#BookBlitz #RABTBookTours @RABTBookTours / #PromoPost : The Ticket #TheTicket – Fred Shackelford @FredShack #FredShackelford

– ‘The Magic of Wor(l)ds’ blog is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free. –

Today I’m on the ‘The Ticket’ blogtour, organised by RABT Book Tours.
To promote this book I have some ‘basic’ information.

About the Author :

Fred Shackelford is a Virginia attorney who lives on farmland that his great-great-grandfather purchased in 1817. Before writing his début novel The Ticket, he published Judges Say the Darndest Things, a collection of humorous excerpts from legal opinions. Fred is a graduate of the University of Virginia. (Go Wahoos!). In addition to winning honorable mention for the Eric Hoffer Award, The Ticket was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards, a finalist for both the Clue Award and the Mystery & Mayhem Award from Chanticleer Book Reviews, and a quarterfinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.

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Synopsis :

The Ticket is the story of a frantic and perilous search for a missing lottery ticket worth $241 million. The lives of a corrupt gambler, a retired detective, and a woman in hiding intersect as the ticket is about to expire.
Channing Booker, a compulsive gambler, drug abuser, and philanderer whose marriage is failing, finally gets lucky and wins the Mega Millions lottery. Expecting an imminent divorce, and hoping to hide his new fortune from his wife Susan, Channing devises a scheme to have a friend claim the $241-million jackpot and secretly return the money to Channing after the divorce is final. But Susan flees with all of her possessions, including the rare book in which Channing hid the winning lottery ticket. With time running out before the lottery ticket expires, Channing launches a desperate search to find Susan, but she’s covered her tracks well, fearing his retribution. In need of money to fund her furtive new lifestyle, Susan begins selling off her worldly goods, including her rare books, unleashing a chain of events that puts not only her life in danger, but that of her new love as well…

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The Magic of Wor(l)ds

Book Blitz Organized By:

RABT Book Tours

#BlogTour #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #PromoPost : A Question of Country – Sue Parritt

– ‘The Magic of Wor(l)ds’ blog is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free. –

Today I’m on the ‘A Question of Country’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I have a some ‘basic’ information for you.

About the Author :

Originally from England, Sue worked in university libraries until taking early retirement in 2008 to concentrate on creative writing. Since then she has written short stories, articles, poetry, a short TV drama script and six novels:
Sannah and the Pilgrim, first in a trilogy of a future dystopian Australia focusing on climate change and the harsh treatment of refugees from drowned Pacific islands. Odyssey Books, 2014. Commended in the FAW Christina Stead Award, 2014.
Pia and the Skyman, Odyssey Books, 2016. Commended in the FAW Christina Stead Award, 2016.
The Sky Lines Alliance, Odyssey Books, 2016.
Chrysalis, the story of a perceptive girl growing up in a Quaker family in swinging sixties’ Britain. Morning Star Press, 2017
Re-Navigation recounts a life turned upside down when forty-year old Julia journeys from the sanctuary of middle-class Australian suburbia to undertake a retreat at a college located on an isolated Welsh island. Creativia Publishing, 2019.
Feed Thy Enemy, based on her father’s experiences, is an account of courage and compassion in the face of trauma as a British airman embarks on a plan that risks all to feed a starving, war-stricken family. Creativia Publishing, 2019.
Sue’s current project, A Question of Country, is a novel exploring the migrant experience through the protagonist’s lifelong search for meaningful identity.
Passionate about peace and social justice issues, Sue’s goal as a fiction writer is to continue writing novels that address topics such as climate change, the effects of war, the treatment of refugees, feminism and racism. Sue intends to keep on writing for as long as possible, believing the extensive life experiences of older writers can be employed to engage readers of all ages.

Social Media Links:
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Synopsis :

On Christmas Eve 1969, a letter from Australia House, London, brings welcome news for newly-weds Anna and Joseph Fletcher.
Young and idealistic, Anna falls passionately in love with their adopted land. Seven months later, an unexpected event causes their life to take a stressful turn.
Years pass, and Anna retreats to a fictional world she has created. But when a different challenge presents itself, does she have the courage to take the risk… or will she take refuge in fantasy?

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The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#MiniBlogBlitz #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #QandAs : The Warrior Knight and the Widow – Ella Matthews @ellamattauthor @MillsandBoon @HarlequinBooks

– ‘The Magic of Wor(l)ds’ blog is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free. –

Today I’m on the ‘The Warrior Knight and the Widow’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I have a Q&As post, but before I let you read it first some ‘basic’ information.

About the Author :

Ella Matthews lives and works in beautiful South Wales. When not thinking about handsome heroes she can be found walking along the coast with her husband and their two children (probably still thinking about heroes but at least pretending to be interested in everyone else).

Social Media Links:
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Synopsis :

Protected by The Beast
Undone by the man
Racing cross-country pursued by danger, widow Lady Ellena Swein isn’t pleased to be taken back to her father’s castle. But with his knight Sir Braedan Leofric, also known as The Beast, as her captor, she has little choice! Ellena is surprised by his honourable and protective nature, even if she shouldn’t trust him. And when all seems to conspire against them, Braedan’s secret could either extinguish the spark between them or make it burn brighter.

Purchase Link

Q&A :

Hi

First of all thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate it. Here we go! 🙂

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I started writing when I was very young but looking back those early works seem largely to be about She ra and I’m not sure my artistic talents were up to the illustrations I did to go with them. When I was older I discovered that I could actually work in book publishing, which seemed like an ideal career. I loved it but as I worked with authors to develop their own manuscripts I began to think that maybe this was something I could do myself. It turned out to be a lot harder than I imagined. My first attempt is buried deep in a drawer somewhere and my second and third are hidden somewhere equally obscure. I persevered and learned a lot about the craft of putting a story together. I’ve published five Pocket Novels with DC Thomson but The Warrior Knight and the Widow is my biggest book so far.

Which books did/do you love to read as a child/now as a grown-up?
Growing up I loved the Famous Five and Malory Towers. I enjoy reading almost anything but I do prefer stories with a HEA (life can be hard work and so I want to feel happy when I read). I particularly enjoy Virginia Heath, Catherine Tinley, Julia Quinn, Jo Watson and MhairiMcfarlane.

Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
I’m hard-pressed to choose between Jo Watson and Mhairi Mcfarlane but the advice I’d really like from both of them is the same. I’d like to know how they make their writing so consistently funny so that I could apply that technique to my own writing.

If you could, which fictional character (from your own book(s) or someone else’s) would you like to invite for tea and why?
I’d like to invite the hero of the manuscript I’m writing at the moment. Jarin is a medieval earl whose estate is an old and privileged one. His life should be perfect but I think he’s very lonely and could really do with someone friendly to chat to.

Do you have some rituals or habits whilst writing?
I’ve got a full time job and two young children so I write when and where I can (watching swimming lessons, waiting for the kettle to boil, that sort of thing). I used to enjoy hand-writing everything with a certain penbut sadly I don’t have time to do that anymore.

Where do you come up with your idea(s)? Do people in your life need to be worried? 😉
Haha, I don’t think my characters are based on anyone real. I may take aspects of a person and use them in my novels, for example my daughter has unusual coloured eyes and those have made an appearance, as have my husband’s dark brown ones. My mum also bakes an incredibly delicious lemon meringue pie and that particular dish was a heroine’s favourite dish cooked by her mother. But, nobody in my life needs to be worried.

Are you a plotter or do you go with the flow, as a pantser?
I think that I’m somewhere in between. When I’m thinking of a new plot I like to sit down and handwrite a paragraph for each chapter. Occasionally I’ll add a snippet of dialogue. When I’ve finished I put that outline in a file and only take it out if I’m stuck. Sometimes I’ve moved wildly away from my original outline but that’s OK so long I’m heading to the end I’ve planned.

Can you give novice writers some tips (do’s/don’ts)?
My main advice would be to read as much as you can, especially but not exclusively, in the genre you want to write in. But after that have a little break so that you can develop your own voice. The other thing to do is to keep going. It’s easy to come up with a wonderful idea but it’s hard to sustain enthusiasm over the length of time it takes to finish a novel. Don’t give up!

What are your futureplans as an author?
I’m currently writing another medieval romance set in the same world as The Warrior Knight and the Widow and after that I’ll have to wait and see whether Mills and Boon are still interested in me 🙂 .

Last, but not least : Can you give my readers one teaser from your book, which is featured here on my blog, please?
/

Thanks once again for this lovely interview, Ella Matthews.

Giveaway :

Win a Signed copy of The Warrior Knight and the Widow (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter Giveaway

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

 

 

 

P.S. Are you an author (or publisher) who also wants a FREE interview like this? You can always contact me via e-mail!

Dork – Will Winkle, an #Interview #QandA

– ‘The Magic of Wor(l)ds’ blog is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free. –

Today I’m not on a blogtour, but doing my own interview with Will Winkle, author of ‘Dork’, to promote his book.
Before I let you read my Q&As, I’ll first post some ‘basic’ information.

About the Author :

Will Winkle graduated from the University of Idaho with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in economics, so naturally, he’s decided to become a novelist. While in college Will wrote comedy segments for the show he hosted on the university’s radio station, KUOI 89.3 FM Moscow, Idaho. Currently, he is writing short stories and co-writing a one-man-show with a graduate theater student at the University of Alabama.

Website

Synopsis :

Charlie Brown meets The Catcher in the Rye in this humorous novel following a neurotic economics major weeks from graduation.
Ray Cooper is graduating from college and doesn’t know what he wants to do with his life – stop me if you’ve heard this before. Besides his impending graduation, Coop also has the problem of trying to start a new relationship in the shadow of his last one. Plus, his term project is due in two weeks. He’s also losing his hair. Alright, he has a few problems. Over a weekend, Ray attends the birthday party of a girl he isn’t sure if he knows, meets odd people at bars, and looks forward to the last hurrah he and his friends have planned for Saturday when the local bars are offering discounts to anyone with wristbands sold for charity. There’s no way any of this could go wrong.

First chapter can be read here.
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Q&A :

Hi

First of all thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions, I really appreciate it. Here we go! 🙂

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?
I’ve always enjoyed storytelling, books, movies, TV, I always try to consume as much of it as I can, which is probably too much. I’ve also always enjoyed entertaining people, like I did theater in junior high and had my own radio show in college. So these really collided when I was attending grad school after nearly all of my fans had graduated and moved on with their lives. I figured that I would end up talking to myself from the isolation anyway, so I might as well turn it into something creative.

Which books did/do you love to read as a child/now as a grown-up?
I’ll read anything that David Sedaris writes. How he faces everything in life with dry humor really gets to me.

Is there a writer whose brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
I’d go with Hemingway. The way he’s able to deal with large casts of supporting characters and give great descriptions of people and places are both qualities I would love to have in my writing.

If you could, which fictional character (from your own book(s) or someone else’s) would you like to invite for tea and why?
One of the main characters from Infinite Jest, so they can tell me what happened in that book and I won’t have to put in the time to read it.

Do you have some rituals or habits whilst writing?
I notice that I pace a lot while writing, just to to sort of sound out the wording to myself. Then I’ll sit down write really fast, then repeat. I also enjoy listening to long form ambiant music, mostly for background so it isn’t dead silent.

Where do you come up with your idea(s)? Do people in your life need to be worried? 😉
This book is largely based on people I know and events from college, but the feedback has been positive so far. I made sure to be just as hard on the character based on me than I would be about anyone else.

Are you a plotter or do you go with the flow, as a pantser?
I’m definitely more of a plotter, and I’ll have a notebook with a sort of storyboard or flow chart for how I want scenes to go.

Can you give novice writers some tips (do’s/don’ts)?
It’s called a rough draft for a reason. Every story you hear about some famous writer finishing something great in two weeks is either a flatout lie or heavily embelished. It’s all about how you revise and improve upon your work.

What are your futureplans as an author?
I’m currently working on some short stories/novellas while I’m fleshing out ideas for longer form stuff.

Last, but not least : Can you give my readers one teaser from your book, which is featured here on my blog, please?
Things don’t work out as planned.

Isn’t that a great reason to pick up this book and to find out more?!
Thanks once again for this lovely interview, Will Winkle.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

 

 

 

P.S. Are you an author (or publisher) who also wants a FREE interview like this? You can always contact me via e-mail!

 

#Recensie #ElkedagBoeken @uitgeverBrandt : Frida Kahlo en de kleuren van het leven – Caroline Bernard

– ‘The Magic of Wor(l)ds’ blog is een hobby, recensies en andere boekgerelateerde berichten worden gratis geplaatst.
Ik ben dankbaar voor het ontvangen van een gratis boekexemplaar van de auteur/de uitgeverij in ruil voor mijn eerlijke mening. –

De auteur :

Caroline Bernard is het pseudoniem van literatuurwetenschapper Tania Schlie (Hamburg, 1961). Ze schrijft graag over sterke vrouwen en is de auteur van de bestseller Die Muse von Wien, een roman over de Weense componiste Alma Mahler.

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Korte inhoud :

Titel: Frida Kahlo en de kleuren van het leven
Auteur: Caroline Bernard
Formaat: 15 x 23 cm
Uitvoering: Paperback
Omvang: 304 blz.
Prijs: € 20,-
ISBN: 978 94 93095 21 2

MEXICO, 1925. De achttienjarige Frida Kahlo wil dokter worden, maar een nood- lottig ongeval maakt aan die droom een einde. Ze vecht zich terug het leven in, wordt verliefd op de grote kunstenaar Diego Rivera en ontdekt aan zijn zijde de kunstwereld. Diego moedigt Frida aan om haar talenten te ontwikkelen. Als hij haar bedriegt treft haar dat weliswaar diep, maar wetende dat geluk maar tijdelijk is, stort ze zich vol overgave in het leven.
De Parijse surrealisten liggen aan haar voeten, net als Picasso en Trotski. Ze boekt successen met haar werk, maar moet ook een pijnlijke miskraam te boven komen. Frida gaat haar eigen weg, zelfs wanneer ze voor een beslissing komt te staan die alles waarin ze tot dat moment heeft geloofd aan het wankelen brengt.

Uitgeverij Brandt

Mijn mening :

‘Frida Kahlo en de kleuren van het leven’ geschreven door Caroline Bernard mag dan een romantisering zijn van de werkelijkheid, het was voor mij een fijne manier om meer te leren over Frida.
Natuurlijk wist ik reeds iets van deze kunstenares af, maar niet zo heel veel blijkt.
De pijn die ze heeft moeten doorstaan, niet alleen fysiek, maar ook mentaal door haar relatie met Diego Rivera, was absoluut niet van de poes.
Daarnaast was het ook een woelige tijd in Mexico en de rest van de wereld.
Toch kwam Frida steeds weer terug op haar voeten terecht en bleef zij zo goed mogelijk trouw aan zichzelf.
Dit voornamelijk door haar liefde voor kunst, kledij en haar roots.
Op een aangename manier vertelt het boek dus in feite het verhaal van een zeer moedige en sterke vrouw, die ondanks alle tegenslagen nog steeds kan genieten van alle aspecten van het leven.
Of passender gezegd, Frida geniet van alle kleuren die het leven biedt.
En dat maakt dat de titel, in mijn opinie, perfect gekozen is.
Ik wil dankzij dit boek, en wanneer ik daar de kans toe krijg, zeker meer over haar te weten komen en haar schilderijen in levende lijve bewonderen.
Als een auteur je daartoe kan aanzetten, zegt dit eigenlijk alles.
‘Frida Kahlo en de kleuren van het leven’ is dan ook een aanrader, voor fans van kunst / Frida Kahlo of net niet!

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#CoverReveal #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources : Josie James and The Teardrops of Summer / Josie James and The Velvet Knife – Lily Mae Walters @LilyMaeWalters1

– ‘The Magic of Wor(l)ds’ blog is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free. –

Today I’m super pleased to be on the blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources, to reveal the cover of

But first some information

About the Author :

Lily Mae Walters chose her pen name in honour of her beloved grandparents who also stare in the Josie James series.
She is married with two teenage children, and two huskies that are the inspiration behind Murphy and Asher in the books.
Lily Mae lives in Nuneaton, England and finds herself using local places and even her old school in her stories.
Family and friends mean the world to Lily Mae and many will find themselves popping up throughout the series.
Lily Mae also writes for adults under the name of Florence Keeling.

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Synopsis :

Josie James and The Teardrops of Summer by Lily Mae Walters

Josie James is an ordinary 13 year old until something extraordinary happens during her summer holidays.Whilst staying at her Great Grandmother’s cottage in the country she finds herself swept into the cursed world of Suncroft where it is perpetual winter.Her new friends believe she could be the Chosen One who it is foretold will lift the curse, but there are more pressing matters.
The Teardrops of Summer – magical crystals that render the owner immortal – have been stolen. Along with her telepathic husky-dog Protector Asher and her new friends, Josie must race to find the Teardrops and prevent catastrophe for their world.

Josie James and The Velvet Knife by Lily Mae Walters

“For you to find the Velvet Knife, you must solve the riddles thrice.” A mysterious hooded figure, known only as the Velvet Knife has appeared in the cursed village of Suncroft. No one knows who he is or what he wants but when he starts leaving riddles around the village, it is time for Josie to return to Suncroft for a second time.
With Asher, her faithful husky Protector by her side, Filan, a half elf, and her great grandad, will they be able to solve the clues in time and discover his identity? The Velvet Knife is not the only one causing problems for Josie. Her rival for the position of the ‘Chosen One’ continues to grow stronger, and now he has a Protector of his own.
What does all this mean for Josie? Is she destined to lift the wintery curse of Suncroft or will another take her place as the ‘Chosen One’?

After this great teaser I hope you are still excited for the cover reveals, because this is happening

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right now!

Did this all pique your interest in reading the books? They’re available from TODAY on Amazon.

The Magic of Wor(l)ds

#PublicationDayPush #RachelsRandomResources @rararesources / #Excerpt : Redeeming the Reclusive Earl – Virginia Heath @VirginiaHeath_ @MillsandBoon @HarlequinBooks

– ‘The Magic of Wor(l)ds’ blog is a hobby, reviews and other bookish stuff on this site are done for free. –

Today I’m on the ‘Redeeming the Reclusive Earl’ blogtour, organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
To promote this book I have an excerpt, but before I let you read it first some ‘basic’ information.

About the Author :

When Virginia Heath was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Despite that, it still takes her forever to fall asleep.

Social Media Links:
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Synopsis :

His heart is a fortress … And she’s trespassing!
After losing all he holds dear in a horrific fire, Max Aldersley, Earl of Rivenhall, shuns the world—until he catches Effie Nithercott digging holes on his estate! He banishes the intrepid archaeologist and the unsettled feelings she rouses within him. But she returns even more determined and infuriatingly desirable than before! He wonders just how deep she’s prepared to dig—so far she’ll reach the man beneath his scars?

Purchase Link

Excerpt :

A Genuine Social Distancing Regency Romance…

Fancy a story involving social distancing during these bizarre times of social distancing? I might just have the book for you! After losing everything in a horrific fire, my tortured hero Max is hiding from the world at his newly inherited estate. The only problem is, alongside the house and grounds, he also seems to have inherited an odd female archaeologist who flatly refuses to leave him well alone. Here’s a snippet:

‘What the hell do you think you are doing?’
The grubby boy scrambled back to a sitting position and blinked up at the him through the thick lenses of his spectacles. When Max had first spotted the lad kneeling on the ground, he had assumed he was a poacher and was about to ride by, not caring if a few of his pheasants were liberated for a poor family’s cooking pot. Just because he no longer had any appetite didn’t mean the rest of the population couldn’t eat and he’d never had a taste for pheasant even when he had enjoyed his food, so it made no difference to him. But as he had crested the small rise near the eastern boundary of his new estate in his quest to fill some time, he spotted all the holes in the ground, the shovels, tools and wheelbarrow, and realised the intruder was digging.
‘I asked you a question!’ He practically spat in annoyance, aggrieved that he had to make the effort to actually converse or to concern himself with another human being and their peculiar business when he was in no mood for either. The boy’s spectacles magnified his dark eyes. They were the oddest spectacles Max Aldersley had ever seen. Instead of arms, the unsightly frame was tied around the back of his head with a bright red ribbon secured in a bow. Perhaps his first guess about the direness of the lad’s financial circumstances had been correct if he had to go out looking like that. His gaze drifted to the paintbrush and trowel in the boy’s hand, then fixed on the hole he was crouched before. Half-exposed in the mud was a dark object. Spherical, like a pot, which was either being buried or exhumed. All very odd and all entirely unwelcome. All much too much effort. ‘Why are you trespassing on my land?’
‘My land?’ The boy didn’t sound like a boy and instantly Max felt his hackles rise in panic at his own curious stupidity. The trespasser stood and his stomach plummeted to his toes.
Now he could see significant evidence that the boy was a woman which really made his blood boil. When he had first spotted her scratching around in the mud he had assumed her to be a young man—an easy mistake to make, considering she was dressed in breeches and work boots. Odd work boots. One black. One very definitely brown.
‘Oh, hello! You must be the new Lord Rivenhall.’
It was so much easier to be an abomination in front of a man.
Had he known that she was female, he wouldn’t have brought his horse so close no matter what she had been doing on his property. But now Max could see the trousers hugged her female form like a second skin and there was no getting away from the fact that the hips which flared from her waist were as unmanly as it was possible for hips to be—more was the pity. Worse, the capacious linen shirt tucked haphazardly into the top of the waistband also did little to disguise the fine bosom beneath. The wench had a body that was made for sin. Unfortunately, there was very little evidence that the rest of her lived up to that promise. Which, all things considered, was probably just as well. His sinning days were well and truly over…

Giveaway :

Win 2 x e-copies of Redeeming the Reclusive Earl (Open INT)
*Terms and Conditions – Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

a Rafflecopter Giveaway

The Magic of Wor(l)ds