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Showing posts with label #Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Fiction. Show all posts

Friday, February 16, 2018

Featured Book with Giveaway: 50 Hours by Loree Lough

50 Hours Tour Graphic
50 HOURS
Bestselling Author Loree Lough
50 Hours
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press
Publication Date: June 30, 2017
A broken man, a dying woman, a friendship that knows no bounds.
50 Hours follows FRANCO ALLESSI, a broken, lonely man who wants nothing more than to outrun the ghosts of his past. After two grueling years of trying to numb the pain of his wife's death with cheap whiskey, he's convicted of drunk driving. When the judge sentences him to 50 hours of community service. He chooses Savannah Falls Hospice for no reason other than it’s walking distance from his run-down house trailer.
On his first day at the hospice, Franco meets AUBREY BREWER, a woman whose time on earth is quickly ticking to a stop. Their unusual relationship teaches powerful, life-changing lessons about friendship, acceptance, and the importance of appreciating that precious treasure called Life.
"This is the kind of book that wins Pulitzer Prizes."
- Catherine Lanigan, Author of Romancing the Stone
"50 Hours is a moving story about love, loss, friendship, and last chances. It’s a reminder that our lives are precious stories, no matter how long or short. This is a must-read for all of us who have been touched by cancer – victims, caregivers, family, and friends. This poignant and touching tale will inspire hope in the midst of even the darkest hours."
- Cerella Sechrist, author of the popular Findlay Roads series from Harlequin
"You'll laugh, you'll cry... 50 Hours is an unforgettable tale of healing, redemption, and the cost of true love."
- Rachel Muller, author of bestselling World War II series, Love & War and Phillip's War
Loree Lough’s books are always an absolute pleasure to read, and 50 Hours is one of her best yet! Its messages of love and compassion will linger with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
- Kate James, award-winning author of Sanctuary Cove, Silver Linings, and The Truth About Hope

Excerpt

Agnes squeezed Aubrey’s hand. “I’m sure the couple who bought your house appreciate the hours you put into your beautiful yard. Especially the hydrangeas.”
“Michael hated them, especially when the petals began to drop in the fall.” She didn’t like talking about her ex, and yet she said, “He thought they looked like trash, littering the lawn, but I loved the way they looked, nestled between the blades of grass . . . ”
“Why don’t I drive you over there so you can see them? I’m sure the new owners won’t mind.”
Aubrey had no desire to see someone else’s car parked in her driveway, another woman’s curtains in the multi-paned windows . . . more evidence of all that cancer had taken from her.
She shook the image from her mind. “Do you have plans this afternoon, or can you stay for lunch?”
“I’d like nothing better. Unless they’re serving that tasteless, rubbery chicken again.”
“I know, right? The stuff is better suited for a clown act.” She pretended to bop her mother’s head with a rubber hen.
Giggling like schoolgirls, they startled a blue jay from its roost in a nearby shrub and, as it took flight, azalea petals rained to the ground.
“That’s Bobbitt, my new boyfriend. He sits in the tree outside my room, squawking. Guess he got bored with that and decided to become a stalker and follow me around the grounds.”
Agnes clucked her tongue again. “Well, be sure to keep your windows closed. Birds are riddled with parasites, you know, some small enough to flit right through the screens.”
Aubrey stifled a smirk. “Yes, Mama.” Warm, sweet moments like these were rare these days, and she committed this one to memory. Was her mother doing the same?
“You know,” Agnes said, looking up at the old mansion, “I’ve always admired the architecture of this place.”
It would be hard not to appreciate the regal beauty of the 1840s estate house and its surrounding acreage. Overcup oaks stood on either side of it, like silent and stately sentries. An arbor of magnolias shaded the winding drive that brought visitors from the road to the grand entrance, and mighty marble pillars supported the curved portico that gleamed in the noonday sun. How it had escaped Yankee cannonballs was anyone’s guess, but thanks to the care of a fastidious maintenance crew, every brick and stone had remained intact.
“It’s quite a sight to behold, don’t you think?”
Aubrey sighed, more deeply this time. “Yes, I imagine it’s as good a place as any to die.”

About Loree Lough

Loree Lough
Bestselling author LOREE LOUGH once sang for her supper, performing across the U.S. and Canada. Now and then, she blows the dust from her 6-string to croon a tune or two, but mostly, she writes novels that have earned hundreds of industry and "Readers' Choice" awards, 4- and 5-star reviews, and 7 book-to-movie options. Her 115th book, 50 Hours, is her most personal to date. More recently released, The Man She Knew and Bringing Rosie Home, books #1 and #2 in her “By Way of the Lighthouse” series from Harlequin Heartwarming. Next up, #3, The Redemption of Lillie Rourke. Stay tuned for more in 2019 and beyond...
Official website: http://www.loreelough.com
Social Media Links: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Giveaway

WIN ONE OF TWO COPIES OF 50 HOURS (EBOOK)
50 Hours Giveaway Graphic
Contest runs from February 14 - 20, 2018.

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Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Exclusive Interview with Loree Lough: Author of 50 Hours

NEW BOOK RELEASE
From Bestselling and Award Winning Author
Loree Lough
Based on a Screenplay by Kevin James O'Neill
"This is the kind of book that wins Pulitzer Prizes."
- Catherine Lanigan, Author of Romancing the Stone
50 Hours
50 HOURS
Loree Lough
Genre: General Fiction
Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press
Publication Date: June 30, 2017
A broken man, a dying woman, and a friendship that changes them both.
Franco Allessi is a broken, lonely man who wants nothing more than to outrun the ghosts of his past. For years, he tries to numb the pain of his wife's death with cheap beer and whiskey. When he's convicted of drunk driving, the judge revokes his license for six months and orders him to serve fifty hours of community service. Franco chooses Savannah Falls Hospice for no reason other than it's walking distance from his dilapidated house trailer.
On his first day on the job, he meets Aubrey Brewer, a woman whose time on earth is quickly ticking to a stop. Their unusual connection teaches powerful, life-changing lessons about friendship, acceptance, and the importance of appreciating that precious treasure called Life.
Loree Lough is an exceptional author, and that's why I approached her about writing the novel for my Feature film, 50 Hours. But I had no idea how wonderful her novelization would be until I read it. Loree was able to dig so deep into my characters. She unearthed and richly developed the film’s skeletal characters and give them three dimensional lives. I am so happy with the book!
- Kevin O’Neill, writer/director/actor/producer

An Interview with Loree Lough

I am pleased to share my recent interview with the talented Loree Lough, multi-published and award-winning author of 50 Hours.
1. What's your daily routine when you are working on a book?
Most days, I’m up by 6. After spending a few minutes on devotions, I exercise, holding free weights (8 lbs. each), and ‘planking.’ Then I eat a little something while waiting for the coffee to perk. By then, my retired hubby is awake, so I make the bed, shower, and get dressed. I like to get things clean and tidy next, so household or yard chores can’t interrupt me with their incessant nagging while I’m trying to work. While I’m ‘choring,’ I give some thought to supper, and either pop something into the crock pot or take something out of the freezer. THEN I sit down to write. And I don’t stop until it’s time for supper.
2. Have you always aspired to be an author? What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get to where you are now?
My siblings tell me I always had a knack for storytelling. It’s how I kept them entertained (and from ripping each other limb from limb) when I babysat. As a young wife-and-mom, I sorta-kinda kept a journal. And then one day I submitted an article to The Sun Magazine…and when I saw my byline in a major metropolitan newspaper, I was hooked. I’d accumulated something like 2,500 articles by the time frustration bit hard: Years of seeing how publishers changed salient facts to appease advertisers really got my goat. So I thought “If you’re gonna write fiction, why not try a novel?” The end result, Pocketful of Love for Barbour’s 4-a-month book club earned the Readers’ Choice Best Contemporary in 1994. I guess you’d say that’s when I succumbed to a really serious case of Fiction Addiction. 115 published books later, I’m still addicted!
3. What do you enjoy doing on your spare time? Do these activities shape the books or characters that your write?
If it breaks fingernails, gets me dirty, or makes me sweat, it’s a sure bet that I’ll enjoy doing it: Gardening, building stuff, repairing things—or making them from scratch—is therapeutic and rewarding. When I’m not in the shed or garage, you’ll find me in the kitchen, cooking and baking (which explains my Lifetime Weight Watchers membership). I’m always looking for excuses to spend time with the grandorables. And love going to our humble cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, trying to perfect my “Identify the Critter Tracks” skills.
4. What keeps you passionate about being an author and continuing to write books?
Without fail, following the release of every book, readers write to tell me how the story touched them, impacted their lives, changed them in some small way. Often, they compare my stories to those of Nicholas Sparks—high praise, indeed! I love hearing how they identified with a particular situation or character, or the way something that happened mirrored events in their own lives. Most inspiring of all, the words “I can’t wait for your next book to come out!” keeps my fingers on the keyboard and my head in the fiction clouds!
5. If there is one thing you can tell readers on why they should pick up this book, what would it be?
50 Hours has special significance to me. It was hugely flattering to have someone of Kevin O’Neill’s exceptional talent (writer, producer, actor) ask me to novelize his screenplay, and I’m honored that he sings the novel’s praises. About halfway through the creation of the book, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (incurable bone/marrow cancer). To that point, I’d felt confident that my interviews with cancer patients, oncologists, and caretakers would reveal certain truths to every reader. Suddenly, my connection to Aubrey, one of the two main characters, became even more important and personal. As I wrote ‘cancer patient’ reactions into the treatments, as I introduced her to Franco (the other main character) and secondary characters, I felt compelled to shine a bright light on the hope that everyone touched by the disease—patients, loved ones, medical personnel—reaches for. Those who’ve read and endorsed the book have given me hope that I reached that goal.
Thank you for granting me this interview. I wish you good health, and hope that 50 Hours may touch a lot of other people as well.

Praise for 50 Hours by Loree Lough

50 Hours is a moving story about love, loss, friendship, and last chances. It’s a reminder that our lives are precious stories, no matter how long or short. This is a must-read for all of us who have been touched by cancer – victims, caregivers, family, and friends. This poignant and touching tale will inspire hope in the midst of even the darkest hours.
- Cerella Sechrist, author of the popular Findlay Roads series from Harlequin
50 Hours 3D
You'll laugh, you'll cry... 50 Hours is an unforgettable tale of healing, redemption, and the cost of true love. With a delicate pen, author Loree Lough writes an honest and poignant view of what cancer patients face with commendable bravery. A must-read for readers of every kind!
- Rachel Muller, author of bestselling World War II series, Love & War, and the newly released, Phillip's War
Loree Lough took a difficult subject and turned it into a compelling read with light humor to soften the inevitable sadness that comes with a depressing disease.
- Emma Gingerich – author of Runaway Amish Girl; the Great Escape
50 Hours is a book you won’t be able to put down, and its messages of love and compassion will linger with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
- Kate James, award-winning author of Sanctuary Cove, Silver Linings, and The Truth About Hope
The novel is a reminder that life is indeed short, but always worth living. And almost always… one life will touch many others. Great job Loree!
- Robin Bayne, author of Reunion At Crane Lake. www.robinbayne.com
Emerson said, "To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded." Aubrey and Franco succeeded. Believe me when I say, THIS IS THE KIND OF BOOK THAT WINS PULITZER PRIZES.
- Catherine Lanigan, author of Romancing the Stone, The Jewel of the Nile, and over forty-five novels and non-fiction
To read the complete praises and accolades, visit the 50 Hours Book Page at Book Unleashed.

Purchase Links

Available now. Grab your copy today.
50 Hours Teaser

Giveaway

WIN
50 Hours Giveaway Graphic
Prizes up for grabs:
$10 Amazon Gift Card
50 Hours (eBook Copy)
50 Hours (Print Copy)
Contest runs from June 30 - July 8, 2017.

About Loree Lough

Loree Lough
Bestselling author LOREE LOUGH once sang for her supper, performing across the U.S. and Canada. Now and then, she blows the dust from her 6-string to croon a tune or two, but mostly, she writes novels that have earned hundreds of industry and "Readers' Choice" awards, 4- and 5-star reviews, and 7 book-to-movie options. Her 115th book, 50 Hours, is her most personal to date. Recently released, The Man She Knew, book #1 in her “By Way of the Lighthouse” series from Harlequin Heartwarming.
Official website: http://www.loreelough.com/
Connect with Loree Lough on social media:

Book Tour Schedule

50 Hours Tour Graphic
Follow the book tour from June 30 - July 8, 2017.
Discover more features, excerpts, reviews, interviews, fun facts and other extras on the tour.
To check the latest tour schedule, visit the 50 Hours Book Page at Book Unleashed.

In partnership with
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