#BookTour “The Man Who Came and Went” by Joe Stillman

June 15, 2022June 15, 2022 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

TheManWhoCame copy

Welcome to my stop on the book tour for The Man Who Came and Went by Joe Stillman! Read on for more info and a chance to win a signed copy of the book!

Cover art 1-27-21

The Man Who Came and Went

Publication Date: March 1st, 2022

Genre: Mature YA/ Literary Fiction/ Magical Realism

Publisher: City Point Press

Distribution: Simon & Schuster

The Man Who Came and Went, a novel of the new west, is a magically realistic story for the modern era that will tease your understanding and beliefs, and draw you into the mysteries of the universe, from the brilliant mind of Joe Stillman, acclaimed Academy Award nominated co-writer of Shrek.

Fifteen-year-old Belutha Mariah, our storyteller, is the oldest of three kids from three different fathers. Her life’s goal is to keep her dysfunctional mom, Maybell, from procreating yet again and then to leave the coffin-sized town of Hadley, Arizona the second she graduates high school.

Along comes the new grill cook at Maybell’s Diner, Bill Bill, a mysterious drifter with the ability to mind-read orders. As word spreads in Hadley and beyond, the curious and desperate pour into this small desert town to eat at Maybell’s.

Some believe Bill knows the secrets of the universe.

Belutha figures he’s probably nuts. But his cooking starts to transform the lives of locals and visitors, and Belutha finds her angry heart opening, as Bill begins to show her the porous boundary between this life and what comes after.

In a normal American town, something new and strange, and yet achingly familiar, begins to unfold.

Joe Stillman has brought us an ensemble of empathetic characters, all in the elusive search for happiness in this witty and poignant exploration of love, expectation, and mortality. I laughed, I cried, I loved it.

– D.J. MacHale, New York Times bestselling author

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Excerpt

The door opened with a DING from the bell that hung on it. No one noticed Bill entering. He was about average in height, but his skinny frame made him look taller. You could tell from his face that he was in his mid-20s, but those were hard years he had lived, and his body looked frail and geriatric. His clothes were old and clung to him like an extra layer of skin, with a smell that would never wash out.

The angles of his face were sharp and careworn. But his eyes, those were different. His face was hard and weathered, but his eyes were soft. They seemed brand new.

No one in the diner even looked. If they did they would have seen those eyes taking in every little detail: the people talking, forks carrying food, the string lights behind the counter, Dolene ringing up a check. But what drew Bill more than anything else was the grill. Harley, the grill cook, must have had four meals going at once, each with its own set of sounds and smells. Most of those meals involved eggs. His spatula made a metal-on-metal scrape as he turned them. Bill was riveted. He went to sit at the counter to watch.

Down the counter, a porkish-looking man named Earle—probably one of three men in town who had never slept with my mom—raised his empty cup. “Can I get a refill, Maybell?

Maybell stopped and faced him. “Seriously, Earle? Is it so goddam much trouble for you to get up off your ass and get it yourself? Can’t you see I’m working here?”

“Well…” he stammered. “I just—was I—I was—”

Maybell pointed to the coffee pot. “How far away is that? Two feet?”

“Sure, I guess…”

“Am I your personal slave, Earle? Is that why God put me on earth?”

“No, I don’t think you’re—”

Maybell grabbed the pot and sloshed coffee in his Earle’s cup. “There. You happy now?”

He nodded meekly.

While she had the pot in her hand, Maybell filled the cup sitting in front of Bill. “I’ll be by to take your order in a minute, hon.”

Maybell walked on. Bill just sat there and stared at the coffee. For him, there was no diner anymore, no Maybell, no clanking dishes or dumb conversation. He leaned closer to that cup like it was the only thing in the world. And there he was, smelling coffee for the first time. And it smelled like life. Like a whole world. Like this is how a planet smells if you’re up in space and could take a deep breath. Bill was motionless for who knows how long. And then, when he was good and ready, he took his first sip.

Those eyes, the ones that didn’t belong on his head, they closed as if he was praying. No, more like he was hearing a prayer. The coffee was praying to be heard, and Bill heard it.

Amazon | B&N | Books-a-Million | Bookshop.org | IndieBound

About the Author

Joe Shot 4 _

Joe Stillman co-wrote “Shrek” for Dreamworks which earned him an Academy Award® nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Annie and BAFTA Awards.

Other produced features are “Beavis & Butthead Do America”, “Shrek 2”, “Gulliver’s Travels”, “Planet 51” and “Joseph King Of Dreams”.

In television, he was co-producer and writer on “King of the Hill,” for which he received two Emmy Award® nominations. He was a writer and story editor for Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Pete and Pete” and a writer on MTV’s “Beavis and Butthead”. More recently he worked on Nickelodeon’s “Sanjay And Craig” and “Kirby Buckets” for Disney. Other TV credits include “Albert” for Nickelodeon, “The War Next Door” for the USA Network, “Clueless”, “Doug” and “Danger And Eggs” for Amazon.

Joe is currently working on a “Curious George” feature for streaming on Peacock.

Joe Stillman | Instagram | Facebook | Newsletter

Click the link below for a chance to win a signed edition of the book!

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(US only)

Book Tour Schedule

June 13^th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

@hodophile_z (Review) https://www.instagram.com/hodophile_z/

@genoviareadingco (Review) https://www.instagram.com/genoviareadingco/

Latisha’s Low-Key Life (Review) https://latishaslowkeylife.com/

June 14^th

@amanda_coffee_books (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amanda_coffee_books/

Jessica Belmont (Review) https://jessicabelmont.com/

@definitelynotreading (Review) https://www.instagram.com/definitelynotreading/

@gryffindorbookishnerd (Review) https://www.instagram.com/gryffindorbookishnerd/

Modest Hiccup (Review) https://modesthiccup.com/

@booklymatters (Review) https://www.instagram.com/booklymatters/

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June 15^th

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@mels_booksandhooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/mels_booksandhooks/

@bhaneereads_ (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bhaneereads_/

Timeless Romance Blog (Spotlight) https://aubreywynne.com/

Nesie’s Place (Spotlight) https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com

June 16^th

@ofmoviesandbooks (Review) https://www.instagram.com/ofmoviesandbooks/

Cheryl’s Book Nook (Review) https://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/

@beastreader (Review) https://www.instagram.com/beastreader/

Riss Reviews (Review) https://rissreviewsx.wixsite.com/website

Liliyana Shadowlyn (Review) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/

Bunny’s Reviews (Review) https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/

Dark Whimsical Art (Spotlight) https://www.darkwhimsicalart.com/blogs/news

June 17^th

@amber.bunch_author (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amber.bunch_author/

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Dash Fan Book Reviews (Review) https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/

@wellread81 (Review) https://www.instagram.com/wellread81/

@itsabookthing2021 (Review) Http://www.instagram.com/itsabookthing2021

@better_0ff_read (Spotlight) http://WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/BETTER_0FF_READ/

Sadie’s Spotlight (Spotlight) http://sadiesspotlight.com/

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#ReleaseBlitz “Anything But Love (California Hearts, Book 2)” by Dalia Dupris

June 15, 2022June 14, 2022 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

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California Hearts, Book 2

Contemporary Romance

Date Published: 06-15-2022

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

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Known as the anything but love girl, Morgan Hart has two passions, travelling and having fun. After reassuring her French lover, Marcel, that their relationship will resume unchanged when she returns, she’s ready to begin her Cape Town adventure, only to find that her friend Amber is a no-show at the airport, and Morgan’s stuck with having to travel solo, that is, until she falls into the lap of widowed single father, Dakar Ngosi, whose good looks and charm have her questioning her resolve to living life unattached and carefree.

Dr. Ngosi is beyond annoyed when a seemingly inebriated Morgan slumps down beside him in the airport lounge where he’s waiting with his sister for their flight. When his sister volunteers him to show the lovely American the sites of their country, his irritation grows, but he soon discovers that Morgan is as enticing as she is beautiful, and he must decide if he’ll stick to his vow to never love again or pursue the American woman whose captured his heart.

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About the Author

Dalia Dupris has been a book lover as long as she can remember. She has won two EMMA awards and is a Spectrum Grant recipient.

Dalia’s degrees in English Literature and Social Work, in addition to years of experience as a licensed therapist, contribute to her creation of relatable and complex characters.

In her spare time, she enjoys bike riding with her husband, and hiking with her daughter. She loves hearing from her readers.

To learn more about Dalia and her books check out http://www.daliadupris.com and https://linktr.ee/DaliasBooks.

Contact Links

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Purchase Links

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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#Excerpt “Scotsman in the Stacks” by Alana Oxford

June 15, 2022June 15, 2022 ~ Felicia Denise ~ Leave a comment

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book cover

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Paige wants two things: to land a full time librarian job and find the man of her dreams. On the cusp of thirty, she finds herself suddenly single and working part-time in a Michigan library. A handsome patron with a delicious accent appears at the reference desk, inadvertently sparking an idea that might help her land the promotion she so desperately needs. But that’s not the only thing he sparks.

James is in town from Glasgow, Scotland, on a summer artist residency. Luckily, the trip got him away from the pressure he feels to take over his uncle’s river tour business. He only wanted to clear his head and make his art in peace, but he wasn’t counting on finding an attractive librarian to fill his days.

With only eight weeks before James goes home to Scotland, Paige knows she should protect her heart. After all, she already wasted years with her commitment-phobe ex. But the more she gets to know James, the less she can stick to her plan to just be friends. Is she just wasting her time again, or can they bridge the ocean between them to find a happily ever after of their own?

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

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EXCERPT

In this excerpt, main character, Paige, has just met love interest, James and is telling her BFF, Kayla about it. (Norm, who Kayla mentions, is an annoying and overly-friendly library patron that Paige has to deal with regularly.)

By the time she got into her apartment, she felt like she was soaring through the stars with all the force and energy of a rocket ship. No trace of closing shift exhaustion. She could stay awake all night if she had to. Maybe she would.

She popped a frozen dinner in the microwave and called Kayla. It was after nine o’clock but she couldn’t go to bed without telling her best friend about this.

“Hey,” Kayla answered. “How was work today?”

Paige felt her excitement bursting against her ribcage. She couldn’t contain it any longer.

“I met someone!” she squealed.

“Wait. What?” There was a shuffling sound as though Kayla had dropped something or was moving in to hear better.
Paige realized she may have been a tad overenthusiastic and misleading. “Well, I didn’t meet someone, meet someone, but this gorgeous Scottish guy came into the library today and he was chatty and so dreamy.”
“Tell me every single detail.”

Paige grinned and the whole story tumbled out. The accent, the blue eyes, the sleeve tattoo, all of it.

“That’s awesome! He sounds gorgeous. And that definitely sounds promising.” Kayla sounded impressed and happy for her friend.

“It would—” Paige paused a moment, coming back down to earth. “But it’s not meant to be.”
“What the heck are you talking about? He saved you from Norm. He’s coming to your book discussion. He sounds like living sex appeal. Don’t go sabotaging yourself already!”
Paige sighed. “It’s not me. It’s life. Don’t forget the part where he actually lives in Scotland. That’s a heck of a long distance commute for anyone. And he’s only here for eight weeks anyway. To be honest, I don’t even know if he’s at the beginning of those weeks or somewhere in the middle.”
“Paige, stop.” Kayla was already developing a mom voice and she didn’t even have the kid yet. “It sounds like he was interested. I guess you’ll have a better idea when he comes to the book discussion.”

“If,” Paige corrected her, discouragement taking a firmer hold of her. “Just because he seemed into it tonight doesn’t mean he’ll actually show.”

“You said he was sitting in the chair reading the book. That’s a pretty substantial clue as far as I’m concerned.”

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Author Bio

Alana Oxford is a Michigan author of romcoms, sweet romance, and humorous women’s fiction. She wants her stories to bring sunshine and smiles to her readers. She enjoys improv comedy, moody music, everything book related, and has an ongoing love affair with the United Kingdom.

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