WIN A $15 AMAZON GC OR A $ 15 BOOK FROM THE BOOK DEPOSITORY IN THE SPOOKTACULAR HOP ( INTERNATIONAL- 2 WINNERS)

 There are so many blogs participating in the Giveaway Hop . You will find some nice book related items being given away. There is a linky at the end of this post.  After you've entered here, hop on over to the next blog on the list and keep going as long as you'd like!  The more you enter, the more likely you are to win. I want to thank the host of the hop I am A Reader Not a Writer. Good luck and have fun!

I am giving away to TWO lucky readers your choice of either A-

 

$15 gift certificate to buy books. (Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com or any other online retailer of your choice that sells books and has a way for me to send you a $15 online gift certificate USA ONLY).

OR

 
 


If you live Internationally and can't use a US gift certificate. You can purchase a book up to $15.00 at The Book Depository.




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WIN A SHOPPING SPREE AND OTHER PRIZES FROM PUREX

 The Like Purex and Win More Time for Mom Sweepstakes has launched! 

With the kids back in school, that means more time for Mom to shop, scrapbook, read and more! Like the Purex brand on Facebook and enter to WIN one of our weekly prizes today! 

 

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ENTANGLED EDGE (ROMANCE FOR EVERY READER) OCTOBER RELEASES(CONTESTS)

Edge, a digital-first single-title romance line from Entangled Publishing, takes its lead from our popular Select imprint but gives its novels an edge in the marketplace by bringing great stories to readers at reasonable prices in a quick-and-easy way. Whether sexy or sweet, traditional romance or love and lust with a women’s fiction bent, at the center of every Edge book is heart. From Urban Fantasy to Contemporary Romance to Science Fiction Romance, Edge has a book for all romance readers—and right at their fingertips! As they say, all’s fair in love and war. To find out more about our titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books are coming next, visit the Entangled website, follow us on Twitter, and like our Facebook page.

Today I'm happy to be featuring Edge's October releases!!

Dark Angel by TJ Bennett

When young widow Catherine Briton is washed ashore, the sole survivor of a violent shipwreck, all she wants is to go home to London. But injured as she is, she can’t escape when a shadowy stranger rescues her and takes her to his castle—where she’s healed with suspicious, almost magical speed.



The more time Catherine spends in the castle, the more her curiosity rises where her fiercely handsome new “master,” Gerard, is concerned. As she begins to investigate, though, her discoveries only bring more questions. It seems Gerard isn't the only one on the island keeping secrets…

The small town is full of strange mysteries and townspeople who know more than they should about her. And when a hulking beast that stalks the nearby hills and valleys catches up to her, Catherine must figure out what’s going on before it’s too late.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads

Far Too Tempting by Lauren Blakely

Jane Black has written the break-up album of the century, earning her a Grammy, a huge legion of new fans, and the pressure to repeat her success. Sure, the heartbreak from her husband’s unconventional abandonment might have been her inspiration, but it hasn’t done her any favors in the dating department. So when Matthew Harrigan, the toughest music journalist out there, asks for an interview, Jane agrees—as long as her personal life is completely off-limits.



British, gorgeous, and way too tempting, Matthew’s the first guy Jane’s been attracted to since her husband. As she spends more time with him and their relationship heats up, though, so does her writer’s block. How can the queen of the break-up pen the perfect follow-up when she’s seriously in love?

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads

Hunter's Moon by Lisa Kessler

Moon #2

Sasha’s future was stolen from her the moment she was bitten. Now she's on the run from the Nero Organization that transformed her from a human detective into a shape shifting jaguar assassin.



When a rogue bounty hunter threatens her younger sister, she'll be forced to fight, and with nowhere else to turn, Sasha will need to trust the one man who has every reason to want her dead.

Aren is a werewolf with a secret. While protecting his twin brother and Alpha of the Pack, he found his one mate for life. Sadly she's also the jaguar assassin who tried to kill them both. Now Aren is struggling between his animal nature to love and protect her, and his loyalty to the Pack.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads

Undying Embrace by Jessica Lee

Enclave #2

Arran MacLain is a vampire on a suicide mission, driven to kill his former partner who betrayed him and the Enclave they served. But two things stand in his way: Gabrielle, the human female who holds his heart, and the past that won’t let him go. If only death was enough to cleanse his soul.



Gabrielle Steven’s sister is missing. Her hunt for clues brings her face to face with the one vampire she can’t forget. Their missions combine and thrust them into the heart of evil. Will their passion be enough to overcome the pain from their past, or will their dark desires destroy them both?

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads

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GUEST POST- FAMILY IS A CHILD'S LIFE CENTER BY MARY JO RAPINI

Family is a Child's Life Center

by Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC

While on a recent trip to Greece, my husband and I made a two-night layover in Rafina (the second busiest seaport town in the Athens area). The first night we spent there was Saturday, and our hotel was conveniently located about 4 blocks from the town center (square). After arriving in town at 10:30 p.m. we then decided to walk to the square and enjoy a late dinner.

Much to our surprise, the town square was alive with children, families playing and parents visiting friends while enjoying the cafes. The children were playing tag, kicking a soccer ball, and talking "best-friend" girl talk. Interestingly, both genders played together without an apparent agenda. While it delighted both my husband and me, at the same time it brought back nostalgic memories of our uch to our surprise, the town square was alive with children, families playing and parents visiting friends while enjoying the cafes. The children were playing tag, kicking a soccer ball, and talking childhoods. They were so different from the childhoods most of our children experience today.

The Rafina families were united by food, laughter, and friendship. The children were secure and ran back and forth between their friends and their parents. The parents knew the children who were playing with their kids and talked with them with as much ease as they spoke with their own children.

In the United States, we rarely see this behavior. Our children play inside on computer games, shoot "selfies" of what they want to be perceived as, and text people who aren't with them. Our children have suffered a great loss when compared to the children in Rafina.

Most parents today try too hard to be their kids' friends, and thus have sacrificed their duty of being parents. Today's parents too often have lost the ability to say no, and rarely choose to spend family evenings socializing as a family group and/or with other families. Parents in the U.S. confuse giving their children stuff as being more important than giving them time. Work exhausts their time, and they choose not to interrupt the cycle for a night socializing with others face to face without texting or emailing. Americans have become vigilant about not missing something important at work, the office, or world happenings, but they are less vigilant about missing a strong family connection.

The community of Rafina has something invaluable to teach every American: "family" IS the center of life. If you lose your family, you lose a huge root system for all of your life.

I grew up like the Greek children I saw that night; most of the time my face had the same happy expression these kids had. My siblings and I, and our friends, knew we were loved. We were not hurried to grow up; we had security; and our family was at the core.

When was the last time you saw children playing freely with one another outside? How old were they? Do you hear sighs of boredom and frustration when your child is forced to spend time with the family and not use electronics? This should be a red flag that maybe we have been prioritizing stuff instead of giving our children some undivided time.

Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC, is a licensed psychotherapist and co-author with Janine J. Sherman, of Start Talking: A Girl's Guide for You and Your Mom About Health, Sex or Whatever. Read more about the book at www.StartTalkingBook.com and more about Rapini at www.maryjorapini.com.

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CHARACTER POST AND BLOG TOUR OF THE LION'S HEAD DECEPTION BY CHUCK WALDRON (WIN A KINDLE FIRE)

I want to welcome Chuck Waldron to Books R Us. Chuck is the author of Lion's Head Deception a thriller. Thanks for stopping by.

About the Book:

Matt Tremain is a shy, private person who discovers a passion for writing blogs—a mission that propels him into investigative reporting. A tipster warns him of a diabolical scheme Matt simply can't ignore. After the tipster is killed, Matt honors his memory by going forward to investigate the truth behind the conspiracy. He meets a television reporter and a cameraman also investigating the intrigue. Are they potential partners or rivals? A detective offers his assistance, but Matt is unsure of his true motivation. He is equally unsure of the allegiance of those in the top administration of police services. Matt Tremain and his friends are forced to go on the run, evading the newly-formed security teams. They must expose the truth before they are discovered, arrested and perhaps exterminated themselves…

The reader is introduced to Matt Tremain when a text message warns him of impending arrest. The first part of the novel provides an understanding of how he learns about a conspiracy, and the person behind it. A television journalist is investigating the same treachery. Will they be able to join forces? The end of part one introduces a police detective. Will he be friend or foe?

In an action-packed run to the finish line, will Matt and his partners be able to face the challenges it will take to expose the lies and treachery behind Operation Clean Sweep?

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CHARACTER POST- STINKY

In Lion’s Head Deception you will meet me. Everyone calls me Stinky. I’ve been called Stinky so long I hardly remember my real name, Winston Leonard Smyth. My father was obsessed with Winston Churchill and when it came time to pick a name for his only son, well I got old Winnie’s Christian names. To tell you the truth, I have always hated my names. I’ve heard a lot of people feel that way about their name too.

I wasn’t always called Stinky. That came later.

In school I was called hey you, mostly. Hey, you, get out of our way. Hey, you, we’re trying to play a game here. Hey, you, why didn’t you do your homework? 

 I’ve always wondered what name the school would have put on my diploma, but that’s a story that never happened, more like a fairytale.

I left school when I was sixteen, just before my next birthday. I didn’t leave by choice. I was asked to leave. Then Juvie court gave me a paid vacation at an exclusive youth camp. It was exclusively for kids like me, liars, thieves and worse.

I finally figured out I wasn’t cut out to be a criminal, but it was too late to go legit. I did the best I could but never got a job beyond sweeping floors or shoveling snow. I couldn’t saw a board straight or hammer without hitting my thumbs. That pretty much ruled out a job as carpenter. I couldn’t tell a spark plug apart from a lug wrench. There went a job as mechanic.

Don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve survived on the streets for more than fifteen years. I’ve been hot. I’ve been cold. I know what hungry is. I can sleep on concrete or a park bench. All I need for bed cover is discarded newspapers. A large cardboard box is like a motel to me.

But, I ain’t complaining.

I leave that to the ones that call me Stinky. They complain because I haven’t been good friends with a shower or bath for longer than I can remember.

But I know the streets; the ones left behind after all the rich people go to bed. Since the riots began they’re all scared to go out, even during the day.

Now they have asked me to be a tour guide for this blogger guy. I’m supposed to meet him at a coffee shop and give him a special tour of the back streets.

I hope he ain’t afraid of the dark.

Pump Up Your Book and Chuck Waldron are giving a Kindle Fire HD!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one Kindle Fire HD.
• This giveaway begins August 5 and ends October 31.
• Winners will be contacted via email on Monday, November 4, 2013.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.
• Only U.S. citizens can win the Kindle Fire but if you are an international winner, you will be sent $200 Paypal Cash.  Must have Paypal account to enter.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

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WIN A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO LADIES HOME JOURNAL SPONSORED BY PUREX

 Enter to win a years subscription to Ladies Home Journal sponsored by Purex

 

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HOW PARENTS CAN HELP DISCOURAGE GANGS BY MARY JO RAPINI

How Parents Can Help

Discourage Gangs

by Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC

Gang violence is not a new problem for Chicago, but recently it's gained much more attention in education news. Since many schools in the poorer neighborhoods of Chicago have been closed down, these students must travel longer distances through unknown and gang-infested territory to get to their new schools. The areas were deemed so dangerous that the city set up the Safe Passages initiative, which lines sidewalks with police and large "Safe Passage" signs to protect traveling students. Many news articles have criticized that the signs already have bullet holes in them, and recently a man with gang connections was shot near one Safe Passage route.

Texas is not exempt from gang violence. Even in small towns, gangs are a powerful force and, worse, they can be seductive to children. Gangs can offer children many things, including protection, security, a sense of belonging, camaraderie, entertainment, and an opportunity to build respect. In fact, recent research has suggested that gangs fulfill Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Gangs can recruit children as young as five to seven. Boys are more likely to be in gangs, although girls do join gangs.

Why Youth Join Gangs: You have probably heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. If not, it is fairly self-explanatory. Maslow claimed that human beings seek out specific needs in a specific order. That is, physiological needs, which include basic items like food and shelter, will be sought out first for survival. When that need is met, the individual will seek out security and protection, also for survival. Social needs include feelings of love, companionship and play, which are often met by friends and family. Esteem includes respect and the construction of a reputation. These four needs are considered the "deficiency needs." Maslow believes that if these four needs are not met, then it could cause the individual anxiety or depression. Unfortunately, these are the needs that gangs fill the best.

1. The most basic need, physiological; gangs "take care of their own." They have a strong sense of loyalty and companionship, and they may occasionally help out members' families. 2. The second need, safety, is a very common reason that youth join. If youth are surrounded by violence or feel neglected, they may seek out protection from a gang. Ironically, this often brings more violence to their lives from criminal activity and rival gangs. However, there is still the sense that a fellow gang member is watching their back. 3. Gangs also fulfill social needs through their sense of loyalty and belonging. They also offer a sense of "play" by throwing parties or engaging in petty crime, such as graffiti tagging. 4. Esteem. Gang members may feel a sense of empowerment and pride after completing a successful robbery or mugging. They may express themselves as artists through graffiti. 5. Gangs can even fulfill the fifth and final need, self-actualization. Self-actualization includes creative pursuits and the creation of an identity.

Gangs often begin with friends who are toxic to your child. Once your child is part of a gang, it is much more difficult to intervene. Gang members are terrorists, because they often have little regard for anyone or anything. Their violence and crime extends outside of rival gangs to innocent bystanders. The police (and often citizen) response is to crack down on gang violence, but research has shown this is not necessarily the best option. In 2010, Dr. Vigil, a professor at the University of California, noted, "Law enforcement and suppression tactics, already overtaxed as a solution to a problem they did not start, are having only moderate and uneven success in addressing the gang problem. It doesn't make any difference how many jails we build or how many cells are set aside for each new gang cohort, the strategy we now have has failed. It has failed because it is not based on facts, on science, on human development, or on common sense. We need to be honest in recognizing this fact and be bold and courageous in charting a new course" (Vigil 2010). Vigil's point is that gangs represent a human development issue, not necessarily insufficient law enforcement. Gangs are filling a void for adolescents, and it is our duty as parents to figure out what is missing from their lives before they join a gang.

How Parents Can Stop Their Children From Joining Gangs: Teaching parents to be aware of gang behavior in the early stages can help them change their child's current path. Parents need to know the friends of their child, and be alert to friends who are toxic or aggressive who could get their child into trouble. 1.    Talk to your child. Does your child feel alone or friendless? These are situations to begin working with immediately. A child with low self-esteem is easier to tempt into gang like behavior. 2.    Educate your child. If you are a parent, make sure you are parenting your child. That means sending them to school, getting them tutors when they need additional help, and taking them to museums, science events, and other educational activities on weekends. If parents value education, their children do as well. Educated kids see a hopeful future, and have long-term goals.

3.    Be sure to praise your child on what they do well. One of the most seductive things about a gang is the opportunity to build a reputation for their actions. Children need to know they matter and belong to the family. If you are a single parent, make sure you have a strong same-sex mentor for your child. A girl needs a strong female mentor. A boy needs male mentors so he can learn how to be a man. Many gang members value manliness and demonstrations of courage and strength. Young boys may be intrigued by these demonstrations if they do not have a positive role model. Many young boys also join gangs because they have a father, uncle, or brother in a gang who acts as their role model. 4.   Get your child involved in group activities. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, sports, and church groups all help give your child a sense of identity, belonging, and accomplishment. Being around caring adults helps children construct an identity about who they are and who they are able to become. Youth who join gangs often have a fatalist view of the future and create short-term solutions to their situations, such as criminal activity.

5.    Be aware of peer pressure. If your child is surrounded by gangs or family members who are gang members, it becomes much easier and much more seductive to join. Gangs often host parties to entice new recruits, which are exciting to bored children. Pay attention to who your child is around and influenced by. It may mean you will have to move or find a safe place for your child, but do what is necessary to avoid a destructive path for your child to follow. 6.    In the Houston area, a web site to go for help is www.stophoustongangs.org. If you want out of a gang and you don't know where to turn, call the Houston Police Force and ask for the gang division. They will help you get out safely.

It always saddens me to see the faces of six-year-old children shown with the 17-year-old murderer they became. The grin of the six-year-old did not have the parenting or family support they needed to avoid the gang life, which was on display all around them each day of their life. A murderer is a murderer, and it is too late at that point to change the outcome. If parents become more aware and stand firm in support of their children, we can become a force of hope against the terrorism of gangs. With special thanks to Sarina Rapini MPA , for helping me help parents. Losing a child to a gang is a tragedy of the worst kind.

Mary Jo Rapini, MEd, LPC, is a licensed psychotherapist and co-author with Janine J. Sherman, of Start Talking: A Girl's Guide for You and Your Mom About Health, Sex or Whatever. Read more about the book at www.StartTalkingBook.com and more about Rapini at www.maryjorapini.com.

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