Valerie Joan Connors "In Her Keeping"

Available on Amazon, Kindle and Barnes & Noble

Bell Bridge Books (August 15, 2013)

From Valerie Connors: About the book and the inspiration behind the story.

 

My inspiration for the book was an eight-week old, 20 pound tiger cub named Meka, that my husband and I met in September of 2010 on a weekend visit to North Carolina.  I got to feed the cub a bottle, and it was an amazing experience that would change my life forever, but also tugged at that empty place in my heart that always longed for children of my own.  In the days and weeks that followed, I couldn't get the cub out of my head.  I began to do research about tigers in captivity in the United States, and the dwindling number of tigers remaining in the wild.  I discovered a whole new world, most of it sad, some of it tragic.  But in the midst of it all were a whole group of kind-hearted individuals who devote their lives to caring for these animals in accredited sanctuaries. They rescue tigers and other big cats from abuse and neglect, and give them a safe place in which to live out their lives as comfortably as possible in spite of their captivity.  It never really occurred to me that such a problem existed.  But people engage in some really cruel behaviors with these animals, taking them away from their mothers too soon in order to let people handle them all day long for photo ops, or thinking that they would make a really great pet, only to discover later, when the animals weigh 400 pounds and could kill you in an instant, that they really hadn't thought it through.  Sometimes these animals, the lucky ones, end up in sanctuaries where trained and responsible handlers love and care for them.  What happens to the others is very sad indeed.

 

The plight of tigers in captivity in the United States is something most people are unaware of.  It’s an unfortunate result of shortsightedness and uninformed decision making over a long period of time.   Sadly, unless something is done, these magnificent creatures will soon disappear from the world entirely.  That loss will be significant.

 

In Her Keeping is about one of the good sanctuaries, and a woman who desperately wants a child of her own.  But after eight years she has tried and failed to accomplish it.  But when she finds herself caring for a tiger cub instead, she learns that motherhood can take many forms.

 

 

 

About The Author:

 

 

Author Valerie Joan Connors

 

 

In Her Keeping is Valerie Connors' second novel, but first through a traditional publisher, Bell Bridge Books.  In 2010 she self-published Give Me Liberty, the story of a young woman’s journey in 1953 from a small town in Michigan to New York City, where she struggles to fulfill her destiny. 

 

Valerie Connors is working on two more novels and hopes to get on in the loop for publication in 2014. During normal business hours she is employed by an architectural design firm as their Operations Manager, which deals with IT and Human Resources. In May of this year she was installed as the President of the Atlanta Writers Club after serving on the board for two years. She and her husband live in the Metro Atlanta area.

 

 

What They're Saying About In Her Keeping:

 

 

"A warm and inspiring novel of second chances, starting over, and learning that happiness comes in all forms and all (tiger) stripes.    ...New York Times bestselling author, DEBORAH SMITH

 

 

"Valerie Joan Connors scores a home run with her wonderful story about two fascinating subjects:  true love and tigers." …New York Times Bestselling Author, HAYWOOD SMITH

 

 

"Valerie Joan Connors knows her tigers, both real and ephemeral. In Her Keeping is a cinematic tale of love lost, and love found."   ...JESSICA HANDLER, author of Braving The Fire: A Guide to Writing Through Grief and Loss, and Invisible Sisters: A Memoir.

 

 

"Valerie Connors' novel offers a refreshing variant on a woman's journey of self-discovery. On the surface In Her Keeping appears to be about Sylvia Holt re-channeling her desire for motherhood by nurturing big cats. Deep down, however, this is a story about her reconnection with people and her renewed trust in the wisdom of the heart." .... GEORGE

WEINSTEIN, author of Hardscrabble Road.

 

Meka

 

 

Links:

 

Author's Web

 

Amazon

 

Kindle

 

Give Me Liberty

 

Bell Bridge Books Interview

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book signing with husband and members of the Atlanta Writers Club

 

Roy Dimond New Release "The Rubicon Effect"

 

New release from author Roy Dimond September 9, 2013. Available on Amazon and Kindle . Use the Look Inside feature on Amazon to read pages from the book.



“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act.” —Buddha
 

About the Book:

A new Pope, a new US President, and the end of the world. What happens when we cross the Rubicon, and there is no going back to the way things used to be? How do you solve problems with no solutions? These are the questions author Roy Dimond dares to ask in his new thriller.

Two seemingly unrelated events will soon affect the entire world! The Holy Church has just ordained the first South American Pope. Born into poverty and raised on the mean streets of Buenos Aires, Argentina, the new leader of the Holy Church intends to bring the church kicking and screaming into the 21st century. While at the same time, the death of the Venezuelan President has opened the door to a new, rising political star and her plan to inspire an entire world. The Pope finds himself cleverly trapped in a web, from which he cannot escape, when the Republican nominees for President and Vice President of the United States of America, Richard Delaney, and his stunning running mate, Michelle Yakin, propose a horrific solution. However, three visionaries: a mysterious Elder from the Andes Mountains, who calls himself Older Brother, the second term, lame duck, President of the United States of America, and an environmentalist, see another way . . . Unfortunately, the time to act is running out. Mother Nature may have crossed the Rubicon and there is no turning back. The Apocalypse, the End of Days has arrived and humanity is to be judged.

Published by Raven's Wing Books, an imprint of Grey Gate Media, LLC. ISBN 978-1618071002



About the Author:

Author Roy Dimond

Roy Dimond was featured on Book Talk on August 15, 2013 with his novel The Singing Bowl. You can read that post by clicking  here. We welcome Roy back today with his new release this month, The Rubicon Effect.

From a recent interview, Roy talks about his main character in The Rubicon Effect. You can read the full interview on the Authors Promotion (Authors Promotion and Books Marketing, a new blog on WordPress.com site)


Sam Albright, my main character, doesn’t suffer fools and seldom has doubts. He’s an environmentalist who knows what’s coming, Armageddon, and worse, he knows that it is already too late to affect Global Climate Change. 

 However, at a deeper level, I think the main character is really the psyche of mankind. Behind the scenes, it is really all humanity that drives my characters. From the newly elected Pope, to the second term lame duck President, from the new President of Venezuela, to the Republican right-wing they really only represent the needs, desires, and dreams of humanity. None of my characters got to where they are on their own; humanity raised them to the positions they have. That’s why I say my story is really about what drives mankind… hope or fear.

And a little personal information about the author from the same interview.

Before I was a writer I was working with at-risk families as a Youth Worker. It was there that I found so many enriching and fascinating people and I often draw from that experience to find characters and plots for my novels.  I then began traveling, and have had the good fortune to find many interesting places. Again these experiences have often found a way into my writing.

 In my spare time I hike and am fortunate enough to live with my wife in one of the most beautiful places on the planet aptly named Garden Bay, on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada.


 Links:

Author Website

Author Interview

Amazon

Kindle

Facebook Author Page

Grey Gate Media

Smashwords

Goodreads