The Friday 56 (With Instagram 56 & Book Beginnings)

Welcome to Week 330!

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. 
*It's that simple.

Or join The Friday 56 on Instagram!

Rules:

* Grab a book and find a creative way to showcase your 56.

It can be a photo of the book and the 56 in comments, or whatever you come up with.

Make sure to use the hashtag #Friday56

*Add your Instagram url to the Linky.

I was reading a Willow Rose book, but set it aside for this novella... and another one coming after... so you may see One Two He Is Coming For You Again. Sorry. 
I'm also posting early since I will be at work tonight.

AMAZON

56% on Kindle

An early #Friday56 #Instagram56 by the great V.C. Andrews

A post shared by Freda Mans (@fredasphotos) on Jun 22, 2017 at 9:03am PDT

Book Beginnings leave your links in the comments if you didn't join in the Friday 56.

**No compensation was received for posting. Compensation may be earned from the link within the post. This is a meme post.

Big Little Lies Season 1

Available August 1, 2017 on Blu-ray™ and DVD

Big Little Lies is available now on Digital Download!




Big Little Lies is based in the tranquil seaside town of Monterey, California, where nothing is quite as it seems. Doting moms, successful husbands, adorable children, beautiful homes: What lies will be told to keep their perfect worlds from unraveling? Told through the eyes of three mothers – Madeline (Reese Witherspoon), Celeste (Nicole Kidman) and Jane (ShaileneWoodley) – Big Little Lies paints a picture of a town fueled by rumors and divided into the haves and have-nots, exposing the conflicts, secrets and betrayals that compromise relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and friends and neighbors.

The cast also includes, Alexander Skarsgård, Emmy-nominee Laura Dern, Adam Scott, Zoë Kravitz, James Tupper and Jeffrey Nordling. 

Big Little Lies includes all seven episodes from the “exquisitely conceived and structured” limited series as well as six fascinating “Inside the Episode” pieces, and an exclusive extended “About Big Little Lies” piece featuring never-before-seen cast interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

370 minutes

AMAZON US   |   AMAZON CA   |   AMAZON UK

REVIEW:

Amazing!
This series takes you to a place that might make you uncomfortable at times. It also takes you into a lighthearted group of friends and their lives. I love how the cast of actors made these characters come alive. Getting immersed into the whodunit at the playground was fun too. It was not what I was thinking at all, but in retrospect, I'm not surprised either seeing where Max comes from.
It hits hard at the end. Bring some tissues for that one. Seriously.
Can't wait for season 2 now!

4/5

**No compensation was received for posting. Compensation may be earned from the links within. A digital copy was provided to facilitate a review. Opinions are owned by Freda's Voice.

Related articles

• Big Little Lies Author Reveals What a Season 2 Would Include
• BIG LITTLE LIES And The Strength Of Female Friendship
• Big Little Lies: Why we're all hooked on TV's most A-list drama ever
• Why you need to be watching HBO's 'Big Little Lies'
• 'Big Little Lies' Season 2 In The Works On HBO? Reese Witherspoon Hints At Renewal
• The Soul of Big Little Lies Is in Its Music

Blasting About: The Ghost of You and Me (& #Win!)

**Freda's Voice is happy to be part of the blast tour for, The Ghost of You and Me. Be sure to read to the end for the great cash giveaway! Good luck!

How do you tell someone who hates you and blames you for the death of his best friend that you miss him?

From the bestselling teen and young adult author of Cinder & Ella comes a new heart-wrenching romance sure to bring all the feels.

The tragic death of Spencer Schott unravels the lives of the two people he loved most—his girlfriend, Bailey, and his best friend, Wes. Secrets and guilt from that fateful night keep both Bailey and Wes from overcoming Spencer’s loss and moving on with their lives.

Now, nearly a year later, both Bailey and Wes are still so broken over what happened that Spencer can’t find peace in the afterlife. In order to put his soul to rest, he’s given one chance to come back and set things right...even if that means setting up his girlfriend with his best friend.

With the emotional resonance of Jellicoe Road and the magical realism of The Lovely Bones, The Ghost of You and Me is a story about overcoming grief, finding redemption for past mistakes, and the healing power of friendship and love. Fans of John Green, Sarah Dessen, and Nicholas Sparks are sure to love this haunting new tale from Kelly Oram.

This is a clean young adult romance stand alone novel that reads like contemporary drama romance and has just a touch of magical realism.

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen--a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, four children, and her cat, Mr. Darcy.

Website * Twitter * Facebook

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 7/15/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**No compensation was received for posting. Freda's Voice is not responsible for the prize shipment, lost, damaged or stolen prizes.

#Win Into The Cowboy's Arms by Vicki Lewis Thompson (US)

VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON is a New York Times bestselling author who worked as a journalist and a high school English teacher before deciding to become a romance novelist. She was the recipient of Romance Writers of America’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, and has published more than 100 books.

How-to Tips for Aspiring Writers

1.       Be an artist and a businesswoman.  A myth persists that all you need is a great book and minions will appear to do the rest. A great book is a good start, but it will languish unless it’s shepherded through the process by an educated author who’s studied the market and researched her publishing options.

2.       Turn in clean copy. Pleasing a reader is the goal, whether the reader is your mom, an agent, an editor, or the stranger who plunks down money for your book. No one deserves to be handed a story riddled with typos and grammatical mistakes unless that person has agreed, for love or money, to help you make it presentable.

3.       Study story structure. Commercial fiction is more than a random collection of scenes. Many excellent books have been written about story structure if you’re hazy on the concept. Even if you think you understand it, brush up on the topic to be sure.

4.       Read and analyze bestsellers in your sub-genre. They’ve achieved what you’re aiming for and it’s extremely valuable to figure out how and why they’re reaching a large audience. If the answer seems elusive, keep looking. It’s there.

5.       Find your tribe.  Writing is a solitary pursuit, but with all the communication tools we have, you should be able to locate your peeps. If possible, funnel down from the general category of writer to fiction writer, then to romance fiction writer and finally to the specific sub-genre(s) you’re targeting. Building a network of those who write what you do will help with your plots, your sales and your sanity.

May 23, 2017

$5.75 US; 224 pages

ISBN: 978-0-373-62352-5

Matt Forrest was born to be an actor, but grew up at Thunder Mountain Ranch as a cowboy. So when things go haywire after shooting his first Hollywood movie, he retreats to his childhood home where he knows his parents and foster brothers can help him figure out what he really wants out of life.

But PR agent, Geena Lysander, isn’t about to lose one of her best new clients—so she follows him. And things get complicated because she’s attracted to Matt, and not just for his handsome, movie-star good looks. As she gets to know the man behind the cowboy, their professional relationship becomes passionately personal. Could Matt’s next big role be as Geena’s leading man?

a Rafflecopter giveaway


**No compensation was received for posting. Freda's Voice is not responsible for the prize shipment, lost, damaged or stolen prizes.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks #Movie

Rated 14A

92 minutes

DVD AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 5th!

In this adaptation of Rebecca Skloot’s critically acclaimed, bestselling nonfiction book of the same name,The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is told through the eyes of Henrietta Lacks’ daughter, Deborah Lacks (Oprah Winfrey). The film chronicles her search, along with journalist Rebecca Skloot (Rose Byrne), to learn about the mother she never knew and understand how the unauthorized harvesting of Lacks’ cancerous cells in 1951 led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs, changing countless lives and the face of medicine forever. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a story of medical arrogance and triumph, race, poverty, and deep friendship between the unlikeliest of people.

AMAZON US   |   AMAZON UK

REVIEW:
Bring tissues!
I wish I had read the book first, but the story in the movie was pretty epic.
Henrietta is single-handedly the reason why so many people have lived on. Her cells have been used in so many diseases,  trying to combat or prevent them, that she should be canonized.
Oprah was the perfect choice as Henrietta's daughter, the reason the story is told in the first place. Her studios also paid for the film, so it is well made. Rose Bryne played a good part. She got to tell Henrietta's story.
I'm so glad I've seen this. Learned her story and I still want to read the book too.
Remember there is some emotional scenes but they make the story.

4.5/5

The Friday 56 (With Instagram 56 & Book Beginnings)

Welcome to Week 329!

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. 
*It's that simple.

Or join The Friday 56 on Instagram!

Rules:

* Grab a book and find a creative way to showcase your 56.

It can be a photo of the book and the 56 in comments, or whatever you come up with.

Make sure to use the hashtag #Friday56

*Add your Instagram url to the Linky.

Got the post ready before work, but posted on my break.

There will be no #Instagram56 today because of it.

AMAZON

3% on Kindle

Book Beginnings leave your links in the comments if you didn't join in the Friday 56.

**No compensation was received for posting. Compensation may be earned from the link within the post. This is a meme post.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (12)

Kindle: 2056 KB

Print: 400 pages

Publisher: HarperTeen; Reprint edition (February 10, 2015)

ASIN: B00KFG156C

Graceling meets The Selection in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her?

Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

AMAZON US   |   AMAZON CA   |   AMAZON UK

Victoria Aveyard graduated from USC, where she majored in screenwriting. RED QUEEN is her first novel. She splits her time between Massachusetts and Los Angeles. You can visit her online at www.victoriaaveyard.com.

REVIEW:

I need Glass Sword now!
This story is pretty amazeballs. Has a super amount of adventure. Usurping of thrones. Killings and fighting, and all in the name of glory.
I'm slightly disappointed that a couple people didn't get what they deserved, but hopefully that is coming in the next book. 
The idea of these two groups of people in this book, Silvers and Reds, having 'others' that share both traits is the spark of the plot. You keep waiting for Mare to show her shit. She eventually does, and it's epic, but you do pine for it to show throughout.
A great start to this series though, and I can't wait for more!


4.5/5

**No compensation was received for posting. Compensation may be earned from the links within. This copy was purchased. Opinions are owned by Freda's Voice.

How Can a Landscaping Project Add Value to Your Home?

How Can a Landscaping Project Add Value to Your Home? 

If you have been searching for ways to add value to your home, you may have come upon the term "paysagement." The word is French and it translates to "landscaping." This is a term that carries a great deal of meaning in a variety of languages. It translates in the end to adding variety and interest to your property so that you can show it off in the best possible light. While doing so, you also add a significant amount of value to the ultimate resale price of your home. This is good a reason as any to get started on learning more about how to landscape your property and raise its ultimate resale value. 

How Can You Get Started on a Home Landscaping Project? 

The first thing to do when starting on a new landscaping project is to decide on what needs to be done to fix existing problems. For example, if the curbing alongside your property is ragged and broken, it's definitely time to get it fixed. You can arrange to pour new concrete to fill in gaps and correct any abnormalities that may have developed over the years. The important thing is to make sure that you are adding real value to your property while still staying well within the limits of your personal budget. You will need to keep an eye on how much money is being spent on each of these operations.

Landscaping Your Home Is More Than a Matter of Mowing the Lawn 

Before you begin on a major landscaping project, you should be fully aware that it will entail quite a bit more than simply mowing your lawn. Of course, keeping your lawn as full and green as possible is a big part of raising your home's resale value. If you have brown or empty patches in your front or back lawn, you will need to get them spruced up and filled in immediately. Likewise, if you don't have a sprinkler system installed, this is an excellent time to see that you get one hooked up. Keeping a healthy, well groomed lawn is a big part of giving your potential home buyers the best possible impression. 

Cleaning Up Your Gutters Is a Great Way to Raise Your Resale Value 

Another great way to raise the resale value of your home is to make sure that all of your gutters are clean, empty, and in the best possible condition. Gutters can be a tricky thing to keep running smoothly. They fill up with muck and grime at the drop of a hat, which is what they are designed to do. However, it will be up to you to check and clean them thoroughly after each major rainstorm so that they do not begin to back up and cause major problems. 

You May Not Be Able to Handle the Entire Job By Yourself

It's important to know your limitations in life. If you aren't naturally gifted with a green thumb, gardening may not be the best occupation for you to attempt. Likewise, while there are certain aspects of landscaping that are obvious even to amateurs, it may still be an excellent idea for you to seek professional help. There are certain jobs which may be too complex and risky for you to handle by yourself. In such cases, it's best to get help from a professional landscaper.

The Advice and Counsel of a Professional Landscaper Will Be a Great Help

It's an excellent idea to seek out the advice and counsel of a professional landscaping service. This is the best move you can make when contemplating a large project. Any tips you can get on how to undertake such a large endeavor will certainly come in handy in the long run. You can surf the web in order to discover any special offers being made by a local landscaper. You can also do quick price and service comparisons on all of the local services to make sure you are getting the very best deal for your dollar. Armed with this knowledge, you can feel free to undertake a project that will raise your home value.


**This is a sponsored post.

#Win Their Pretend Amish Courtship by Patricia Davids (US)

PATRICIA DAVIDS is a USA Today Bestselling author who grew up in Kansas. She began her career as a nurse, and put her dreams to write a book on hold as she raised a family and worked in the NICU. After forty years, she began writing seriously in 1996. Today, she enjoys crafting emotionally satisfying romances where love and faith being two people together forever.

      How-to Tips for Aspiring Writers:

This is a hard business and it’s getting harder. Don’t be fooled by the lure of easy or fast. Putting out a bad book is worse than not putting one out at all. My main advice is to learn the craft. Dissect books you love to see how the author evokes emotions in the characters and in the reader. Study the pacing of the story. Where and how does it rush you along and where and how does it make you dwell in the moment. A new writer must embrace constructive criticism, too.. It’ a hard lesson but it’s a valuable one. Every story can be improved. Finally, never ever give up believing that you will achieve your dream.

May 23, 2017

$5.99 US; 224 pages

ISBN: 978-0-373-62278-8

Fannie Erb isn’t looking for a husband – especially if it means she has to leave behind her beloved horses to go find one. What she needs is a way to assure her parents that she’s not hopeless when it comes to love. And her family friend, Noah Bowman, might just be her solution.

A fake relationship would free them both from unwanted matchmaking plans, but how could Fannie predict that pretending to date the handsome boy next door would awaken genuine emotions? By summer’s end, they’ll be free to go their separate ways, but Fannie’s growing feelings are transforming her neighbor into the only man who might ever reign in her adventurous heart.

WANNA WIN A COPY?

1 Winner

US only

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


**No compensation was received for posting. Freda's Voice is not responsible for the prize shipment, lost, damaged or stolen prizes.