About the Book

Book: In Black and White

Author: Maryann Diorio

Genre: New Adult

Release Date: November 1, 2019

A white woman. A black man. And their forbidden love.

Can endurance and faith sustain the love between a white woman and a black man, threatened by rejection, guilt, and racial injustice? Can love alone reconcile their starkly different worlds, lighting the way to a bright future together?

When graduate student, Tori Pendola, a white American woman, and Ghanaian exchange student, Jebuni Kalitsi, heir to his tribe’s chieftaincy, fall deeply in love, they must face not only their own inner demons of rejection and guilt, but also the demons of societal hatred bent on destroying their relationship. Will their love survive the cruel and bitter attacks against them, or will hatred and prejudice gain the upper hand?

In Black and White is a deeply moving story of the power of God’s love to restore all that is broken in our lives.

Click here to get your copy.

MY REVIEW 

 I love when an author tackles a tough subject and writes a story that not only teaches us lessons but opens our heart up to God’s Word. The Bible says, “We are created in His image.” He doesn’t see color, only hearts. This story has been hard to read because I cried throughout the book. Everyday we hear about violence because of race or religion and I pray that someday that prejudice does not exist. 

Tori is a young woman on the way to graduating college. She has felt unwanted and a mistake by her father all her life. I could feel her need to be accepted and God had a plan to show her that she was loved. We can’t  help who we fall in love with. The heart wants what the heart wants. Finding your soul mate is something we all desire and for Tori she may have that dream come to pass. 

I was especially intrigued by Jeb because of his heritage. The author has done a great job of researching customs from other nations. When Jeb and Tori meet you could sense a connection right away. As their relationship grows, they find theirselves in the midst of hatred among the community. It was sad to hear how many times they were verbally or physically attacked by people who were deceived by the enemy. Their troubles start with their parents and I was dismayed by the hatred that came from Tori’s father. 

The story is set in 1959 when whites and blacks were not welcomed to interact with each other. As I read the book I can remember the day when a young man was beaten because people wanted to get revenge. Oh how I cried when I saw the riots in the streets and the pain that spread across a nation. Tori and Jeb will face many challenges and with their faith they will stand together and fight for what is right. It is a beautiful example of forgiveness and trust. I won’t give anything  away but I will say the author writes a story that is prevalent even today. Will Jeb and Tori marry? Can love overcome hatred?  

“With God all things are possible.”

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. 

About the Author

Dr. MaryAnn Diorio is an award-winning author of compelling, page-turning fiction that deals with the deepest issues of the human heart. She is the author of the popular trilogy titled THE ITALIAN CHRONICLES, set in 19th-century Sicily. MaryAnn holds the PhD in French with a concentration in Comparative Literature. She is also a Certified Life Coach and a Licensed Minister. MaryAnn and her husband Dom, a retired ER physician, recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. They are the blessed parents of two wonderful adult daughters, a very smart son-in-law, and six rambunctious grandchildren. When not writing, MaryAnn enjoys painting, playing the piano, and making up silly songs with her grandchildren. You can learn more about MaryAnn and her writing at https://www.maryanndiorio.com

More from MaryAnn

Greetings, awesome readers and friends!  It’s great to have you with me on this tour. I trust you’ll be blessed and have lots of fun.

We writers are a strange breed.  While we know what we are writing, we often don’t fully understand what we have written. Does that make sense? If not, let me explain.

Before I started writing In Black and White, I prayed. And I prayed hard. The idea for my story came to me back in the 1990s. Yes. You read that right! But it first came to me as a seed that the Lord planted in my heart. The seed would need time to grow, sprout, and blossom. So, back in the 90s, the Lord told me it wasn’t time to write my story yet.

So, I watered and waited as the seed began to do its thing. At the beginning of 2018, the Lord said, “It’s time.” And I instantly knew what He meant. It was time to start writing In Black and White.

So, in January of 2018, I started writing In Black and White. For almost two years, I wrote. The story took many twists and turns and was finally completed in August of 2019.

I mentioned earlier that we writers don’t often fully understand what we have written. What do I mean? I mean that often, for me, it is after I write the story that I recognize the theme of the story.

It’s like this: A seed doesn’t really understand what its Maker is doing. It just follows the plan. When I write, I don’t fully understand what Holy Spirit is doing. I just follow His lead.

Amazingly, the theme that I recognized in my latest novel is the same theme that appears in virtually all of my fiction. What is that theme? It’s forgiveness.

It seems as though the message of forgiveness is the spiritual trademark of my fiction. Why? Perhaps because I’ve had to do a lot of forgiving during my life—and a lot of asking for forgiveness.

Forgiveness is the reason Jesus came to earth. He died to forgive us. If we want to be like Him, we, too, need to forgive.

So, as you read my story, I pray that it will stir you to forgive anyone and everyone in your life who has hurt you in any way. And, if need be, I pray that my story will encourage you to ask forgiveness of those whom you have hurt.

Our heavenly Father is the Great Forgiver, May we become like Him by making forgiveness the theme of our lives.

With love and blessings,MaryAnn Diorio

Recipe for Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs from MaryAnn Diorio’s novel, In Black and White. This is my late Italian mother’s recipe, straight from Italy. 

Enza’s Authentic Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe

            MEATBALLS 

1 lb. ground meat (beef, veal, pork, turkey, or chicken, or a mixture of two or all three in any proportion)

1 large egg (not beaten)

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped (preferably the flat Italian type, but the curly kind will do)

2 teaspoons fresh basil, chopped

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (peppercorns ground in peppermill)

Salt to taste (Use 1/8 teaspoon for first time making this recipe and adjust, if needed, next time.)

1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon plain breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon milk (whole, 2% or fat-free)

• Prepare a baking pan (or oven-proof dish) by coating it lightly with any kind of olive oil.
• Set oven on “bake” and temperature at 350º.
• Place all recipe ingredients in large bowl.
• With clean hands, mix all ingredients together until blended.
• Fill 1/2 cup measuring cup with blended meat mixture ragù.
• Remove meat mixture from 1/2 cup and roll mixture gently between palms of hands until meatball is shaped.
• Place meatballs on oil-coated baking pan.
• Continue measuring meat mixture, shaping it into meatballs and placing meatballs on oil-coated baking pan. NOTE: BE SURE TO LEAVE SPACE AROUND EACH MEATBALL TO ENSURE EVEN COOKING.

• Bake meatballs for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of meatball comes out clean.

NOTE: Any drippings left in pan may be used as basis for homemade pasta sauce (“ragù” or “gravy”). If so desired, cool drippings, place in freezer-proof container, label contents of container, and freeze.

SPAGHETTI

• Cook pasta of choice according to package directions.
• Serve with meatballs and your favorite spaghetti sauce.

ENJOY!!!

Blog Stops

Texas Book-aholic, March 3

Artistic Nobody, March 4 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 5

Older & Smarter?, March 6

By The Book, March 7 (Author Interview)

deb’s Book Review, March 8

Inklings and notions, March 9

For the Love of Literature, March 10 (Author Interview)

For Him and My Family, March 11

Pause for Tales, March 12

All 4 and About Books, March 13 (Author Interview)

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 14

CarpeDiem, March 15

janicesbookreviews, March 16

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, MaryAnn is giving away the grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f63e/in-black-and-white-celebration-tour-giveaway

About the Book

Book:  Yours, Mine, & Forever

Author: Joanne Markey

Genre:  Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 7, 2019

Whoever said the course of true love never runs smooth knew their business.

Especially motherly love.

Still, with adoption success just waiting for ink and paper to appear, Norah can focus on more exciting things, like Christmas, and figuring out how this marriage thing is going to work out! However, never underestimate the craftiness of an antagonist old woman determined to get her own way—or rather, stop Norah from getting hers. If it means resorting to underhanded means to ensure she comes out on top, then so be it. All it takes is a word in the right ear, a nudge here, a wink there, and the natural course of gossip and slander will do the rest.

When the dust clears, Norah’s heart is in tatters and her fledgling relationship is in ruins… Or is it? Will her hero’s patience wear thin, and is Norah’s faith strong enough to see her through whatever comes her way?

Click here for your copy.

MY REVIEW

I really enjoyed reading this story that had such a wonderful message of trusting God. Norah has such a big heart and wanting to adopt these special children  she has fallen in love with makes me want to cry. Being in the system must be so hard for children who want to have a family of their own. Someone doesn’t want her to adopt and will try everything they can to make sure she doesn’t get them. Norah has found out that she has to be married to get approved and that does present a problem. 

Stepping up to complicate Norah’s situation are two men both wanting to be part of Norah’s life. I could just imagine what she was thinking as Thad and Clay both want to marry her. I couldn’t decide who I liked more so I was interested to see where the author would take the story. The author does a great job of having scriptures in the story that enhance the characters faith. I really did like Norah’s brother who was very protective of her. She has so many people wanting her to fulfill her dream of adopting the children that  it made me anxious to see what the outcome would be. 

The story reminds me of a Hallmark movie that is filled with romance and misunderstandings while hoping for  everything to turn out good. Will Norah see her dream of adopting come true? Who will she decide to be with? All these questions will be answered as you read this sweet and clean story. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own copy. 

About the Author

Originally from Australia, Joanne now lives in Ohio with her husband and seven children where she spends her days writing, wrangling children, and trying to determine which phrases originated in which country because she uses them all interchangeably, thereby continually confusing herself as much as those around her.

More from Joanne

When people find out I’m an Aussie living in the US and that I’ve written books, they immediately assume my books are set in Australia. I’m sorry to disappoint anyone, but, no, they’re not. You see, after almost 19 years of living in the US I’ve lost touch with the culture I was raised in. Things are done differently here than they are over there, and I’ve gotten used to this life.

When I moved halfway around the world, iPads, smart phones, and the like weren’t even a thing. The internet over there (in the places I lived) was something you knew about, but not everyone was online. My family didn’t even own a computer. When you went to town you lost cell phone coverage about 20 kms out. We lived in the bush, which technically falls between the coast and the outback. Not far enough from the coast to be “outback”, but far enough there wasn’t a town worth mentioning in any direction for a good two hour drive (roughly 170km, if memory serves me correct). So yeah, we lived out bush and while it’s hard to imagine a world without the electronics we depend on so much today, the Australia I know, the life I remember, had none of them. And I’m pretty sure things have changed since then!

That’s one major issue standing between me and writing books set in Australia. Another is the language. Half the time I find it almost impossible to remember where a phrase originated. I’m not talking about the “fair dinkums” or the “g’days”, they’re easy to identify. Its the little phrases, the ones that are so ingrained in my thinking I can’t identify their origin. At least, not until every person in the room looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. I figure it out pretty quickly after that and usually have to scramble to translate to something they understand. Agreeing with someone by uttering a simple “yes” is a wee bit more effective here than the “too right!” I might use with my family.

Try adding in the whole dropping the R thing Aussies have a habit of doing, and then the clear pronunciation of the R which is pretty common among the people I know here…and yeah, it can get confusing. “Far” is a bad one. Simple word. I never stop to think about how I’m saying it, so part of the time I’ll drop the R without realizing I’ve done so. Then I’ll hear myself say “fah”, so I’ll quickly tack on the R… and it can become an issue.

Some expats might not have an issue with speech, this is just one problem I run into quite often so I ran with it in my book. Anyone who’s read the book will know who I’m talking about. Multiple languages, speech confusion especially when emotional. It’s a thing. Not everyone deals with it, but me… yeah. Sigh.

But that doesn’t mean I’ve turned my back on everything I once knew. My husband and our kids love a good damper, Aussie meat pies, and Vegemite. They turn their noses up at pavlova (where, oh, where did I go wrong?!), but little did I know when we bought some of my favorite Aussie music that it would become their favorite too. I love where I live now, but I also have a great fondness for the country I left behind, and my family too, of course. They all live over there. And this story… it originated in Australia.

I was looking for a something to write for NaNo in 2018 and my Mum had a dream to share, so she gave me the idea and I ran with it. I changed bits here and there—the setting, most of the story actually!—and finished it up mid-December of 2018. I sat on it for about six months, finally got around to sending it to an editor. And then two weeks before I hit publish, a friend heard how long it was and asked if I’d ever thought about splitting the story in two.

No, I hadn’t, but after hashing it out with my editor, we decided it was a good idea. Dreaming of More became the first half, and Yours, Mine, & Forever was born.

However, giving Dreaming an end meant I’d sort of wrapped up the main storyline I’d used in the entire 135,000 word manuscript. I needed something else because I hadn’t added the bow to the top of the package and without that, Dreaming kind of fell flat. It needed another book… So back to the editor I went and at 2am one morning we started brainstorming. Before I knew what was happening I was in the middle of rewriting the entire book. I didn’t need to follow the same storyline and because the slate had been cleared, I could add in whatever I wanted. So I did.

My friend apologized—she hadn’t meant for me to rewrite the entire book—but no apology was necessary. I loved being able to change things. New characters made it more fun and, as my youngest son would say, I got to add “all the stuffs”. The only thing I refused to change was the ending. I had to keep that because it was the one thing my Mum remembered the best from her dream. For her sake, I kept it. If you want to know what that ending is… it comes after all the other pages in the book. But if you skip over them, you’ll miss all the stuffs and they’re what make the ending worthwhile.

Blog Stops

Batya’s Bits, February 29

deb’s Book Review, February 29

Texas Book-aholic, March 1

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 1

Genesis 5020, March 2

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 2

Among the Reads, March 3

Through the Fire Blogs, March 3

She Lives To Read, March 4

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 5

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, March 5

Quiet Quilter, March 6

For Him and My Family, March 7

Stories By Gina, March 7

Inklings and notions, March 8

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, March 9

Blogging With Carol, March 9

Moments, March 10

My Devotional Thoughts, March 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 11

janicesbookreviews, March 11

Pause for Tales, March 12

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, March 12

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 13

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Joanne is giving away the grand prize package of signed copies of Dreaming of More, Yours, Mine, & Forever, and Christmas Rose!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f623/yours-mine

About the Book

Book:  The Vault Between Spaces

Author: Chawna Schroeder

Genre: Young adult Christian Fantasy

Release Date: February 11, 2020

Every legend must start somewhere…

No prisoner who enters the gates of HopeWell ever leaves. But from the moment Oriel sets foot inside Anatroshka’s most formidable prison camp, she unsettles both commandant and prisoner alike with eyes that see beyond the surface and music that trails her everywhere.

Petite and delicate though she appears, Oriel bows before neither threat nor punishment. Moreover, she makes no attempt to hide her intention: Oriel plans to escape the inescapable HopeWell.

But when facades are stripped away and myth becomes clothed in flesh, what begins as a prison break becomes a mission to stop the invasion of evil itself.

Click here to get your copy.

MY REVIEW

The author has written a story that captures a true example of using subtle words or symbols  that bring spiritual wisdom and insight. I was captivated by the author’s imagination and how I felt like I was floating just above watching scenes unfold. Oriel is easy to be drawn to with light that surrounds her and hope for a future where freedom is found. 

It was easy to see that the story would journey into darkness with Oriel proving that she can break free of a prison camp. What I loved was how Oriel represented a strong and determined mind who wanted to save the world from evil. I did think this sentence was intriguing; “You do not stop being what Creator designed you to be because you no longer do what He created you to do.”  God designed each of us for a purpose and even though we may go another direction we are still what He created us to be.  He may have designed you to be a teacher. If you stop teaching, you are still a teacher. I loved how the author makes readers see past the story and find spiritual truths that remind us of what our purpose is. 

The Vault where Oriel seeks to go reminds me of The Garden  of Eden. The Vault is described as “The Vault contains the Water of Life , The Tree of the Everlasting , The Fruit of Knowledge.” It is a place where wisdom and a new beginning lays. I did like the story but there were times I didn’t quite understand what was going on. The fault is mine since I am still learning about the genre of speculative or fantasy Christian books. The author does have a gift of taking readers on a journey to another world and showing how good vs evil fight for what they believe in. I think the most profound words spoken by Oriel is, “ Because I serve the Lord of truth, not a master of deception.” We as Christians follow the truth and fight against the enemy who deceives. 

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.

About the Author

Chawna Schroeder is Minnesotan writer who enjoys snow, chai tea, and playing “what if?”—even if that game occasionally gets her into trouble. She also loves stretching both her imagination and her faith to their limits and helping others to do the same. As a result, her writing explores the vastness of God, His multifaceted nature, and the potential of a life lived with Him. This means both learning the boundaries He created for our protection as well as demolishing the human boxes that restrict both God and people.

When she isn’t reading or writing, a variety of other activities fill her “free” time: practicing piano for church, preparing Sunday school lessons, studying the biblical languages, or working on one of her handwork projects while
enjoying a movie.

Chawna’s other books include Beast, a coming-of-age fairytale for teens and adults, and the Bearing the Sword curriculum, which teaches the basics of discernment to teens through in-depth Bible study and media analysis. You
can connect with Chawna through her website (www.chawnaschroeder.com), blog (www.chawnaschroeder.blogspot.com) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/ChawnaSchroederAuthor/).

More from Chawna

Beyond Reality

Life can seem so drab and dreary, clouds of monotony graying the days and the chill of trouble piercing the night. It is not the world we would choose to live in, yet it is the world we often find ourselves trapped within, imprisoned by circumstances beyond our control.

Perhaps that is why myths and fairy tales carry such strong appeal. They promise what we see is not all there is. They infuse the world with possibility. They dare us to believe that now isn’t forever. They offer us hope.

Yet many myths and fairy tales are so far removed from our normal world, we end up dismissing them as irrelevant, the stuff of children and starry-eyed idealists. For no sensible person would believe in seven-headed dragons or wing-footed messengers, in fairy godmothers and cursed spinning wheels. Yet the magnetism of such stories remains.

Which is where The Vault Between Spaces comes in. We begin with a recognizable world. Chain-link fences and cars, umbrellas and guns—these are things we know. More than that, the world feels familiar: drab, monotonous, inescapable, hopeless.

Then one lone girl steps into that world—our world—and changes everything, challenging us to question all that we thought we knew. Could there be more truth to those childhood tales than we ever dared believe?

Blog Stops

Through the Fire Blogs, February 28

Texas Book-aholic, February 29

For the Love of Literature, March 1

Library Lady’s Kid Lit, March 2

Rebecca Tews, March 3

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 4

Inklings and notions, March 5

For Him and My Family, March 6

Adventures of a Travelers Wife, March 7

deb’s Book Review, March 7

Emily Yager, March 8

Blogging With Carol, March 9

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 10

The Artist Librarian, March 10

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 11

Pause for Tales, March 12

Mia Reads, March 12

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Chawna is giving away a themed basket including autographed copy of the book, $10 iTunes gift card (since music plays a dominate role in the book), embroidered bookmark, and embroidered denim book bag!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/f616/the-vault-between-spaces-celebration-tour-giveaway