FREE January 31 & February 1 - Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats

Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm is the latest offering in my series of farm life short stories.

The Blurb:

S.A. Molteni is well loved for her essays on hobby farming and animal husbandry - from the pain of losing a cherished pet cow and calf during childbirth to the sweetness of spending Christmas Eve in a manger with two Jersey cow babies.

In this new collection of short stories, she poignantly and reflectively brings to the surface the highs and lows of living on a hobby farm and the deep connection that a farmer has to her animals.

From predatory hawk attacks on her beloved chickens, to a goat with an attitude, to bottle-feeding a calf, along with a fictional tale based on Chicken Little, the narratives give a condensed version of the best times and the worst times during her past five years on a hobby farm.

What others are saying:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short, Neat, Sweet, January 26, 2015

By 

Julie "Only Honest Opinions" (NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)  

 

Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm (Kindle Edition)

*I received a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.*

Summary: This is a collection of 4 short stories + a bonus one that center on events in and around the author's hobby farm.

Random comments:

- Although a much greater fan of fiction than non-fiction, I have to say that I connected a lot better with the non-fiction tales in here than the fiction ones told from the animals' perspectives. The chicken in therapy ones just left me with a "meh" feeling, but the non-fiction stories about the grumpy goat and the beloved cow were great.
- The author has a nice, straightforward style that lends itself well to non-fiction tales of farm life. I think with another dozen tales in each vein, these stories could be two separate collections, one for people who like tales told from animal perspectives and one for people who just want to know what hobby farm life is like.
- Each story is pretty well-written.
- The about the author section is a pretty neat mini-story in and of itself.

Conclusion: Quick, light read for those interested in hobby farming. (I'd personally never heard of hobby farming until I read about the author.)

5.0 out of 5 stars In this book, I found a kindred spirit..., January 24, 2015

By 

GiftOfLight - See all my reviews

Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm (Kindle Edition)

I lived on a small rundown farm for 15 years, and each story took me back to the bittersweet existence that comes from farming. These four short stories brought tears to my eyes as each one conjured up memories long hidden. The descriptions were expressive and soon I was transported to a hobby farm in Florida. This is definitely a good read (have a handkerchief handy).

5.0 out of 5 stars Quick and Interesting, January 19, 2015

By 

V. Howard (Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm (Kindle Edition)

This book is a collection of short farm stories. Some are fiction, some are non-fiction, but all are interesting and perfect for reading when you don't have much time, or if you don't feel like getting involved with a long novel. Well written and intriguing, I want to see what S.A. Molteni comes up with next!

5.0 out of 5 stars Kitty Muse Book Reviews, January 16, 2015

By 

K. Ree "Kitty Muse Book Reviews" (Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm (Kindle Edition)

It takes a lot to live on a farm. Life isn’t easy, and there are always surprises. Some of these are good, some not so good.
S.A Molteni has written a lovely combination of stories, both fictional “Chicken Little in Therapy”) and non-fictional (“The Best Christmas Ever”). Each one of them is different, and all are very entertaining.
We are introduced to wild and domestic animals alike, some funny and some heart-breaking.
Ms. Molteni has a wonderful way with words, and her offerings here were a joy to read.

5.0 out of 5 stars  

Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm!!!, January 13, 2015

By 

brenda (LADERA RANCH, CA, United States) - See all my reviews

Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm (Kindle Edition)

"The thought of the sky falling seemed to be ludicrous at present and the least of her worries."

Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm is another endearing book filled with short stories by S.A. Molteni. The author has a down home comforting writing style that allows the reader to connect even if they have never lived this lifestyle. She brings you in with an open heart and genuine passion. Reading her stories is a great escape and a heart warming adventure.

I loved all the stories in the collection but I did get an extra fuzzy feeling from 'The Best Christmas Eve Ever'. Heartwarming and shares some precious moments in this family's life. The author manages to remind us that it is the simple things in life that are the most sacred.

These unusual, sometimes funny and at other times emotional stories are told from some unexpected voices. They are smart and precise. Each piece moved me and also brought a smile to my face.

Enter to Win a Paperback Edition of:

 

Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm

Winner will be notified February 10, 2015

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats

by S.A. Molteni

Giveaway ends February 10, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Book Review Spotlight - True Tails from the Dog Park by Max and Luther

True Tails from the Dog Park by Max and Luther is a wonderfully entertaining and funny chronicle of life at the dog park for these two sweet dogs (along with their human authors, Kari Sherman and Carey Laubenberg).

The stories are told from the perspective of Max and Luther and enlighten the reader to what is good etiquette at the dog park and what is not. Max and Luther are very social creatures and want to play with all of the other dogs that enter the off-leash park, but some of the humans there make things a little difficult for them and their humans, Kari and Carey.

Some of the dog owners try too hard to control their dogs behaviors, much to the dismay of Max and Luther. Each story in the book teaches a lesson to dog owners as well as answers many questions that dog owners might have: What are the dog park rules? How do you approach a new dog at the park? What behaviors, however peculiar, will be noticed at the park?

I loved the illustrations throughout the book and would definitely recommend it to new and old dog owners alike.

About the Authors:

It had to be fate. Not only did they share the same name and were the same age, Kari Sherman and Carey Laubenberg were both at a crossroads in their chosen professions. Kari Sherman, a CPA, had spent the last twenty plus years toiling away in the corporate world while Carey Laubenberg, a personal trainer, had successfully opened and managed a gym with her husband, Steve. Their chance meeting at the local dog park and their immediate friendship (brought about by their dogs' instant chemistry) was the catalyst for their new journey into writing and publishing. A partnership was born through a shared outlook on life and a similar sense of humor.

While both authors are life- long dog lovers, Kari Sherman had recently welcomed her first dog, Max into her adult life after growing up with a progression of animals (both dogs and cats). In contrast, Carey had owned numerous dogs all throughout her life. Within a year of meeting, these two individuals wrote their first book, discovered the joys and pitfalls of self-publishing, created a website and embraced all that social media had to offer. This was quite a feat for two people with no background in writing and a latent dread of the intimacy that current technology has brought to the world. Once started down their new career path, the two budding authors have enthusiastically embraced all the knowledge and opportunity this had afforded them. Kari and Carey's mantra has been "Go Big or Go Home" while navigating the marketing options on the release of their first book "True tails from the Dog Park". If truth be told, they have placed a long shot bet and hope that their horse will come in!

Website - http://www.kariandcarey.com
Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1457532689
Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Max/e/B00O9J63EK

FREE January 18 & 19 - Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats

Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm is the latest offering in my series of farm life short stories.

The Blurb:

S.A. Molteni is well loved for her essays on hobby farming and animal husbandry - from the pain of losing a cherished pet cow and calf during childbirth to the sweetness of spending Christmas Eve in a manger with two Jersey cow babies.

In this new collection of short stories, she poignantly and reflectively brings to the surface the highs and lows of living on a hobby farm and the deep connection that a farmer has to her animals.

From predatory hawk attacks on her beloved chickens, to a goat with an attitude, to bottle-feeding a calf, along with a fictional tale based on Chicken Little, the narratives give a condensed version of the best times and the worst times during her past five years on a hobby farm.

What others are saying:
 

5.0 out of 5 stars 

Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm!!! January 13, 2015

By brenda

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

"The thought of the sky falling seemed to be ludicrous at present and the least of her worries."

Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm is another endearing book filled with short stories by S.A. Molteni. The author has a down home comforting writing style that allows the reader to connect even if they have never lived this lifestyle. She brings you in with an open heart and genuine passion. Reading her stories is a great escape and a heart warming adventure.

I loved all the stories in the collection but I did get an extra fuzzy feeling from 'The Best Christmas Eve Ever'. Heartwarming and shares some precious moments in this family's life. The author manages to remind us that it is the simple things in life that are the most sacred.

These unusual, sometimes funny and at other times emotional stories are told from some unexpected voices. They are smart and precise. Each piece moved me and also brought a smile to my face.

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming Stories About Farm Animals January 14, 2015

By Carol Cassada

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

This collections of short stories is written from the author's experience of living on a hobby farm. The stories are heartwarming and will move you, a few like Chicken Little in Therapy will have you cracking a smile and a laugh.

The book give you get a glimpse into the author's life on the farm and her bond with the animals, The Best Christmas Eve Ever and Her Name was Half Calf shows her love of the animals.

If you're looking for stories that are wonderfully written and will touch your heart, this book is for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kitty Muse Book Reviews January 16, 2015

By K. Ree

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

It takes a lot to live on a farm. Life isn’t easy, and there are always surprises. Some of these are good, some not so good.
S.A Molteni has written a lovely combination of stories, both fictional “Chicken Little in Therapy”) and non-fictional (“The Best Christmas Ever”). Each one of them is different, and all are very entertaining.
We are introduced to wild and domestic animals alike, some funny and some heart-breaking.
Ms. Molteni has a wonderful way with words, and her offerings here were a joy to read.

4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed all of them January 14, 2015

By Kimberly D. Hill

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

The stories in this collection were unexpected. I enjoyed all of them, especially the ones told from the perspective of the animals involved instead of humans. As a hobby farmer in Northern Florida myself, I can identify with the author's experiences.

A Woman's Wisdom Blog

The following was re-blogged from - https://awomanswisdom.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/meet-short-story-author-and-hobby-farmer-s-a-molteni-2/

Meet Short Story Author and Hobby Farmer – S.A. Molteni

If you would have asked me twenty years ago what I would be employed at when I turned fifty, I would have answered that I would most likely be a computer programmer working for a big company.

I really had no idea where my employment skills and education would take me when I was thirty years of age and certainly did not think that I would become a partner in a hobby farm with my husband at age forty-five. But, fate has a way of intervening in one’s life, especially if planning an early retirement was one of the top priorities when I was younger and newly married.

When my husband and I first wed, we decided that we would not have children.  That was a decision that we both fully agreed upon.  We would, however, revisit that decision several times in our marriage over the past two decades, but it always came back to staying childless.  For us, this worked and I do not regret not having children.  However, I always felt that I had a strong desire to care for animals and would one day do just that.

Back in 2000, I had just moved to Seattle from Florida and was working for a wonderful company as an information technology person (a.k.a. computer geek). I enjoyed a comfortable lifestyle.  My husband also worked for the same company and we literally were never more than a hundred yards apart from each other for the ten years that we worked there together.

Fast forward to 2009 when my husband’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and his father endured a bout with colon cancer at the same time.  We were thousands of miles away and felt the need to be near them in their senior years and in their failing health.  If that weren’t enough, in January 2010, my own father unexpectedly passed away, leaving my elderly mother living alone in Florida.

This is where fate stepped in.

My husband left his job in Seattle in the latter part of 2009 to be closer to his parents.  While I continued to work in Seattle.  A long-distance marriage was not great for us and we both agreed that we would need to decide which coast we were going to live on.  When my father passed away, it was really a no-brainer for me.  I would move back to Florida to be with my husband, his parents, my widowed mother and my other family members.  I resigned from my wonderful job in Seattle in 2010 and jetted to the east coast to start a new life.

During this tumultuous time, my husband and I found a fifteen acre farm that was in foreclosure located within a short drive to both my in-law’s home and to my mother’s home.  We had always talked about having a farm, but it was mostly a distant plan sometime in the far off future.  But, this property was at a perfect location and had so much potential that we did not hesitate to purchase it for what we thought was a song.

Overshadowed by the euphoria and newness of home ownership, we did not realize that the property  needed quite a bit of work done to the home and to the outbuildings in order to have a functional hobby farm.  It was not anything too drastic, we thought, so we dove head first into our new farming lifestyle.

After we purchased the farm, we went through the house and the property with a fine-toothed comb to derive at the major projects that would need to be done.  The well pump that provided water to the home and properly only worked part of the time, so a new one was needed. There was an old barn/garage that needed to be torn down and a new one erected. There was a chimney and fireplace that was separating from the back wall of the house which needed to be removed and the wall re-bricked in.  The cement patio under the chimney was deeply cracked and needed to be replaced.  There was a hole in the roof where the chimney had torn free that needed repair.

The list went on and on.

My husband and I were not working at “real” jobs at the time and decided to undertake the projects that we were capable of doing. It soon became apparent that the repairs to the homestead were not trivial in either time or expense and I soon found myself taking on a computer consulting job to pay for the projects. Thankfully the job allowed telecommuting, so I worked from home. With my husband overseeing, we “farmed” out some of the heavy manual labor projects to building contractors and  had no issues with getting the jobs completed on time and on budget.

Once the barn was in good enough shape to house farm animals and the fence line was properly in place, we purchased our first groups of cows.  There was Jersey Girl and Jersey Boy along with Angus Girl and you guessed it, Angus Boy (a.k.a. Bubbee) – pretty original names, I know.

Our intention was to have these  two pairs of cows breed and once their calves were born, we would have all the beef and cow’s milk we could possibly want to make butter, cheese and other dairy products. Just an FYI – Angus are beef cows and Jerseys are dairy cows.

Oh, we were so naïve and had no clue what we were doing back then. We have yet to get any milk from any of them.

Well, to be fair, Jersey Girl and Jersey Boy were sold to a neighboring farm before they were mature enough to breed.  Angus Girl and Angus Boy did breed but we could never get close enough to Angus Girl to milk her after her first calf was born.  No one told us that Angus cows were so skittish, we learned the hard way … getting kicked by a ton of angry beef on hooves!

Raising cows was a long process and we learned quite a bit from the experience.  Namely, just because a cow has had several normal births without issues, does not mean she or her offspring will make it through unscathed in every pregnancy.  This became painfully obvious when Half Calf, the daughter of Angus Girl  became pregnant with her first calf.

It was a gut-wrenching time in my life on the farm and the first time I had to witness the death of one of my beloved pet cows.  To deal with the grief of this event, I wrote a short story about it, called Her Name was Half Calf.  This was my first foray into self-publishing.

Once I recovered from the trauma of that event, there were more farm animals that we gathered over the next few years. There was a goat we rescued and fostered until she decided that she no longer wanted us as her human parents. There were the Cochin bantam chickens that we raised from hatchlings to full grown, beautiful birds that would occasionally get harassed and sometimes killed by our resident hawks. And lastly, there were the two sweet Jersey calf babies that we are currently bottle-feeding and hoping that they will grow into healthy, happy cows that we can milk one day.

Which brings me to today.

I have been retired from Corporate America for about a year and have become a full-time working partner in the farm with my husband. We now have a menagerie of farm animals – three Black Angus cows, two Jersey calves, four ducks, four turkeys, thirteen Cochin bantam chickens and one very lonely female pig who has just recently lost her male partner due to a ruptured hernia.

The past five years have been a great learning experience, not only in the workings of the farm, but also in the relationships we have nurtured with the animals that we raise. In reality, we have an entire farm of pets, each one having a distinct personality and unique idiosyncrasies.

Since the death of Half Calf in 2013, I have written and continue to write about the highs and lows of hobby farming. My latest book of short stories is now available on Amazon. It is called Chickens, Hawks and Grumpy Goats: Five Years on a Farm.

If you would like more information on hobby farming and leaving Corporate America for the rural life, please take a look at my Facebook farm page – North Florida Farm and Garden.

About the Author:

S.A. Molteni is a retired systems engineer. She is also currently a hobby farmer, avid traveler and an author of several award-winning short stories. She lives on a small homestead with her husband and a menagerie of farm animals.
S.A. Molteni can be found on her website, Twitter and Goodreads. Click on the book covers above to buy from Amazon UK, or click here for Amazon US.

Cover Reveal - Uncharted Redemption by Keely Brooke Keith

From the author of The Land Uncharted comes the second book in the Uncharted series, Uncharted Redemption. Written like a historical, set like a scifi, and filled with romance, Uncharted Redemption continues this suspenseful story of life in a hidden land.


​

Title: Uncharted Redemption
Author: Keely Brooke Keith
Release Date: February 24, 2015
Publisher: Edenbrooke Press
Description: Levi Colburn, resentful of his father, haunted by his mother’s tragic death, and pained by his love for the unattainable Mandy Foster, breaks from the Land’s tradition and begins to build a life of his own. When rebels tear through the village of Good Springs, Levi vows to deliver justice and restore the woman he loves. As tradition stands in the way of redemption and threats from the outside world begin to appear, Levi must learn his greatest battles cannot be fought with his fists. Romantic, suspenseful, and filled with adventure, Uncharted Redemption weaves dramatic new layers into life in the Land.

eBook Pre-order Links:

Amazon Smashwords
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iTunes

Pre-order signed paperbacks: Uncharted Redemption

Add Uncharted Redemption to your shelf on: Goodreads, Shelfari, FictFact, and LibraryThing

Have your ebook of Uncharted Redemption signed via Authorgraph

Uncharted Redemption is the second book in the Uncharted series. If you haven’t read The Land Uncharted, it’s best to start at the beginning of the story: The Land Uncharted



Description: Lydia Colburn is a young physician dedicated to serving her village in the Land, a landmass in the South Atlantic Ocean undetectable to the outside world. When injured fighter pilot Connor Bradshaw’s parachute carries him from the war engulfing the 2025 world to her hidden land, his presence threatens her plans, her family, and the survival of her preindustrial society. As Connor searches for a way to return to his squadron, his fascination with life in the Land makes him protective of Lydia and her peaceful homeland, and Lydia’s attraction to Connor stirs desires she never anticipated. Written like a historical, set like a scifi, and filled with romance, The Land Uncharted weaves adventure and love in this suspenseful story of a hidden land.

Amazon | iTunes | Smashwords | Barnes and Noble | Google Play

Want an autographed copy? Click here.

 

​Author Bio:

 

Keely is a bass guitarist and lives on a hilltop south of Nashville. When she isn’t writing stories or playing bass, Keely enjoys dancing, having coffee with friends, and sifting through vintage books at antique stores. 

Author links:

Twitter

Facebook

 

Goodreads

 

Instagram

Pinterest

COVER REVEAL: 

 

DREAMTHIEF by Tamara Grantham

 

We are pleased to reveal the official cover for Dreamthief by Tamara Grantham. This book is amazing on the inside and now the outside is just as awesome! We can't wait to hear what you think of the cover. Make sure to leave a comment and let us know your thoughts. 

RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2015

GENRE: Fantasy Romance

SERIES: Fairy World MD

PUBLISHER: Crimson Tree Publishing

LEARN MORE ABOUT:

Visiting Faythander, a fairy world, is a nasty business. Forget the fairies and unicorns, most people come back with lost memories and mental problems. Olive Kennedy knows. She's the therapist who treats patients suffering from Faythander's side effects. She may have an emotionless mother and an apathetic boyfriend, but she takes pride in her job. She's never failed to cure a client—until now.

Traveling back to Faythander wasn't on Olive's to-do list. But she has no choice. The fate of both Earth and Fairy depends on her ability to stop an evil being called the Dreamthief. Saving the world, she can handle. Falling in love—not so much. Now, she'll have to decide between her heart and the future of an entire planet. As if battling the forces of evil wasn't complicated enough…

Dreamthief is the first book in the Fairy World MD series. 

Add Dreamthief to your Goodreads TBR List. 

ABOUT TAMARA GRANTHAM:

Tamara Grantham was born and raised in Southeast Texas. She comes from a family of writers. She took her first writing class from her uncle Larry Franklin, who worked as an author and literary agent at the time. At the age of fifteen, she received her first acceptance letter. Her uncle wrote, “Thank you for letting me read your short story, The Quest for the Spear. I enjoyed it very much, and see that you have a talent that can be developed.” In his Writing Fiction class, he challenged each of his students (which consisted of her two sisters and cousins) to write a novel. The challenge seemed daunting at the time, so daunting that she didn’t do it.

Despite her uncle’s praise, writing was not a part of her life until the age of 28, after she was married with three small children. She read a book called Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George. While she loved the novel, the thought occurred to her that she, too, had characters and stories in her head that were just as creative.

The standing challenge from her uncle, made fourteen years earlier, finally became a reality. She wrote her first novel in one month. After that, she wrote five more books and several short stories and novellas. In 2013, she signed her first contract with former writing mentor, and New York Times-bestselling author, William Bernhardt, to contribute to his Shine series. The novellas are about young girls with unusual abilities. In November 2014, almost four years to the day that she finished her first book, she signed with Crimson Tree Publishing (the adult imprint of Clean Teen Publishing) for her novel Dreamthief.

While she’s not writing, and sometimes while she is, she raises four (soon to be five!) beautiful children, ages one to ten. She lives in Galveston, Texas with her husband and kids, one cat and one dog. Her husband David is her biggest support. For the past ten years he has been in training to become a surgeon. She frequently picks his brain for the sake of her stories, a habit she hopes he’ll forgive.

FOLLOW TAMARA:

www.tamaragrantham.com

CHECK OUT MORE FROM CRIMSON TREE PUBLISHING:

Book Review Spotlight - Game of Greed and Deception by John Mathews

Game of Greed and Deception by John Mathews is a superbly written, page-turning thriller that horrifies and entertains.

Tammy Worthington and her rich husband along with her step-daughter travel to Colorado for a holiday vacation. Her husband is killed in an auto accident and Tammy thinks that his fortune is now hers.  Fate has a cruel way of intervening and Tammy becomes a participant is a house of horrors as the cabin she is holed up in becomes a macabre and frightening place filled with torture and revenge.

If this story were a movie, I would have to cover my eyes through some of the scenes that played out in this novel. It gave me goosebumps and scared the dickens out of me.

To be quite honest, this type of story is a little too dark for my taste, but it was like a train-wreck where I just could not stop turning the pages.  I had to keep reading to find out the ending and oh what a perfect ending it was!

For a debut fiction novel, I found it easy to read even through the many twists and turns of the story line.  Mr. Mathews has woven a tale so dark and horrific that lovers of this genre will surely want to read it. So, go grab a copy, it is that good!

About the Author:

John Mathews  is a tenured University Professor of English and living in Rome, Italy. Immersed in a long and somewhat stressful career, he feels the desire to break out of the mold and delve into macabre thriller fiction novels which focus on the dark side of human nature. He writes captivating thriller and suspense fiction books with the goal of pulling the reader into the plot through the minds of unforgettable characters. Complete with great suspense, plot twists, and shocking scenes, his stories will keep you guessing until the very end.

John's Website
John's Amazon Author Page