Pre-Order Gooseberry Island by Steven Manchester & Support the Wounded Warrior Project

Steven Manchester's next book will be out on January 6, 2015. Voted one of the Must Read Books of 2015 by Cyrus Webb Presents, Gooseberry Island is sure to be the next hit from one of our #1 bestselling authors. The book looks at the budding relationship between Lindsay and David, who have to deal with David's deployment overseas and his recovery from the trauma he witnessed in the service of his country.

PTSD is one of the biggest problems facing soldiers as they return from war. As an experienced veteran himself, Steven Manchester understands that. That's why, during the promotion of this book, Steven and The Story Plant are going to be working toward helping returning veterans. And we need your help to do that.

From now until January 31, 2015, we will donate $1 to the Wounded Warrior Project for every copy of Gooseberry Island that is pre-ordered and sold. All you have to do is email us a copy of your receipt and we will make the donation. In addition to that, we will also donate a copy of the e-book to returning soldiers, one donation for each copy sold.

Here's the really important part - we need your help to spread the word about this campaign! Tell your neighbors, tell your family members, tell the person working the checkout line in the grocery story. Just tell as many people as you can and ask them to help spread the word too. We want this campaign to go viral! Let's do something good this holiday season and celebrate those who protect and serve our country!

You can read more about Gooseberry Island at our website. It is available for sale at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and IndieBound.

Curious about Wounded Warrior or want to make your own donation? Visit their website here.

"Mr. Manchester handles [PTSD] with great compassion.  He brings to life the hardships that are suffered by our returning servicemen.  His characters have depth and the story is compelling.  It is not only a novel, it helps to inform the reader of the difficulties experienced and the silent life and death struggle that goes on every day around us." -From Book Bug Blog

"I’ve said it before – Steven Manchester has a very definite style of his own. His books all display beautiful descriptive writing, poignancy, and include an inspirational message, and this one will simply warm your heart." -From And The Story Unfolds

"This author did a wonderful job with this novel showing how war can change a person and how so many of these military people die of suicide and bringing to life the many hardships along with disorders(PTSD) that are suffered by many of our returning military men and women." -From Arlena, Goodreads member

“Steven Manchester has a gift for expressing through his writing the complicated and transcendent beauty of the human experience with poignant clarity,” says Yolanda King, eldest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King. “Steven Manchester writes about life as it really is and really could be,” adds Crystal Book Reviews. Steven Manchester’s work has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CBS’s The Early Show, CNN’s American Morning and BET’s Nightly News. Recently, three of Manchester’s short stories were selected “101 Best” for the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Manchester writes deeply moving, intensely relatable novels that readers tend to remember and discuss for a long time.

Shakespeare Ashes by Chris Debrie

Donna wonders how she can forgive and forget.

Charlene doesn’t quite know what she wants.

Robbie is usually thinking about which honey he plans to bag.

And Erven just does his best to obliterate the world…

Their lives and histories interconnecting, these characters navigate that uncertain time between classrooms and the wide-open world.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how long you’ve been writing?

A: I started writing and drawing as soon as I could hold a pencil. Since then, most everything in my life has revolved around art. When adults would ask what I wanted to be, I remember saying 'veterinarian'. That love for animals is still in me, but I knew I was headed in this direction.

Can you please tell us about your book and why you wrote it?

A: There's never any 'why' in what I do; I'm just following my nose. Shakespeare Ashes is about four young people. They're leaving school and are up against the so-called real world. Their lives intersect in varied ways, and they're very aware of what's going on around them. But in some ways, these characters are still discovering who they are. I got a nice, comfortable spot in their heads and transcribed the thoughts. It's written in alternating first-person, and very unfiltered. Maybe a PG-13 sticker was needed.

What kind of research was involved in writing Shakespeare Ashes?

A: Not so much. I depended more on my observations of everyday life. That's always true as I write. Even when a story has sci-fi elements, character arrives first; the big explanations and technical talk are last.

Where can readers find you online?

A: At http://www.washyourhandsproductions.com/.

PRAISE FOR SHAKESPEARE ASHES:

Chris DeBrie has written a highly-entertaining, fast-paced book for readers. We follow the lives of four individuals through trials and tribulations of finding the right love; addressing gender issues and the all-encompassing racial issues.

The book is somewhat like letters and conversations exchanged between friends. With the elaborate descriptions of the characters readers will feel they know each one individually. The language is completely today’s language that you would hear anyone speak. In his writing he starts each sentence with small letters instead of the usual capital letters, which I found intriguing. I might even compare this to a journal one would write.

Readers will find themselves rooting for each of the characters and disliking other minor characters in the book. From the very first page readers will be captivated by the writing style and language. This book is everything we experience in our daily lives, right down to the elderly lady with an open umbrella and cane trying to maneuver getting on public transportation.

The author has written two other books, neither of which I have had the pleasure of reading. If they are anything like “Shakespeare Ashes”- they are a must read for all. – ReaderViews.com

Shakespeare Ashes is available at Amazon.com!

Chris DeBrie was born in North Carolina, creating comics and stories as soon as he could hold a pencil. He wrote the millennial love story As Is as a ninth grader, publishing it a decade later. Selective Focus was the result of those homemade comic screenplays. With Shakespeare Ashes, he pulls the reader into the raw thoughts of four very different characters. DeBrie is a fan of photography, learning languages, and clean water. He lives in Virginia.

For the Love of St. Nick by Garasamo Maccagnone

Two California boys, coping with the loss of their mother, find themselves uprooted when their father, a Navy Commander, is transferred to a base in Northern Michigan. With the youngest boy continuously sick, the family must survive military life and the northern elements as they dwell in their little hunter’s cabin on Lake Huron. When the boys’ father must leave prior to Christmas to fulfill his secret mission for the United States Military, the boys are surprised by a chance encounter that saves a life, and reunites a family.



EXCERPT:

Typically, when Johnny wasn’t feeling well, I tried to lift his spirits by telling him stories about mom and dad. The commander, vigilant in his hope to preserve mother’s memory, told many of the tales to me. In our old home, I sat on his lap on many nights while he showed old photographs of their courtship days or read me letters mother had written when the two were briefly apart.

Johnny’s favorite story was about the little game mom and the commander played on me on Saturday mornings – the mornings I knew cartoons were on. Since the television sat up high on top of a dresser, they were the only two who could turn it on. To wake them, I stood at the end of their bed and tickled their feet with a wild turkey feather. When I tickled the commander’s big ugly calloused foot my mother laughed. When I tickled my mother’s smooth petite foot the commander laughed. Every time I told Johnny that story he smiled, even if he had a high temperature.

Before falling asleep, Johnny often asked me about our mother. One time, using my nickname, he said, “Tiger, tell me how purdy mommy was.”

Our favorite photograph of mother was placed on the fireplace mantel. We called it the “Big Rock Picture” since she was standing on a giant rock while taking a break from a hiking expedition in New England. From my viewpoint, Mother was looking directly into my soul. The autumn wind played with her long blonde hair and she was smiling, smiling like she was so sure of herself, so confident, so healthy and vibrant. It was a smile I kissed a thousand times during the tender moments of my dreams.

“See Johnny, see how pretty she was?” Johnny took the picture from me and kissed and held it to his chest.

“Mommy will protect me tonight,” he said to me. Then he added, “Love you Tiger.”

“I love you more ya big dope,” I retorted back.

“You think mommy got on that big rock with a hoptacopter?”

By the time I got around to explaining how mother ended up on the giant rock, Johnny was fast asleep.

READ THE REVIEWS:

“‘For the Love of St. Nick’ may be short, but it is huge on impact. The power of love and wonder of miracles are front and center in this delightful and heartwarming tale.” – April Pohren, Café of Dreams

“This Christmas season, as the snow falls casually outside your front room window, sit in a rocking chair near a fireplace in a lamp lit room and read, ‘For the Love of St. Nick’. It truly will become a memorable and magical experience for yourself, and all those you read it to. – Annette Fielding, Amazon.com Reviewer

“A truly remarkable Christmas tale, ‘For the Love of St. Nick’ is a must read for those who hold family and Christmas close to their hearts.” – The Book Connection

Buy For the Love of St. Nick at Amazon.com today!


Garasamo Maccagnone studied creative writing and literature under noted American writers Sam Astrachan and Stuart Dybek at Wayne State University and Western Michigan University. He is the author of the children’s book “The Suburban Dragon” and a collection of short stories and poetry entitled, The Affliction of Dreams. His literary novel, “St. John of the Midfield” was published in 2007, followed by his “For the Love of St. Nick”, which was released in 2008. Maccagnone expanded the original version of “For the Love of St. Nick” and had the book illustrated for a new release in June 2009.

Garasamo “Gary” Maccagnone lives in Shelby Township, Michigan, with his wife Vicki and three children. You can visit Gary online at www.garasamomaccagnone.com.

To see where Gary stops next on his virtual book tour, visit http://virtualbooktours.wordpress.com/. Follow his book tour and be on the lookout for ways you can win a free copy of For the Love of St. Nick.