Broken But Not Dead (Promo) + My Cat Clan / Monthly Mishmash

Birthday:

On April 1st, I added to my tattoo...a ladybug, four-leaf clover, and the dragonfly's wings were colored in. It was an early birthday gift to myself. April 12th was my birthday, and I had a lot of fun with my family. We had a picnic and went fishing. 

Promo for Joylene Nowell Butler! 

Maski: Broken But Not Dead

By Joylene Nowell Butler

Psychological Thriller

$4.99 eBook ISBN 9781939844385

An IPPY Silver Medalist!

To the Breaking Point...

When Brendell Meshango resigns from her university professor position and retreats to her isolated cabin to repair her psyche, she is confronted by a masked intruder. His racial comments lead her to believe she is the solitary victim of a hate crime.

However, is all as it appears? After two bizarre days, the intruder mysteriously disappears but continues to play mind games with her. Taught by her mother to distrust the mainstream-based power structures, and with her stalker possibly linked to a high level of government, Brendell conceals the incident from the police. But will her silence keep her safe?

Then her beloved daughter, Zoë, is threatened and Brendell takes matters into her own hands. To save Zoë, Brendell searches for the stalker and confronts not just a depraved madman but her own fears and prejudices.

Purchase Links:

Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes / Amazon

“Joylene Nowell Butler gets straight to the story, taking you from one happening to the next and keeps you turning the page.” - Martha A. Cheves, author

“A psychological thriller filled with suspense, action and drama...” - John Bell, 93.1  CFIS-FM: Prince George, BC

“Riveting and beautifully written. You won't be able to set it down.” Judith S. Avila, author

****

Meet My Cat Clan:

This is Otis:

He is a real sweetie. When I first rescued him, he didn't like to get very close. And still he shies away, but he'll sneak onto my bed at night and curl up right next to me, as if I won't notice. He loves to get petted, and he's the only one who likes my nephews. My other cats run and hide. Except for Cole, who stays out in the open and hisses at them.

Otis also goes by these names:

Baldy (He likes to lick himself a lot)

Bald Butt

Big Boy

Handsome Boy

Sweet Boy

This is Clover:

Clover is the smallest of the four, and he has a tiny meow that I like to mimic because it sounds like a long squeak. When he lies down, he first stretches his legs out as far as he can before lowering the rest of his body down. I don't know why. He also likes to touch. He'll put his paw or leg on your leg.

Clover also goes by:

Da Baby

Clovey

Silly Boy

This is Milo (Otis' Twin):

Milo is the wild one. The rule breaker. He likes to meow obnoxiously in the middle of the night. When I get up to close my door, he shoots out into the living room, because he knows he's been bad. He scratches on the carpet, even when I stand there tapping my foot, scolding. And, yet, he's a sweetie. He likes to take naps with me. All I have to say is, "Milo, wanna take a nap?" and he jumps up to follow me to the room.

Milo also goes by:

D' Milo

Pain-in-the-butt

Bad Butt

Sleepy Buddy

Fatty

(He used to be so skinny, but now he's bigger than his twin.)

This is Cole:

Cole is my baby. My big baby. He's fluffy, fuzzy, and fat. When he was a kitten, he liked to hop, so he earned the nickname "my bunny." When I say it with a high-pitched silly voice, he knows I'm calling him. He's a lover, not a fighter. When the other three have...disagreements...he's the only one who avoids it. He's so sweet, and yet he hisses at my nephews. *sigh*

Cole also goes by:

My Bunny

Fuzzy Bunny

Fuzzy Butt

Colesy

If you can believe it, they are all brothers by birth. They came from the same litter.

Collectively they go by:

My Boys

Boyzies

Piggies (when I feed them)

Stinky Butts (when I change the litter)

Bad Butts (if they are all being naughty)

And the twins also go by:

Twinies

You can tell them apart because Milo has a lighter face. Otis is darker.

You probably see a trend of the word "butt." It's said out of love.

Am I a crazy cat lady?

Possibly.

Definitely.

Kick Ass Girls of YA Blog Hop + Empowering Women - Gal Gadot aka Wonder Woman

Kick Ass Girls of YA Blog Hop

Hosted by Libby Heily. Visit other participants HERE.

The kick ass girl I want to highlight is Gabi Hernandez from Gabi- a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero. 

I fell in love with Gabi while I read this book. She's so refreshing because she's not cookie-cutter perfect. Gabi is sixteen years old and facing many of the things that real kids face nowadays. Her best friend Cindy is pregnant, and her other best friend Sebastian is coming out. Her father is a meth addict, and her mother is strict. 

She is Mexican-American but feels as though she's not Mexican enough for her family and not white enough for Berkeley. What we're reading is her diary. She talks about race, ethnicity, gender, weight issues, bullying, rape, and sexuality in a real, though-provoking way. She also finds passion in poetry. My favorite parts of this book was reading Gabi's poems.

****

EMPOWERING WOMEN

Every month I am highlighting an empowering woman. This month it is:

Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot played Wonder Woman in Batman Vs. Superman. Everyone loved her performance and said she was the best part of the whole movie. So, it’s no surprise that they decided to do a Wonder Woman movie (set to release June 2^nd). Before she became an actress and had her break out role in the Fast and the Furious franchise as Gisele Yashar, she had a far more fascinating life.

Gal Gadot is Jewish and was born in Israel. When she was 18, she won the 2004 Miss Israel Competition and competed in the Miss Universe Pageant. Two years later, she served two years as a solider of the Israel Defense Forces.

“You give two or three years, and it’s not about you. You give your freedom away for a while. You learn discipline and respect. The things I’ve been through as a soldier prepared me to deal with career things as well.”

Following her time in the army, Gal studied law.

If you’re still doubting that she’s a bad ass, how about this: She’s a motorcycle rider and did most of her stunts in the Fast and the Furious movies. On top of that, she’s a mom and the second-highest paid actress in Israel.

The fact that she’s the first non-American to portray Wonder Woman makes me love Wonder Woman that much more.

“It is so important for girls and boys to have a female, strong superhero to look up to.”

 Inspiring Song

This song is about bullying by Elise Estrada. Listen to it! The song and video are dedicated to Amanda Todd who committed suicide when she was 15.

QUESTIONS: Who is your favorite Kick Ass Girl of YA? Do you like Wonder Woman? Did you watch the Fast and the Furious movies?

Using the A to Z Challenge to Market Your Book

April Question: Have you taken advantage of the annual A to Z Challenge in terms of marketing, networking, publicity for your book? What were the results?

Of course, I have! Why not???

The very first year I participated in the A to Z Challenge, I used it to network. My blog was in its third year with very little readers. By the end of the Challenge I had 32 new followers!

In 2015, my theme was disasters after my Disaster Crimes Series, which got a wonderful response. A couple of times I promoted Hurricane Crimes in my posts. Then, later in April, when Ghost of Death came out, I shared the cover art, blurb, and links for it at the end of each post. 

Last year, I did not participate in the Challenge, but Seismic Crimes had it's release day in April. As a matter of fact, it came out on S day. How perfect! I set up a Google Form and asked if any bloggers participating in A to Z would like to add a little promo for my book in their S post. I don't remember the exact numbers, but I had around 20 (+) bloggers sharing the info for Seismic Crimes in their A to Z post that day.

When there's something like the A to Z Challenge, or even IWSG Day, you SHOULD use it for marketing and networking!

OPTIONAL MAY QUESTION: What is the weirdest/coolest thing you ever had to research for your story?

Reminder: The questions are optional and meant as a prompt if you struggle with what to post. You don't have to answer a question if you don't want to. :)