Lark and the Loon, by Rhiannon Gelston- A Virtual Book Tour

I’m delighted to be participating in author Rhiannon Gelston’s blog tour for her latest release, LARK AND THE LOON. 

I was drawn to participate in this virtual book blog tour because of this cover! I love the rainbow of color in the background along with the child in profile under a tree. This cover says to me the contents of this book will be filled with the sorts of adventures that can only happen when you are a kid.

If I had to compare this book to another book I would say that Lark's journey reminded me of The Little Prince. A fantastical adventure with unusual companions by a boy who is 10.

I found that I appreciated the fanciful telling of the author's own story as a mother, as I think it made space for telling hard, frightening times with joy and love.

◊ Genre: Memoir with a Twist
◊ Publisher: WiDo Publishing (July 17, 2020)
◊ Print & eBooks
◊ Paperback: 284 pages
◊ ISBN-10: 1947966251
◊ ISBN-13: 978-1947966253

Lark and the Loon follows the adventures of a tentative boy named Lark, as he is catapulted out of all that he knows, into a courageous journey beyond his wildest imagination. 

Upon receiving a special gift from his Gramps, Lark embarks on a reflective journey of self-discovery as the innovative story weaves the true-life memoir of his mother (the author) in with a fantastical journey. With some special new-found friends, Lark travels back and forth from a symbolic tree to his mother’s true memories of life and death moments, and simple moments, found everywhere from wild Africa to their very own living room. Lark and his friends must ascend this tree and gain the important life lessons offered along the way if they ever hope to find their way out. Within this journey, Lark finds these lessons, and ultimately himself, in the space between imagination and truth in this wild tale.  

The story explores friendships, philosophies, and everyday challenges and joys, both from a child's perspective and from a parent's perspective. This memoir with a twist results in a coming-of-age story that ultimately leads to a new understanding of self, others, and the world that surrounds us.

LARK AND THE LOON is available at AMAZON * Barnes & Noble * WiDo Publishing. Also, be sure to add it to your TBR List on Goodreads.

Meet the Author

RHIANNON GELSTON loves to lose herself in all things creative. She enjoys writing, painting, live music, traveling, sports, being outdoors, exploring, playing, spirituality, and energy work. She has a BA in English and an MS in Occupational Therapy with a pediatric focus. Rhiannon just had her first novel published. It is a memoir with a twist called, LARK AND THE LOON, available wherever books are sold.

Rhiannon grew up on Spa Creek in downtown Annapolis. Home for Rhiannon will always be the sound of the halyards hitting the masts on a breezy day, a pile of crabs saturated in Old Bay, raft-ups with friends as kids cannonball off of the stern, and time with family and friends, in, on, and around the Chesapeake Bay.

She lives in Annapolis with her husband, their five lovely and lively children, and their black lab, McNasby.

Connect with Rhiannon on Facebook and Instagram.

Be sure to enter the tour wide giveaway. It ends May 3. The grand prize is a $25 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook of LARK AND THE LOON. The second-place winner has to be a US resident as the gift is a signed copy of LARK THE LOON. The third-place prize is an eBook that two winners will receive. If the Rafflecopter widget doesn’t work, you can still enter by clicking HERE.

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Thanks for stopping by today. Doesn’t this sound like an intriguing memoir?

Bungled! Out today! Who knew Sport Fishing Was So Deadly?

I was enjoying reading about the upcoming fishing tournament, the reality TV show being filmed in town, and Rylie's upcoming wedding so much that I didn't even care if there was a murder to solve!  

Stella starts Bungled: A Rylie Cooper Mystery out with a great hook, George the part-time park ranger explains to Rylie how to get yourself out of zip-tie handcuffs.  Well, now I need to drop everything and read this book to find out if and when Stella is going to need to get herself out of handcuffs.  As if that wasn't enough, then there are all the comments by friends and family members asking Rylie if she's sure she should get married. What a great distraction of a book! 

I appreciated how Stella made a fishing tournament interesting for someone who doesn't fish. Her descriptions of how a fishing tournament works and ways one might try to cheat are seamlessly part of the narrative making sure they don't become information dumps for the reader. 

The mystery keeps you reading and guessing about who did it and why, and the side characters are properly quirky.  The book ends with Rylie questions her life choices and that is a good place to end things and get the reader interested in what will come next! 

4 stars for Bungled: A Rylie Cooper Mystery.  The perfect book to take with you fishing! Click here to add it to your Goodreads TBR.

It is available on Kindle or in Paperback and is included in a Kindle Unlimited Subscription! 

#BookBirthday "The Disappearance of Emily" is Out Today!

The weather was so nice Monday I took my houseplants on a field trip! I'm looking forward to when they can be outside everyday. Some will go out for the whole summer and a few will be staying inside. Knock on wood, I'm happy that they made it through the winter! I've not always had much of a green thumb.

Now for A Magical Cozy Review!

First of all, the cat on the cover cracks me up!  Those eyes!  This is the second book in Elizabeth Pantley's Destiny Falls Cozy Mystery Series.  The first book is Falling into Magic 

The Disappearance of Emily takes place about two weeks after the first book and in it, Hayden meets a mysterious Ferry Captain who needs to speak with her in private regarding a matter of life and death Cozy Fans, what do you think is going to happen to the Ferry Captain before they speak to Hayden?  Nothing good!  

In addition to the Ferry Captain Mystery, Hayden still has not figured out how to go back to Seattle, or how to explain that she fell through the looking glass and now is in a magical land. She is still discovering the wonders of the Caldwell Mansion and trying to learn about Destiny Falls and the Islands around it. 

Continuing from the first book we see Hayden's ancestral home is as much a character in this series as her brother Axel. The descriptions of its ever-changing architecture and decor are pure coziness. 

You can tell that Elizabeth Pantley is having the best time writing the magical world of Destiny Falls as she describes the vibrant flora and fauna on the Island, the scrumptious meals shared at family dinners, and the wild wardrobe of Cleobella.  But wait there's also the magical library, and a scorned witch hiding in the woods outside the town...

Hayden takes on a new job as the reporter and editor of the town newspaper which allows for her and her estranged up until now, to bond.  There is a little romance blossoming as well and I look forward to seeing what happens next in this light, fanciful, super cozy!  It is out today so you can pick up a copy for yourself. It's included in a kindle unlimited subscription. 

I received an ARC of this book, as always the opinions are mine!