Little Libraries Everywhere

Gulf Breeze, Florida has a wonderful network of Little Libraries. Here's a list of them put together on a map by Diane Skelton. Very impressive work! local little libraries

My husband and I like to bike around our neighborhood, and we pass two of them each time!

In honor of the release of Courage Without Grace I put five copies of my first book, The Existence of Pity into five Little Libraries. If you happen to pick one of them up, let me know!

Meanwhile, since it's release day, Courage Without Grace is available for $2.99--but only for

today! (Tomorrow, the price goes to $5.99.) 

Grab your copy here! Today! Courage Without Grace

The Futures Market

Me in my gypsy get-up, I hated it, lol!

 One other newspaper article in the Washington Post, this one in the Weekend section, told about my palm reading in the capital. This one, written by Larry Fox and published on January 5, 1990, was called "The Futures Market" and starts like this:

"There I sit, an otherwise normal-looking middle-aged male, as a younger and otherwise normal-looking woman uses a hand-sized roller to spread greasy, black ink over my palms as we sit at a white linen-covered table in an upscale restaurant while the waiter watches nervously, wondering perhaps whether to dial 911 and report the rebirth of the Black Hand Society in his Adams-Morgan bistro.

"Relax, we assure the waiter, no problem here. The woman and I are on a search for information about my past and my future. That's where the inky palms come in. The inked flesh is pressed onto white squares of paper, setting out in fine detail every tiny line, crack and whorl. Some say those minute etchings unlock many of life's mysteries and that if you can read them, you can see the future and understand the past."

If you want to read the complete article, let me know and I'll send you a copy. Meanwhile, pick up Courage Without Grace, here: Courage Without Grace The Kindle version is only $2.99 until March 30, 2021!

In Courage Without Grace, Josie lives in DC and works as a palmreader. She is trying to correct a mistake from her past so that she can move on, but she keeps walking into more problems--or riding motorcycles into them! 

Courage Without Grace is Coming!

 I am thrilled to announce the cover reveal of my second book, Courage Without Grace. This book, written in November of 2012, follows Josie Wales to Washington, DC. Now 22, she is a palm reader at the Capital Park Hotel, and things aren't going well for her and Tom. 

To find the courage to end the relationship, Josie seeks advice from new friends, but she somehow manages to make an even bigger mess of her life. When Jack, Tom's twin, comes to town to reconnect, he helps Josie get her feet back on the ground. Just as Josie is beginning to resolve the chaos in her life, a tragic secret from her past comes back to haunt her. Before she can move forward and have a second chance at love, she must face her grief and loss.

Just as with my first book, The Existence of Pity, the setting in the book mirrors my life. After growing up in Colombia and going to college in Texas, I moved to DC and became a palm reader, with a steady gig at the Park Hyatt Hotel. I loved my years in the capital city, where I read palms at parties (including one for Sally Quinn and Ben Bradlee) and learned how to ride a motorcycle. But, to be honest, it just got too cold for me. After over six years, I headed south, and have been happily writing in Northwest Florida ever since.

Courage Without Grace doesn't have a publication date yet, but it's coming soon. Not to worry, I'll keep you posted!

Pull Quote

I wanted to know, once and for all. Is The Existence of Pity a good book? I've been thrilled with my mostly positive reviews, but how would my book fare if assessed by a trade publication?

Kirkus has been reviewing books since 1933 and is considered a respected trade magazine by the industry. Their reviews certainly influence my reading selections, and I've noticed an automatic positive response to seeing a Kirkus blurb on a book. The debate rages on as to whether a Kirkus review is worth the price - yes, I paid for it - but the itch to know wouldn't quit. I decided to send my book their way.

With no little trepidation, I waited, until today, when this link showed up in my inbox.

 https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jeannie-zokan/the-existence-of-pity/

I raced through it and sighed with relief. It's good! Then, I combed it for that all-important pull quote, those lines which sum up what Kirkus has to say about my precious baby, and my writing.

"Overall, this is an offbeat coming-of-age story... and Josie is perfect in her role as the story's protagonist and moral center." --- Kirkus Reviews

"A sensitive work from a very promising author." --- Kirkus Reviews

I'm glad I got the review. Now I know. And my favorite part of the quotes? The ---Kirkus Reviews at the end, for my book.

And just in time, a Kindle copy of The Existence of Pity is now $5.99!

Click here for the Amazon Link to The Existence of Pity and get your copy!

Unstoppable: My Life So Far

Unstoppable: My Life So Far is the memoir Maria Sharapova published in 2017, and it's an unforgettable read. I'm a tennis buff and love hearing about her drive and determination to win on the court, but her life story is fascinating, too.

Born in Russia one year after the Chernobyl incident, she writes, "If you had to pick one event that made me a player, it'd be Chernobyl." Because of the explosion, her family moved from the deadly area to the resort town of Sochi -- where they had tennis courts.

Aunt Nell and her 3-legged dog Sport

I remember where I was when I heard the chilling news of the explosion; in the small town of Tallassee, Alabama. I lived with my great aunt Nell, and after work I'd take long bike rides on lonely country roads. Every Friday night, Aunt Nell and I would go out to dinner with her friends at the Kowaliga Restaurant on Lake Martin (that's pronounced Ku-lie-ja). We'd eat too much, laugh too hard, talk too long, then come home too full to sleep, so we'd watch TV, laughing and talking some more. They were good, simple times, and I'm grateful for them, and for her.

Much later, my aunt asked me how many years I lived with her. "Six months," I said.

But back to Unstoppable. The main reason I want to share this book is because of what Sharapova says about writing. "I came to believe that the physical act of writing can reeducate your brain. By writing, you access certain thoughts and feelings that might otherwise remain hidden. You can bring them to the surface, where they can be understood and then dealt with."

Wow, right?

"I also came to believe that you can plant positive thoughts in your psyche in the same way. Put it on paper and in it goes. Which is why, if you look through those diaries, which I have saved and used to help write this book, you will see pages given over to nothing but positive phrases in the nature of 'Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Yes, you can.'"

It's no wonder Sharapova has won five grand slams! My favorite line from her book, though, the one that rings true, deep to my core, is this: "It's important to remember, but it's more important to forget." The context is a stunning defeat in the Australian Open that Sharapova was wise to put behind her, but the words mean so much more. In tennis it's important to learn the techniques, but at match time you have to stop thinking and just play. Remember, then forget. Trust what you've learned and be there when the ball bounces off the court and heads toward your racquet.

Aunt Nell's life wasn't an easy one, but she was good at living in the moment. The Great Depression, loved ones lost in WWII, a house burned to the ground, these didn't stop her from relishing laughter and friends and family. She would agree with Sharapova, too. "It's important to remember, but it's more important to forget." She's been gone almost twenty years and I still miss my Aunt Nell, and still think of her when I read about strong, determined, amazing women like Maria Sharapova..

I Googled Myself and ... Wow!

Cover photo by Jessica from For the Love of Dewey

Like finding money in a coat pocket or one last chocolate in a bag that looks empty, I came across this beautiful, amazing review of my book when I googled myself. Click the link to see it.

fortheloveofdewey.blogspot.com

Here's an excerpt: "I found Blanca's character to be my favorite part of the novel. I loved the way that Zokan incorporated her accent into the English text, giving the reader a real sense of being immersed in Colombia. I also liked how Zokan not only successfully portrayed her to be an employee, but also as a big sister figure, a friend, and an intelligent woman who knew what was going on with each family member before they knew themselves. Blanca doesn't miss a beat."
 
I love finding out who a reader's favorite character is -- and take a look at that photo! Stunning!  Jessica's got skills!

For the Love of Dewey, thanks for the great review!

The Giveaway of the Year!

Actually, click  HERE  to enter!

This giveaway is the brainchild of fellow Red Adept Publishing Author Kelly Stone Gamble. To learn more about her books, go to her beautiful website: www.kstonegamble.com  I'm so glad she included me!
If you love to read and haven't found out about www.BookBub.com, you are in for a treat: BookBub is a free email service that notifies you about deep discounts on ebooks you are sure to like.
You'll like them because you choose the types of books you want notifications on! Choose from all sorts of genres, and BookBub will email you great deals in those genres.
You can also follow your favorite authors on BookBub, like me, and like the thirteen others who want YOU to win a $50 Amazon gift card, just in time for the holidays!
I love hearing about books through BookBub. Often I see a title on BookBub and remember a friend recommending that same book. Then, since it always happens in threes, I'll see the book in some random place... someone's carrying it in the airport, it's on the coffee table at the dentist's office, or I happen across it on Amazon. Then I know it's time to read that book! :)
Happy reading, and Happy Holidays!

Two in One Holiday Giveaway, It's Almost Time to Pick a Winner!

*~*~TWO in ONE HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY~*~*:
12/5/17 - 12/26/17 (US only)

The Taste of Vermont - Maple Giveaway
&...
The Taste of Colombia - Coffee Giveaway

 

All entries compete for two prize packages, and the winners will be chosen randomly by Rafflecopter.

 ENTER HERE:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/562cfb502/?

The winners will be notified by email on 12/26/17, and announced on our Facebook author pages: https://www.facebook.com/GailCleareAuthor and https://www.facebook.com/authorJeannieZokan .

The Taste of Vermont prize package includes one autographed paperback copy of Gail Cleare's bestselling novel, The Taste of Air, plus a small (100 ml) leaf-shaped bottle of Vermont Maple Syrup from Butternut Mountain Farm in Morrisville, VT, and twelve leaf-shaped maple drop hard candies from Mount Mansfield Maple Products. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

The Taste of Colombia prize package includes on autographed paperback copy of Jeannie Zokan's novel, The Existence of Pity, plus a cute coffee mug, three Colombian coffee samples, and a drawstring bag with 7 Bali's Best coffee candies. Cheers!

The prize is not transferrable and can only be shipped within the USA.

Best of luck to everyone!

#bookgiveaway #womensfiction #reading #familysaga #romance #mystery #bestsellers