Monday, November 25, 2019

Book Feature & Blog Tour: The Witch Port Video Game by Leonard Bassed


THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME
Leonard Bassed
* YA *


Title: THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME
Author: Leonard Bassed
Publisher: Independent
Pages: 108
Genre: YA



Leonard Bassed had no plan to write a novel titled THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME when he set out to create a movie script with a similar name.  “I had written the pilot script first and I kept the same ending for the novel…everything from the script I wrote found its way into the finished book version of ‘The Witch Port Video Game,’ said writer-singer-actor Leonard Bassed.  “I was able to spend more time developing the characters and their world…the whole thing was just such an organic experience and extremely enjoyable, creative for me.”

THE WITCH PORT VIDEO GAME tells the story through the lives of three ordinary teens who live in the fictional town of Cradle Creek, USA – a small town they hope to one day escape, attracted by the bright lights and promise of the Big City.  All three are students at a prestigious performing art school with hopes of one day making names for themselves in the entertainment world.

Mr. Bassed continued about his story, “A chance encounter the three have with a girl named Bianca Morris threatens to derail their plans. Bianca introduces them to an enticing video game, ‘The Witch Port Video Game’.  This encounter, coupled with the arrival of the MacQuoid brothers sets in motion a series of bizarre events that spins their lives into chaos and disarray as the three head into a world of sorcery with an ultimate fight for survival.”

As a young boy growing up in South Africa, Leonard dreamed one day of working in the arts.  He wanted to write, to act, to sing.  While drawn to acting and song writing, he was also a good story teller.  “The auditions I would go out for as an actor were never reflective of the kinds of roles I was after to play. It was this realization that led me to writing the pilot script which I planned to pitch to TV and movie producers.  But, once I finished the script I’d grown too attached to the characters and the wonders of their world that ultimately led the script into the shape of a full novel,” he went on to say.

PRAISE

“While the book’s final moments leave us with a rather sudden, enigmatic ending, an end note does indicate a sequel Witch Port Igniting the Coven on the horizon. For those who enjoy the entertaining literary chemistry that results from inquisitive teens and their foray into the mysterious world of sorcery, Bassed’s venture should prove an intriguing reveal.”
–Pacific Book Review

“Filled with cheeky references to famous pop-culture stories of sorcery and mixed with some classic teenage angst, this book is a fast-paced, suspenseful story. The novel’s premise that some teenagers gain special powers through a video game is an updated, modern take on magic and suits the story quite well for a 21st-century setting. The author sets up the story mechanisms so that everything that happens through the students’ video game play also happens in real life. The author states that this novel was originally a screenplay, and those elements shine through, from the descriptive settings to the fast pace in which the action occurs on the page. It will be interesting to see how the protagonists grow with their powers in the sequel.”
–The U.S. Review of Books

Book can be purchased at the author’s web site at www.leonardbassed.com 

______________________






“I begin to hear an eerie chant being recited in unison as the first three naked women make it to the dark summit. Holding long, makeshift brooms, in their right hands, they chant: “Drink the flight broth, wood in hand. Burn the root ...” An elderly woman with lanky hair picks up the goblet, takes a sip of its contents, and inhales the smoke of an already burning smudge stick. The chanting continues: “Then dive from the cliff...” This is perhaps the most startling scene I’ve ever witnessed. The woman runs off the edge of the cliff, seemingly to plummet to her death, but I hear “Not by wind nor by wings, airborne sisters thou shall soar.” Suddenly, the woman who vanished off the cliff reappears, hovering in mid-air on a broom. She begins cackling, and the louder her cackles, the higher she floats. Soon a host of other women mimic her actions, cackling into the night air.” – By Leonard Bassed

        This is one of my favorite excerpts from my novel, ‘The Witch Port Video Game’ because of the imagery it conjures.
        My novel begins with Martin’s recollection of a vision he once had. In the vision women are seen diving of a cliff and flying on their brooms, true to the stereotypical portrayal of witches in the media and western folklore.
        The women are depicted inhaling something resembling a smudge stick this leaves the reader unsure whether they’re indeed flying or having some sort of hallucinogenic experience brought on by the smoke.









 










Writer-actor-singer Leonard Bassed was born in the town of Middleburg, Mpumalanga and raised in Johannesburg.  He started taking vocal lessons at age eight and studied drama throughout his high school years.  A mentor encouraged him to pursue an acting career.  Leonard went on to complete acting classes in both South Africa and later Los Angeles.  Currently, when not writing or singing, Leonard continues to study acting techniques with the renowned Margie Haber Studio in Hollywood. In his free time, he enjoys travel, reading and movie going.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://leonardbassed.com/
Facebook page for author: https://www.facebook.com/leobassed/
Twitter page for author: https://twitter.com/LeonardBassed

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com
 

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Book Blast: The Day GOD Wore a Hard Hat by Jonathan James



 

Inside the Book:



Title: The Day GOD Wore a Hard Hat
Author: Jonathan James
Publisher: iUniverse
Genre: Fiction
Format: Ebook/Paperback

Paul Reynolds is a nineteen-year-old college student when he meets what he believes is the perfect woman. But as one night of passion transforms into just friendship, her sister, Lisa, eventually becomes his first love.

After Paul and Lisa marry and begin building a life together, all their grand plans are destroyed when she unexpectedly dies. Left grieving and fearing he will lose everything, Paul is saved from financial ruin when he agrees to provide shelter to Rommel, a Latino gang member set to testify in a future murder trial. Paul, who initially thinks Rommel is a useless hoodlum, soon discovers that opposites attract. But as quickly as Paul and Rommel fall in love, their relationship ultimately disintegrates, leaving Paul to seek normalcy within a passionless marriage. As Paul pursues lust elsewhere, his wife becomes pregnant, causing Paul to realize she has given him what he has always wanted: a family. But as tragedy strikes once again, Paul is left with an agonizing decision with the potential to alter the course of his life forever.

In this contemporary romance, a man desperately searching for love is led on a unique journey where life comes full circle and leads him to discover the importance of always following his heart.

Purchase Here

Meet the Author:
Jonathan James is an average young man who has experienced more than his share of both love and tragedy. His debut novel is loosely based on his own life, loves, and losses. Jonathan lives in Janesville, Wisconsin.

Giveaway

Jonathan is giving away a $25 Gift Card!

 
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins November 18 and ends on November 29.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on November 30.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule


Monday, November 18
Tuesday, November 19
Wednesday, November 20
Thursday, November 21
Friday, November 22
Monday, November 25
Tuesday, November 26
Wednesday, November 27
Thursday, November 28
Friday, November 29

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Book Blast: Streetcar Sandwiches by Curtis Orloff - Win a $25 Gift Card






Title: Streetcar Sandwiches
Author: Curtis Orloff
Publisher: Authorhouse
Genre: Performing Arts/Screenplay
Format: Ebook/Paperback/Hardcover


Streetcar Sandwiches is a screenplay showing the efforts the owner of a sandwich shop in Uptown New Orleans undertakes to keep her business running. Not only does she have to deal with a menagerie of all types of employees, she has to comply with onerous and often conflicting regulations from several government bureaus. How she handles what turns into an ordeal threatens to change her naturally optimistic and pleasant personality. It leads directly to an outcome that could only have occurred in the Big Easy.

PURCHASE HERE


GIVEAWAY

Curtis IS GIVING AWAY A $25 GIFT CARD!

  
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins November 18 and ends on November 29.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on November 30.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone! 

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway







Monday, November 18
A Book Lover
My Bookish Pleasures

Tuesday, November 19
The Hype and the Hoopla
Write and Take Flight

Wednesday, November 20
Harmonious Publicity
Book Cover Junkie

Thursday, November 21
Fiction to Fruition
From Paperback to Leatherbound

Friday, November 22

She Writes
A Title Wave

Monday, November 25

All Inclusive Retort
The Literary Nook

Tuesday, November 26
Voodoo Princess
C'est La T

Wednesday, November 27
The Revolving Bookshelf
The Dark Phantom

Thursday, November 28
The Book Refuge
The Book Czar

Friday, November 29
The Zen Reader
I'm Shelf-ish


Book Feature: A Penny For Your Thoughts by Penny Johnson - Win a $25 Gift Card






Title: A Penny For Your Thoughts
Author: Penny Johnson
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Genre: Poetry/General
Format: Ebook/Paperback


Poetry is the song that poets sing to beautify the world. In A Penny for Your Thoughts, contemporary American poet Penny Johnson presents verses about nature, love, life, death, philosophy, and religion. She considers American life in the present day. With her writing, she hopes to teach, fulfill, entertain, heal wounds, and show the beauty of the world. Johnson offers her work as a gift to anyone longing for the uplifting and nourishing experience that poetry can provide. This poetry collection explores a wide range of themes and seeks to provide inspiration and satisfaction while enhancing the natural splendor of the world. A Special Joy On Thursday morn, a colt was born To everyone’s delight As our gaze met, how his eyes did shine and the last thing I thought when I looked at him was, I wish that he were mine.


PURCHASE HERE




GIVEAWAY

Penny IS GIVING AWAY A $25 GIFT CARD!

  
Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive one $25 Gift Certificate to the e-retailer of your choice
  • This giveaway begins November 18 and ends on November 29.
  • Winners will be contacted via email on November 30.
  • Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone! 

ENTER TO WIN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway







Monday, November 18
A Book Lover
My Bookish Pleasures

Tuesday, November 19
The Hype and the Hoopla
Write and Take Flight

Wednesday, November 20
Harmonious Publicity
Book Cover Junkie

Thursday, November 21
Fiction to Fruition
From Paperback to Leatherbound

Friday, November 22

She Writes
A Title Wave

Monday, November 25

All Inclusive Retort
The Literary Nook

Tuesday, November 26
Voodoo Princess
C'est La T

Wednesday, November 27
The Revolving Bookshelf
The Dark Phantom

Thursday, November 28
The Book Refuge
The Book Czar

Friday, November 29
The Zen Reader
I'm Shelf-ish