private company, R. A. Rauch & Associates, Inc., to provide management services for his owned hotels, consulting services for various Wall Street firms and selected litigation support clients, and asset management services designed to provide hotel owners with oversight and review of potential and currently operating hotels. He also serves as Chairman and Chief Strategist of Brick Hospitality, a company formed by his management team to operate hotels in California. Mr. Rauch recently sold RAR Hospitality, a leading hospitality management firm with 20 hotels under management or development, retaining management of selected hotels where he serves as an owner in San Diego. As a student, teacher, and mentor in the hospitality industry over a six-decade period, Mr. Rauch continues to be active at industry conferences, in key meetings, and when needed to support the hospitality sector.

Website: https://hotelguru.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertrauch/
Twitter: https://x.com/truehotelguru
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20244045.Robert_Rauch

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hotel-Gurus-Journey-Excellence-Industry/dp/B0FQBTH878/ref=sr_1_1

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Straight Browsing from the Library: Arabesque by M G da Mota

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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A woman living alone in a coastal Sussex town in 1998 plants a copper beech sapling at 3 a.m. on a dark, cold night. Why?

A ballet dancer in 1960s East Germany is oppressed, longs for escaping with his little daughter but not his wife. Why? Will he make it?

In 2022 Karsten von Stein, widower and principal of the Royal Ballet, with two young children, meets Ivone Benjamim, a Portuguese, newly-arrived principal dancer. They discover a magical chemistry when dancing and soon it transfers to their private lives

Against the background of ballet and its dancers, a woman called Grace tells her story from a rehab centre. Obsessive, delusional she begins believing Ivone robbed her of the man of her dreams—Karsten. And then a skeleton is found in a garden...What connects all these people and their stories?

You’ll be the audience facing the stage of this balletic novel.

READ AN EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT To her left, separate from hers by a small stretch of land with a handful of allotments, six detached and four terraced houses form a row on the poorly lit street. The last few already on the slope. The street has thirteen houses on her side, the highest side. People say it’s unlucky. They mean the number 13 is unlucky. A bad omen. She laughs silently. What a whole lot of bull! Besides, there are another eight houses on the lower side facing hers, making twenty-one in total, so the silly superstition makes even less sense.

With an empty place on one side and the allotments on the other, her house is fairly isolated. Should someone peer out of their first floor windows they will not glimpse a thing in her back garden. Not without the moon. The night is nearly pitch black and too cold; the temperature plummeted once the rain stopped. Nothing and no one moves. No light. The world appears deserted, enveloped in darkness and silence. Perfect.

She glances at the alarm clock again. Twenty five past three. Must get going. Without switching on the lights, with only her small torch, she walks slowly down the stairs and directly into the lounge, quietly sliding open the French doors. The tiny copper beech tree she bought lays ready. It is little more than fifty centimetres high, appears fragile and thin. But it will be fine. She knows it will. The difficult bit is what she has to do now. Before starting she hovers a moment by the doors, standing without moving a muscle for nearly half a minute. Listening. Listening. A distant owl hoots. A quiet bat brushes the top of her head. And then silence. She turns off her torch and waits for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. A faint glow from the streetlights at the front of the house gives the shapes in the garden the appearance of spectres. It takes her a couple of minutes to see enough to complete the task.

MEET THE AUTHOR

M G da Mota is Margarida Mota-Bull’s pen name for fiction. She is a Portuguese-British novelist with a love for classical music, ballet and opera. Under her real name she also writes reviews of live concerts, CDs, DVDs and books for two classical music magazines on the web: MusicWeb International and Seen and Heard International. She is a member of the UK Society of Authors, speaks four languages and lives in Sussex with her husband. Her website, called flowingprose.com, contains photos and information.

Website: https://www.flowingprose.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m.g.da.mota
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgdamota/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margarida-mota-bull

Amazon UK : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arabesque-M-G-Mota-ebook/dp/B0D7CMSD5F/
Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Arabesque-M-G-Mota-ebook/dp/B0D7CMSD5F

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Straight Browsing from the Library: SEAL Watch by Petie McCarty

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Petie McCarty will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Someone is watching Cory.
She can feel it in her bones . . . but why?

Navy SEAL Sean MacKay's teammate is murdered after stealing a deadly nerve gas formula from Syrian terrorists. Naval Intelligence believes MacKay's teammate was a traitor and shipped the stolen formula to his sister in the States for safekeeping. MacKay is ordered to find the sister before the terrorists do and to recover the stolen formula at all costs.

Foreclosure looms for Cory Rigatero as she struggles to keep her rustic resort near Mt. St. Helens afloat after her brother abandoned her to join the SEAL Teams. Cory's whole world plummets into a tailspin when Sean MacKay shows up at her resort with news of her brother's death and the shocking suspicion that her brother sent her traitorous classified documents.
r> No way will Cory ever trust MacKay—the man who once seduced her and then vanished into the night without a trace.

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Cory stopped in the kitchen on her way outside. “I thought I’d go out front and see if Vern needed any help.”

“He’s all done,” Cookie told her and handed Garth a dog biscuit from the jar on the counter. “He had a boy out front helping him when I peeked out the window a bit ago.”

“A boy? You mean Jasper?”

“No, I’ve never seen this one around here before.” Cookie went back to stirring her pot. “Handsome, though,” she added. “They headed for the barn.”

“I'd better go see who it is,” Cory said, already striding for the back door.

She called out as soon as she reached the open barn doors, and Vern hollered from the small office that doubled as his shop. Cory threaded her way through all the equipment in the back half of the barn. Cookie’s stranger stood up when she appeared in the doorway, and Cory froze.

This was no boy. This was a man. All man. And he literally stole Cory’s breath away. She had read that in novels before. Never believed it to be possible.

Until now.

Shaggy hair and dark brown curls, perfectly teamed with a matching beard, were her first thought. Her second thought was broad—really broad—shoulders beneath his black flannel shirt, and hips so narrow that his black jeans sagged a smidge on his tall, muscular frame. His sleeves were rolled up, and those forearms and biceps belonged to a working man.

Good grief! Stop staring, Cory!

She caught herself before she licked her lips and jerked her gaze back to his face. Blue eyes that snared her gaze like a predator traps unsuspecting prey. Those blue eyes sparkled with just enough mischief to send a wicked flutter through her belly. Blue eyes that looked startlingly familiar.

. Maybe she just wanted them to look familiar, so she could already know this handsome man.

“Mac here is our new help.”

MEET THE AUTHOR

Petie spent a majority of her career at Walt Disney World—"The Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she loved working in the land of fairy tales by day and crafting her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said goodbye to her "day" job to focus on her stories full-time.

These days, Petie spends her time writing new tales for her Cinderella series, her new paranormal-romantic-suspense series, The Watchers, sequels to her Regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more standalones like Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy, who makes a cameo appearance in Christmas Watch, Book 2 of The Watchers series.

Visit Petie at her website, http://www.petiemccarty.com, or her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty, to get to know her, learn about her current projects, and discover her other published works.

http://www.petiemccarty.com
https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty
https://x.com/authorpetie
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094579.Petie_McCarty
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/petie-mccarty
http://www.amazon.com/author/petiemccarty

https://www.amazon.com/SEAL-Watch-Watchers-Book-3-ebook/dp/B0FW5QPSB5/ref=sr_1_1

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Straight Browsing from the Library: Watch Things Grow by Jay L. O'Callaghan

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jay L O'Callaghan will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Curious brothers Zack and Liam love healthy food—but they've never grown their own! With help from Mum and Dad, they learn how tiny seeds turn into fruits and vegetables. They discover the magic of plants, the power of patience, and why nature matters.

But will their plants really grow? And what surprises will the garden bring?

Watch Things Grow is a fun and engaging story that inspires young readers to connect with nature, get their hands dirty, and see the world in a new way. It's the first book in an exciting series that explores the wonders of nature, creativity, and the joy of learning through hands-on adventures!

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Shrubs, bushes and trees carry oxygen from their leaves, which is distributed through the breeze.

Fruits and vegetables contain fibre, vitamins and minerals, which sustain our bodies and help us grow for an active life on the go.

Brothers Zack and Liam love growing organic fresh food because it gives them heaps of energy and a balanced positive mood.

They live on a three-acre block with fruit from their trees available around the clock.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jay O'Callaghan has been crafting stories through writing, directing, and producing for over 15 years. With a Digital Media and Film & Television Production diploma he co-founded 4word Thought Entertainment in 2007, bringing narratives to life through music videos, corporate films, advertisements, and short films.

A career highlight was designing the graphic interface for the Kids B Safe smartphone application and directing its promotional campaign. Away from the screen, Jay spent 15 years as a chef in the aged-care industry, mastering the art of nourishing body and soul.

A storyteller at heart, Jay has transitioned from film to full-time writing, developing a captivating children's book series inspired by his own kids, and other books for young readers. His work blends imagination with rich storytelling, drawing from his deep interests in philosophy, history, and antiquities. Beyond writing, he is an illustrator, painter, and avid gardener, always exploring creativity in various forms. With a passion for promoting a healthy and balanced lifestyle, he brings thoughtfulness and depth to every project he undertakes.

Website: https://jaylocallaghan.com

Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1764140311

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