Tour Dates: October 19, 2009 - November 19, 2009

Title: The Last Will Of Moira Leahy

Author: Therese Walsh

Genre: Fiction

Synopsis:

A LOST SHADOW
Moira Leahy struggled growing up in her prodigious twin's shadow; Maeve was always more talented, more daring, more fun. In the autumn of the girls' sixteenth year, a secret love tempted Moira, allowing her to have her own taste of adventure, but it also damaged the intimate, intuitive relationship she'd always shared with her sister. Though Moira's adolescent struggles came to a tragic end nearly a decade ago, her brief flirtation with independence will haunt her sister for years to come.

A LONE WOMAN
When Maeve Leahy lost her twin, she left home and buried her fun-loving spirit to become a workaholic professor of languages at a small college in upstate New York. She lives a solitary life now, controlling what she can and ignoring the rest--the recurring nightmares, hallucinations about a child with red hair, the unquiet sounds in her mind, her reflection in the mirror. It doesn't help that her mother avoids her, her best friend questions her sanity, and her not-quite boyfriend has left the country. But at least her life is ordered. Exactly how she wants it.

A SHARED PAST
Until one night at an auction when Maeve wins a keris, a Javanese dagger that reminds her of her lost youth, and happier days playing pirates with Moira in their father's boat. Days later, a book on weaponry is nailed to her office door, followed by anonymous notes, including one that invites her to Rome to learn more about the blade and its legendary properties. Opening her heart and mind to possibility, Maeve accepts the invitation, and with it, a window into her past. Ultimately she will revisit the tragic November night that shaped her and Moira's destinies, and learn that nothing can be taken at face value, as one sister emerges whole and the other's score is finally settled.

Therese Walsh's debut novel, The Last Will of Moira Leahy, will be published on October 13th, 2009 by Shaye Areheart books (Random House). She's currently hard at work on her second novel-another story about self-discovery, acceptance and magical journeys-at her home in upstate New York.

Therese is the co-founder of Writer Unboxed, a blog for writers about the craft and business of genre fiction. Before turning to fiction, she was a researcher and writer for Prevention magazine, and then a freelance writer. She's had hundreds of articles on nutrition and fitness published in consumer magazines and online.

She has a master's degree in psychology.

Aside from writing, Therese's favorite things include music, art, crab legs, Whose Line is it Anyway?, dark chocolate, photography, unique movies and novels, people watching, strong Irish tea, and spending time with her husband, two kids and their bouncy Jack Russell.

Photo by: Gary Hodges

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Tour Dates: November 2, 2009 - December 2, 2009 Title: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab Author: Fiona Ingram Genre: Children's Fiction (Ages 9-12) Synopsis: A 5000-year-old mystery comes to life when a scruffy peddler gives Adam and Justin Sinclair an old Egyptian scarab on their very first day in Egypt. Only when the evil Dr. Faisal Khalid shows a particular interest in the cousins and their scarab, do the boys realise they are in terrible danger. Dr. Khalid wants the relic at all costs. Justin and Adam embark upon the adventure of a lifetime, taking them down the Nile and across the harsh desert in their search for the legendary tomb of the Scarab King, an ancient Egyptian ruler. They are plunged into a whirlpool of hazardous and mysterious events when Dr. Khalid kidnaps them. They survive terrifying dangers in a hostile environment (such as a giant cobra, as well as sinking sand), pursued by enemies in their quest to solve the secret of the sacred scarab. They must translate the hieroglyphic clues on the underside of the scarab, as well as rescue the missing archaeologist James Kinnaird, and their friend, the Egyptologist Ebrahim Faza, before time runs out. They must also learn more about the ancient Seven Stones of Power and the mysterious Shemsu-Hor. With just their wits, courage, and each other, the boys manage to survive...only to find that the end of one journey is the beginning of another!   About the Author: Born in Durban, South Africa into a family of five reading and adventure were always a big part of Fiona's life. Fiona's book has been in the works since she developed a passion for Eygpt at the age of 8 after her mother gave her the encyclopedia Time-Life Ancient Eygpt. (She's also interested in Imperial Rome and Classical Greece--the two Time-Life books she shared with her older brother!). That passion led to a trip to Eygpt with her two nephews, a short story about Eygptian adventures, and ultimately a book--the first in a series called Chronicles of the Stone. But it's been a long winding road to the release of Fiona's first book. Along the way she spent several years in France earning her Master's degree in French-African literature, teaching drama, working in community theater, and worked as a journalist. She now lives in Johannesburg where she's working on the next book in her series and planning her next trip--research for her books. Fiona's nephews aren't the only family members who made it into her first book. Her pet mallard duck Charlemagne appears in the first chapters of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. Charlemagne has embraced his newfound celebrity and even has his own Facebook page. Author's Website: Fiona's website: http://www.secretofthesacredscarab.com Goodies: You will receive a copy of Fiona's book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. Participate! Please email us with "Blog Tour Partnership" in the subject line and your available dates. We schedule 2-3 stops per week from November 2nd - December 2nd. We look forward to hearing from you! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tour Dates: November 23, 2009 - December 23, 2009 Title: The Hungry Mirror Author: Lisa de Nikolits Genre: Fiction Synopsis: Zero wins! Working at a fashion magazine, a young woman finds herself as the perpetuator of the myth of beauty. She spends hours retouching photos into perfection and fooling ordinary woman into believing that perfection is achievable. She even fools herself. In starving herself she fast becomes trapped in a cage of addictions walled by self-hatred and filled with doubt. This first person novel is the story of everywoman and her relentless struggle with body image. Finally, the young woman realizes the choice is hers--to live or die. She learns to look beyond the media's definition of beauty, the complex friendships between women, the unspoken truths about marriage and sexuality as well as various religious and spiritual messages, ancient philosophies, fairytales and legends. In the end, the young woman learns the true value of size zero is indeed nothing.   About the Author: Lisa made a family road trip a little more interesting when she was 10 by announcing that she had decided on her pee-u-da-name. After a moment of silence her father asked if she meant pseudonym? Exactly! And the name she had spent endless miles mulling over was Elizabeth Deane. Although Elizabeth Deane has no bylines, Lisa de Nikolits--the name Lisa's parents mulled over endlessly--has many. At age 21 Lisa started out as a feature writer at a South African magazine. After a few months she was asked to pinch hit for the layout artist. She had found her true love--she enjoyed designing pages, it was fun! So much fun that she spent the next 20 years as art director for magazines including Vogue and Marie Claire. But one of the best things about her job was that she got to meet remarkable women everyday. Women who were crying out to be written about. So Lisa wrote. Late at night on borrowed typewriters and eventually a dinosaur of a PC with orange type that flickered on a black screen she captured the stories of the women who populated her days. Her short stories have appeared in various anthologies, her poetry received a bronze medal in Canada, and her book Single Girls Go Mad Sooner was published in 1995. Along the way she's also dealt with the heartache of the book that went into final proofs before the publisher shut down because of financial troubles leaving Lisa's literary baby stranded. Despite setbacks, this writer/art director/photographer who calls Toronto home is still "fired up" with the help of her supportive parents, fiesty sister, and companion and fellow photographer Bradford Dunlop. Author's Website: Lisa's website: http://lisadenikolitswriter.com Goodies: You will receive a copy of Lisa's book, The Hungry Mirror. Participate! Please email us with "Blog Tour Partnership" in the subject line and your available dates. We schedule 2-3 stops per week from November 23rd - December 23rd. We look forward to hearing from you!