Spotlight: Clouds by Laura Sobiech

Originally published as Fly a Little Higher and now updated and revised to coincide with the film release of Clouds, Laura Sobiech tells the amazing, true story behind the song and the movie.

“Okay, Lord, you can have him. But if he must die, I want it to be for something big. I want someone’s life to be changed forever.” This is what Laura Sobeich prayed when she found out her seventeen-year-old son had only one year to live. With this desperate prayer, she released her son to God’s will.

At that point, Zach Sobiech was just another teenager battling cancer. When his mother told him to think about writing goodbye letters to family and friends, he decided instead to write songs. One of them, “Clouds,” captured hearts and changed lives, making him an international sensation.

This story is a testament to what can happen when you live as if each day might be your last. It’s a story about the human spirit. It shows how God used a dying boy from a small town in Minnesota to touch the hearts of millions—including top executives in the entertainment industry, major music artists, news anchors, talk show hosts, actors, priests and pastors, and schoolchildren across the globe. And above all, it’s an example of the amazing things that happen when someone shares the most precious thing he has—himself.

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About the Author

In 2009 Laura Sobiech was living a very average life. She was married to her husband, Rob, for 20 years, had four children and was working two part-time jobs and volunteering as a firefighter/EMT at her local fire department.

Then, on a gloomy day in November 2009, everything changed. Her fourteen-year-old son, Zach, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of pediatric bone cancer. As Zach battled cancer, Laura blogged about it on their Caring Bridge website.

In May 2012 Zach learned he had only a year to live and, as a way to say “goodbye” to his family and friends, he wrote a beautiful song called “Clouds.” The song touched not only family and friends, but through the help of a team of people who believed in Zach’s music and message, it reached millions of people across the globe.

In May 2013 a documentary called My Last Days: Meet Zach Sobiech was released on the Soul Pancake YouTube channel. The video went viral and reached over 12.3 million people within months of it’s release. And the numbers continue to grow.

The week of Zach’s death, on May 20, 2013, his song reached #1 on iTunes and made it’s way up Billboard’s Top 100 chart, debuting at #26, and topping the Rock Digital Downloads at #1.

Laura’s memoir, FLY A LITTLE HIGHER, How God Answered a Mom’s Small Prayer in a Big Way, is about her family’s amazing, joyful and heartbreaking journey with Zach through cancer and his incredible last year of life.

Learn more about Laura, Zach and the book at flyalittlehigher.com. #flyhigher

Spotlight: Her Accidental Highlander Husband by Allison B. Hanson

Series: Clan MacKinlay, Book One
Genre: Historical Romance/Scottish

Marian Fletcher Blackley, Duchess of Endsmere, has been on the run from the English Crown for weeks since killing her abusive husband…no matter that it was self-defense. She has only one safe place to go—the MacKinlay clan in Scotland, where her sister is the laird’s wife.

War Chief Cameron MacKinlay has vowed never to marry after witnessing his widowed mother’s grief. He has his lands and his clan, and that’s enough for a good life. When one day a sprite of a lass comes running out of the forest with hounds nipping at her heels and an English bounty hunter not far behind, he feels compelled to save her by claiming the disheveled duchess is his wife. But he certainly didn’t intend to marry her for real!

And now he’ll do anything to protect her…

AMAZON 

About the Author

One very early morning, Allison B. Hanson woke up with a conversation going on in her head. It wasn’t so much a dream as being forced awake by her imagination. Unable to go back to sleep, she gave in, went to the computer, and began writing. Years later it still hasn’t stopped.

Allison lives near Hershey, Pennsylvania. Her contemporary romances include paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, and mystery suspense. She enjoys candy immensely, as well as long motorcycle rides, running and reading.

Watch an interview with the author here.

She would love to hear from you. Click here to leave a message.

Sign up here for her newsletter to be informed about new releases as well a deleted scenes and pre-release excerpts.

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Accidental Highlander Husband

Spotlight: Blood in the Low Country by Paul Attaway

Step back in time a bit. The year is 1973, and by all appearances, Monty Atkins has a wonderful life. Along with his wife, Rose, the girl of his dreams he met in college, they are raising two boys, Eli and Walker. Humble but competitive, Monty is slowly but steadily building a profitable and well-respected law practice in beautiful Charleston, SC. His hard work, steeped in a deeply engrained Protestant work ethic, is paying dividends in the form of a second home on Kiawah Island and membership in the exclusive Wappoo Country Club.

Rose, an aspiring socialite, chairs committees and works tirelessly for her church and the school their boys attend.

So, yes, Monty Atkins has a wonderful life, until he doesn't. In a flash, everything changes when a brutal murder and a shocking betrayal turn their world upside down. Brewing beneath the surface lurks a conspiracy of lies about who they are and what they believe. The wellspring of deception and ensuing dysfunction that threaten to destroy all they have built is Rose's past, a past she can't outrun.

In the hunt for the killer, Monty draws the ire of one of Charleston's most prominent businessmen, who sets out to destroy him. Monty now faces a multi-front battle, one to save his family, one to save his business and one to save his life.

Step back in time and immerse yourself in a taut, tension-filled thriller where the genteel veneer of life in the South lived by those for whom Sunday Bruch at the Club is as holy as that morning's church service is stripped away.

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About the Author

Paul was born and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Paul and his wife, Lyn, met in college at Georgetown University and were married after Paul graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law. They moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1988 where Paul embarked on a thirty-year business career before retiring so he could write fiction. Paul and Lyn raised three children together in Phoenix and now split their time between Phoenix and Charleston, South Carolina.Blood in the Low Country is Paul Attaway’s debut novel. Writing this book, along with the move to Charleston, is a coming home of sorts, a return to the South. The history and culture of America’s South is rich, complicated, at times comical, sad, tragic, uplifting, and inspiring. Paul hopes that his novels capture even a small bit of this tapestry.

Additional information on Paul Attaway and Blood in the Low Country is available at www.paulattaway.com and on Instagram at AuthorPaulAttayway.

Spotlight: A Shot at Amore by Nora James

Second chance love has never been so alluring ... or dangerous.

When Sofia returns to the small town of Sant'Agosto in Central Italy to take care of her sick aunt, she doesn't expect to find Antonio, her childhood sweetheart, there. He's back from Rome, has turned into the sexiest man alive - and he carries a gun. That's because, as Vice Commander of a special operations group, he fights the Mafia on a daily basis.

Can Antonio be trusted with Sofia's heart? Or will he disappoint her as he did when they were teens?

For Antonio, the situation is even more fraught: should he push Sofia away to protect her from his dangerous world, or let her love him although it could cost her life?

Exclusive Excerpt 

Her lips sought his this time, nibbling them, teasing them, and she melted into Antonio, her breasts against his chest, her heart beating with his. He placed his hand on her back as he continued to taste her, kissing her softly now. She was sweet and strong at the same time, like coffee in the morning. She was warm yet as fresh as the wind of change, the only change he needed. Something in his gut told him it would take nothing more, nothing less, than Sofia herself to make him happy again.

His lips finally left hers reluctantly. ‘You have no idea how glad I am that you kissed me back.’ 

She pressed her hand against his chest as a cheeky smile transformed her expression. ‘I think I do.’

‘Listen, something fishy is going on in this hospital, Sofia,’ he quickly whispered. ‘It’s dangerous. I’m not making it up, I swear. I couldn’t just go home and leave you here on your own, but I couldn’t risk you being seen with me, either. The men at the restaurant? They’re here, in this hospital. We have to be careful. Just give me a minute.’

He glanced through the small glass pane in the door, and then opened the door itself a crack. The men who’d threatened the doctor were nowhere to be seen. ‘Looks like they’re gone.’

‘Who are they?’

‘I’m not even sure. One thing I do know is that the less you’re told, the better, Sofia. Believe me.’

‘How very convenient.’ She crossed her arms, her dark gaze filling suddenly with disapproval. 

‘I’m not having you on.’ Antonio glanced at the patient in the room who was fast asleep in bed. ‘At least I don’t have to explain myself to that lady.’

Sofia grunted. ‘I’m sure you’d come up with something far-fetched to say.’

‘Look, I’m sorry I told you I was going home. This whole thing isn’t ideal, I know. I’m just doing my best.’

 ‘No, it’s certainly not ideal.’ She studied him for a moment, as if weighing up her options. ‘At least it was a nice kiss.’ 

He gasped. ‘Nice? That wasn’t nice. That was amazing.’

Smiling, she placed a hand flat against the wall behind her and looked straight into his eyes. He let his hand come to rest next to hers, and leaned in close, so close that he could feel her warmth. He gazed at her face, at the long, dark lashes that lined her almond-shaped eyes, the perfectly plump lips that he could taste again and again if he let himself go. In the harsh hospital light most people’s skin took on an unflattering colour. Not Sofia’s. She was beautiful, all the time. ‘I hope I’ll be able to explain everything to you soon.’

‘Everything?’

‘Absolutely everything.’ Including the past, the sleepless nights, the regrets. 

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About Nora James

Nora James grew up in Australia, before spending several years in Paris where she studied, worked and met the Frenchman who would soon become her husband. In her mid-twenties she returned to Western Australia with her spouse, read law at UWA and travelled extensively through her employment as an international resources lawyer and translator.

In 2016 she and her husband returned to France. She now writes novels from the home in coastal Brittany that the couple share with their daughter and a menagerie of furry friends.

When Nora’s not dreaming up stories she can be found in the garden growing vegetables, in the kitchen cooking up a storm or on the couch reading a good book. 

Connect with Nora: Facebook | Twitter | Website 

Spotlight: Hunting of Men by Lance J. LoRusso

“For the courts, there is a resolution to every murder case brought before them. Cold cases are different. The crimes remain unsolved. For the detectives assigned to Homicide, every victim deserves justice. After significant time has passed, only the victim’s loved ones and the homicide detectives keep lit the hope of justice. Those who hunt killers know a thrill, fear, and frustration unique to their profession.”

Young, ambitious, and clever, Johnny Till is a force to be reckoned with as a new homicide detective for the Lawler County Police Department. As tradition demands, on his first day on the job, Till pulls a cold case file to investigate. The file in question is one that has haunted the department and community for years: the cold-blooded murder of Officer Michael Dunlap, gunned down in the black of night some twenty years earlier. Now, in order to solve the murder and heal the victims left behind, Till must reopen old wounds and retrace the final days of Dunlap’s life. The journey will lead him down a rabbit hole to a darker, more sinister conspiracy, one that threatens to steal the lives of children around the world. In order to close this cold case, Till must not only come into his new role as a homicide detective, but face his own fears to truly become a hunter of men.

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About the Author

Lance LoRusso is the Principal of the LoRusso Law Firm located in Atlanta, Georgia. As a civil litigator with a law enforcement background, he focuses his practice on critical incident & media response, catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. A former officer, LoRusso is a strong advocate for Georgia law enforcement. He serves as General Counsel to the Georgia Fraternal Order of Police as well as Lodge Attorney for Cobb County’s Lodge 13 of the Fraternal Order of Police. Additionally, he responds to critical incidents on behalf of law enforcement officers, having represented officers in over 80 on-duty shootings.  LoRusso is a highly sought-after media expert on law enforcement issues and has appeared on CNN, HLN, FOX News Channel, FOX Business Network, The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, and numerous other outlets throughout the world.  LoRusso also speaks and trains on law enforcement issues.  In addition to his fiction books, he is the author of two critically acclaimed non-fiction books - When Cops Kill: The Aftermath of a Critical Incident is a comprehensive study for law enforcement and family members of law enforcement officers to deal with in the aftermath of a shooting or violent alteration with a suspect; Blue News, deals with how law enforcement agencies deal with the media and public after officer-involved shootings and the dynamic that drives the news media to cover and report on critical incidents involving law enforcement.

Additional information on Lance LoRusso, Hunting of Men, and his other books may be obtained at www.lancelorussobooks.com

Spotlight: Ship Wrecked by Cassie Cross

Skye McLane is Hollywood’s newest It Girl. Between the film offers flying in and the ever-present awards buzz around her, Skye seems to have everything, until pictures of her heartthrob boyfriend cheating on her are splashed all over the internet. Heartbroken, Skye just wants to focus on her work and lick her wounds in private, but her publicist has another plan. 

His name is River Holloway. 

River’s a rising star with a penchant for finding trouble wherever he goes. He has a new movie coming out and some career-making deals in the works, but River’s getting the wrong kind of attention after a couple of fights captured by the paparazzi. What he needs is an image rehab, and his publicist thinks Skye is just the girl who can give it to him. 

America’s newest sweetheart and a bad boy in need of a little TLC seems like the perfect recipe for some positive press. It’s strictly a showmance with a pre-determined expiration date, until a trip to a tropical paradise leaves them shipwrecked, and their time alone together makes them realize that their feelings might not be for show after all…

Exclusive Excerpt

I go for Gigi’s leash first, just to get ahold of her, but she and her new friend are too excited. The golden starts chasing her around the tree trunk, and before I know it, the golden’s leash is wrapped around my calves and my balance is quickly fading. One playful lunge at Gigi later, and I’m on my way to busting ass on the pavement. I cringe and prepare myself for impact. 

Impact that never comes. At least where I’m expecting it. 

Instead of hitting the sidewalk, I fall back into what feels like a wall of muscle that smells like soap and happiness. The wall of muscle’s muscular arms wrap around me and set me to rights, leaving me fully vertical and a little bit dazed. 

Wall of Muscle untangles the leashes and scoops Gigi up, then gives the golden a few pats on the head. When I get a glimpse of his face, I hear angels singing. 

He’s tall, broad, could probably carry me, the golden and Gigi up Runyon Canyon without breaking a sweat. He has sparkling blue eyes made brighter by the sun shining on them, artfully tousled blondish-brown hair and a movie-star smile with a slightly crooked front tooth.

As a matter of fact, he may actually be a movie star. He looks kinda familiar, but I don’t want to do that thing that people do to me and stare at him a little too long trying to place his face. 

“I think this fell out of your bag,” he says, looking down at Gigi. I wrap my leash around my wrist to be safe, but he doesn’t let her go. He does, however, hand over my bag. And my coffee. 

I think I’m in love. 

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About Cassie Cross

Cassie Cross is a Maryland native and a romantic at heart, who lives outside of Baltimore with her two dogs and a closet full of shoes. Cassie’s fondness for swoon-worthy men and strong women are the inspiration for most of her stories, and when she’s not busy writing a book, you’ll probably find her eating takeout and indulging in her love of 80’s sitcoms.

Connect with Cassie Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook