Get Cupid’s Quest for Only $0.99!
Hi everyone,
If you’ve been thinking about downloading Cupid’s Quest, now is the time to do it. You can now grab a copy for only .99 Cents. I am in the editing and fleshing out phase on book # 2, so expect to release another book soon. It will have to go through edits, but the cover is already designed, so it shouldn’t be long.
Hi, everyone! If you don’t know me, I’m Lori Soard. I mainly write romance novels, and am also a nonfiction writer/editor. Welcome to my site. I’m thrilled to participate in Rave Reviews Book Club’s BACK-TO-SCHOOL BOOK & BLOG BLOCK PARTY. Thank you for checking out this first stop on the block party. Let’s kick things off with a bang!
My Location: Southern Indiana, USA (we have black bears here again and it is all anyone is talking about!)
UPDATE: Congratulations to Miranda L., winner of the bundle prize. Congrats to the winners of the autographed book and $10 gift card for Amazon: JoAnn W., Janelle J., Stacey D., Linda M. I have emailed everyone and once you send me your addresses will get the prizes out to you this week. If you did not win, you can still get free copies of THE ELIXIR and “DANCING LESSONS” by clicking on the links below.
To enter for a chance to win one of these prizes, you need to comment on this page. RRBC Block Party organizers will gather the names of those who comment and will randomly choose winners of the prizes.
I’m so thrilled you’ve stopped by and I’d love for you to check out my books and let me know what you think. If you sign up for my newsletter, you’ll get a free short story right now. The free short story you’ll receive just for signing up for my mailing list is titled “Auction Block”. It is a sort of comedic mystery. I think you’ll like it. I’d love to hear from you and know what you think.
You can also download The Elixir and Dancing Lessons for FREE on Amazon (links below). This will give you a chance to check out my books. I hope you love them and will want to read more.
The Elixir
by Lori Soard
The dark parking garage with the dead body of his friend and mentor only begins Jake Walker’s problems. Soon, he is the prime suspect in Benjamin Monroe’s murder and worried that his best friend, Ben’s daughter, will believe the worst.
Celeste doesn’t know who killed her father but she does know one thing—it wasn’t Jake. As she and Jake set out to find the killer, they discover that her father unlocked the code to a fountain of youth formula. Anyone who wanted the formula could have killed him, and it was worth millions.
During their investigation, they uncover more facts and more bodies. Because they show up at every crime scene, the detectives investigating the case suspect Celeste and Jake of murder. The two go on the run until they can clear their names. But, there are more sinister forces at work than either realizes, and the deception runs as deep as the national government…
Read The Elixir for free. Download now, read later.
“Dancing Lessons”
by Lori Soard
A heartwarming short story about the power of lasting love. A golden years romance tale of love that lasts forever.
“An incredibly beautiful story in such a few pages. I cried through the whole story. The story especially touched me because my late husband had Alzheimer’s.” – Lillian Ammann (5 stars)
“A sweet romance reminiscent of The Notebook without all the back story. Lori Soard gave us the important part – the eternal love between a man and wife. I have to wonder if Lori is feeling us out before taking this to a larger format. While I enjoyed this read, I hope there are more like this to come.” – Angela (5 stars)
Read “Dancing Lessons for free. Download now, read later.
Cupid’s Quest is the first in my Cupid’s Crossing series. It is an inspirational romantic comedy and starts with the story of Gracie, who runs a small nursing home in town that is about to go under.
Romance stories are in my blood. I read my first romance novel at the age of nine and simply absorbed them since them. Needless to say, while the story centers around the romance between Gracie and Brandt, the heart of this story is in the nursing home residents. They are wise, cranky, funny, and just know how to live life in a way that only those who have spent many years testing out different adventures can live.
This is the story of my heart and I hope it will become the story of your heart as well. I am currently working on Book # 2 in this series, which will be called Change of Heart.
If you get a chance to read this book, I’d love to hear your thoughts or have you review it. I hope you enjoy this story and these characters.
Order Your Copy of Cupid’s Quest
Once again, thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to share your thoughts and comments below for a chance to win one of the great prizes listed at the top of this page. You must comment today, August 1st, 2016 to be entered into the drawing. Best of luck on winning my giveaways! Be sure to check out the next stop for BOOK & BLOG BLOCK PARTY! I’ll be stopping in at future party stops as well. Enjoy!
Love,
Lori
Most of you probably remember that I had a mini writing retreat last month. I had my dog Maya along. This can create a bit of a challenge, because you can’t take a dog just anywhere with you, but her companionship was well worth the extra effort.
After visiting with my aunt and uncle, I headed back toward New Orleans for a short writing retreat. My plan was to finish up my current book, but I didn’t quite make it. That’s okay. I still got quite a bit done. On my way between Daphne and Metairie, I decided to stop in Mobile for a quick lunch. I had Maya with me, so I knew I’d need a dog-friendly place to stop.
I pulled up Bring Fido. If you haven’t checked out this website for traveling with your four-legged companions, you should. They will tell you restaurants in the area that are dog-friendly, as well as hotels and attractions. Surprisingly, there are a number of places that welcome dogs in this area, so you can have your pick.
Maya and I chose to stop in at Heroes Sports Bar & Grille. Bring Fido stated that it was friendly to dogs if you sat on the patio. They had a nice little covered patio area with large fans overhead stirring the air. I went ahead and poked my head in the door and asked if it was okay to sit out there with Maya, because you never know.
They welcomed us and a few minutes later a young girl brought a menu and said hello to Maya. She told me she owned a doxie as well. They brought Maya some water with crushed ice in it. Since it was at least a million degrees in Mobile that day, Maya truly appreciated the thought.
When I’m at a new restaurant, I always ask the server what she or he likes on the menu. It’s hard to know what to order and this at least gives me some insight from someone who has had a chance to frequently try things on the menu. She recommended the Solo Nachos, which I went ahead and ordered even though they weren’t low carb. These wer a smaller portion of the Culo Grande Naches and included a mound of chips, chili with beans, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa and a couple different types of cheeses including some Monterey Jack, which is one of my favorites. Next time, I would have them leave the jalepenos off, but that is personal preference. Even this small version was far more than I could eat alone, but it was truly delicious and satisfying.
I ordered Maya a rookie burger without the bun off the kids menu along with a side of fries because she loves them so much. Don’t worry, I only fed her a couple of the fries.
As we sat and ate our lunch, I could hear the bells from the nearby Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It is a parish established in the early 1700s. I didn’t get a chance to go inside, but the outside was beautiful and it seemed to be rather busy with people going in and out. The bells certainly were beautiful, playing classical tunes and ringing on the hour.
The entire area has a downtown vibe with refurbished buildings. Drive around the block and you’ll find old buildings like the one pictured here in the middle of being renovated. The look is very reminiscent of New Orleans with wrought iron balconies and brick buildings throughout.
My overall thoughts on this restaurant are that it is a great place to have lunch with your dog on a weekday, but on a weekend it is likely a little too busy as everyone enters and exits from that patio. I think the dog would have gotten underfoot had it been busier as the tables are close together. The staff was great and loved on my dog. The service was a little slow, but it is hard on the servers to go in and out and wait on the outside tables. So, since they were so nice and welcoming to Maya, I really can’t complain about the time it took. It wasn’t horrendous, just allow a little extra time.
The outside patio only has four tables that are four tops but there is an overflow patio to the side with umbrellas with some two and some four tops. I doubt it was as cool to sit out there, though, as it was getting more direct sunlight and I didn’t see any fans to stir the air.
Heroes is located right next to Bienville Square park, which is a historic park. It was just a lovely little break in a busy city.
If you are ever in the Mobile, Alabama area, with or without your pooch, I recommend you try Heroes Sports Bar & Grille. Good food, friendly staff, reasonable prices, and great atmosphere.
I leave you with this adorable picture of Maya to brighten your day.
Dear Friends,
It has been said that artists feel things on an extremely deep level of emotion. I am not sure that only applies to creative people, but my heart aches tonight. I sit here watching the news about yet another horrendous attack on innocent people simply trying to go about their day, enjoy their lives, celebrate their heritage. Today, it is Nice, France that was targeted. Tomorrow, it could be anywhere in the world as has been proven in recent months.
My heart breaks for the generation growing up and our young millennials. They will never know a world where you feel completely safe to go to a parade, marathon, or event where crowds are gathered. Those days are gone thanks to some evil hearted people who would take the lives of others.
I have been sitting here trying to think of what I want to say to my own daughters. I want them to know that while there is evil in the world that there is also still beauty. That the good people are far more in number than the bad. That the only way this type of evil can grow and thrive is in a world where those who are truly good hearted don’t stand up against it.
I wonder how those who don’t have Christ in their hearts face these types of situations with any type of hope at all. I know who is ultimately in control, even through difficult times. I know how the story ends one day. I have an amazing and blessed assurance that it will all be okay.
I am reminded of something I read a long time ago that Mr. Rogers said. When I was growing up, there were very few shows on the television for kids. Mr. Rogers was a daily must view during that time and he taught us a lot of good things about how to be a neighbor, how to be kind, how to be polite. He also left behind some words of wisdom that I think apply today.
When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” – Fred Rogers
During these troubling times, dear friends, let’s not only look for the helpers, let’s be the helpers. Let’s all focus on the beauty of the world. Puppies, kittens, young children who can be so very cute and so innocent to the bad things of the world, rainbows, butterflies, and a million other things. Let’s say a kind word, a prayer, or offer what we have to help those who are hurting.
It is easy to focus on the few who make the world a scary place. The truth is that there are far more people trying to make the world a better place. Blessings to you all.
Love,
Lori
This has been a whirlwind week for me. My almost 20-year-old daughter planned a cruise with her friends, but didn’t plan a way to the cruise. I decided to drive them to New Orleans as a one-time favor (next time, they’ll have to miss their cruise, because I consider this a learning experience and a mistake young people make once in their lives until they learn from that mistake).
It is normally an 11-hour drive to New Orleans from where I live, but took us 13. It’s a long story why. Part of it was traffic and part was people along for the ride who seem to enjoy taking their time at stops. We’ll be setting down some ground rules on the way home because I’m ready for my own bed.
I was able to visit one of my aunts who lives in Daphne and sneak in some family time and catching up. While there, I had the opportunity to go to Fairhope, Alabama. What a neat place. My aunt says a lot of artists and authors live there and I can see what. It is a picturesque town. There are shops filled with items made by local artisans. Pets are very welcomed there, so my little dog went along with me. She was welcomed in every store we went in and offered treats. The store owners put out bowls of water here and there along the sidewalk.
The town also sites on the bay with some gorgeous views. It is a very inspiring place, and I am thinking would make an ideal retreat at some point in the future to knock out another book or some short stories, etc. If you’ve never been there, I highly encourage you to check it out.
Tonight, I am tucked away, still in the deep south, working on Change of Heart, the second book in the Cupid’s Crossing series. Sinclaire’s spirit is so weary. She is a hard character for me to write because I tend to be very upbeat and happy. I am looking forward to the point in this story where she accepts God’s grace and starts to heal a bit. The weight of her discouragement is weighing on me and I’m trying to write things into the story to encourage her, but she is so very hurt and in pain.
Do you know someone like Sinclaire? How do you encourage that person? I’m also bringing the reader back into Gracie and Brandt’s lives as they plan their wedding and plant the first seeds for Brandt’s new pumpkin patch venture. This is the first series I’ve written and it is so much fun to catch up with these characters. Many of them feel like old friends. I can’t wait to complete this book and share it with you soon.
Until next time,
Lori
Years ago, I had a street team called Troop Lori. I would love to revamp that idea and start a new street team (name to be decided). Promotions and publishing have changed so much in recent years. I envision the street team as an opportunity for both of us. I will provide my team with books, goodies, and gifts. In return, they will help spread the word about my books, post honest reviews, and we can interact with one another via a private Facebook group.
You’ll get sneak peeks of my new releases, too. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, fill out my street team application below.
Thanks!
Lori Soard
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This Saturday at 1 p.m. EST (noon CST), I will be on the radio show Tag Team 2*4*5. You can listen to the show by going tohttp://www.blogtalkradio.com/ravereviewsbookclub. Hope some of you will join me as I talk about Cupid’s Quest and the writing life.
Please come join me this month on my virtual book tour, which the lovely Dorothy Thompson put together for me. You can see all my upcoming stops at: http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2016/04/03/pump-up-your-book-presents-cupids-quest-virtual-book-publicity-tour
Throughout the tour, I’ll be chatting about Cupid’s Quest, book # 1 in my Cupid’s Crossing series.
Join me tomorrow, April 4th, at the Writer’s Life. You’ll get to read reviews of my book, read articles I’ve written, read interviews and so much more.
If you aren’t already following me on social media, that is a great way to stay up to date on what I’m doing from day to day.
I hope you’ll join in the discussion at the various sites. Thanks, as always for your love and support.
Lori
My amazingly talented daughter create a book trailer for Cupid’s Quest. I love it so much. Hope you enjoy it as well. If you like it, please share it.
