Hi! Welcome to the Rave Reviews Book Club 2016 Book & Blog Party.
Check out the rest of the RRBC blog tour lineup
Today I am honored to be your host. My name is Jo Ann Wentzel and I am pretty much a new kid on the block. This club has given me a warm welcome so I am ready and willing to become a supportive member. This tour is such fun and a wonderful way to get to know all of you. You are all great authors and I am so impressed with the quality and quantity of the books you have written. I must admit I am somewhat overwhelmed by all the great books I want to read and wonder if I will ever find time again to write myself. I want to read them all and how I try (Former home town librarians can vouch for that fact.) My husband and I are retired to a small motor home so this blog comes to you now from the 90 plus degree New Mexico. Specifically, we are in Sumner Lake State Park where we can enjoy the wilder side of nature while keeping an eye out for a recently sighted cougar.
Comment to be entered for prizes
Today’s prizes include 1-$10 Amazon gift card, an autographed copy of It Begins and Ends with Family and an autographed copy of Ultimate Betrayal. So three prizes and three separate winners. Just comment below for a chance to win. Good Luck!
Who am I?
For those who care I am a wife to the same wonderful man for over 52 years. I am a mother of two children, a daughter and son. I am also a grand mom to three grandsons plus the granddaughter I was blessed with when one grandson married. I am a former foster parent and worked with over 75 kids. Often our house saw 8 teen boys at a time so there was never a dull moment. My entire life was spent working with challenging kids and at risk families, retail jobs and writing. I adore party and event planning. In between, during or in addition to normal jobs, I often was employed in a variety of pursuits -anything from pulling chickens out of cages to send to Campbell’s for soup to selling cars. For a while I even fancied myself a goat herder.
You can see I have a love of color, no pale pastels for me; nothing that speaks of a sedate, classic personality. Besides this is a party!!! I have a weird sense of humor and people call me creative. Once bought a rickshaw at an auction and planned a whole promotion around it for a gas station we ran. I came late to the career of being an author and still am very green. Trying to learn how to write, how to promote, how to get reviews and how to sell books. Have no book trailers, videos or audios to offer yet. Hopefully, they are in the near future. This blog tour is enabling me to learn from all of you and that is appreciated. Since I can use all the help I can get.
Ultimate Betrayal (a first novel by Jo Ann Wentzel )
No one knows when the end will come! The Bible points to signs of those final days. It provides the warnings as to what the times leading up to it may be like, some very clear but, most more obtuse. We are warned that at the beginning of the end lawlessness will prevail. It speaks of cold hearts where no one really cares for their fellow man and even feelings for close relatives takes a back position behind a person’s own selfish desires. It is a world that is all about me. It is about selfishness and caring only for what you want or need. We have seen signs of this already and if not for the Church, we would be a people without concern for others and a world void of love.
Ultimate Betrayal explores a world like this. The world’s children are in trouble. When a criminal element explodes during the same time as a wonderful technological breakthrough; a unique and unthinkable solution results. This is not what the scientists promised. It is not any reasonable answer that those with a conscience could abide. Follow this time of hopelessness and misery but, don’t despair because the innate good in people will overcome and save all the children and restore human kindness and love.
Ultimate Betrayal will be followed by a sequel soon.
What reviewers are saying about this book!
“Good plot!”
“Hardly able to put it down once started.”
“Difficult subject… at times hard to read.”
“Read in one 4 hour sitting.”
“Found the book an interesting study of life and the way we treat others, especially kids.”
“The story pulls the reader into a fictional world that could easily become reality.”
“This book made me feel a myriad of emotions. Mostly anger.”
It Begins and Ends with Family by Jo Ann Wentzel (a non-fiction book)
After decades of fostering and working with at risk, challenging kids, a book was born. Over 75 kids each brought a lesson with them. They were all troubled and many broken. They had different stories but, the final results were always the same. They needed help to become functional or whole again. They needed to regain trust in any person especially those closest to them. For most of their lives, they had been let down time and time again by those who should have protected them and loved them unconditionally. They all needed some place to belong and a family that loved and protected them- blood or not. This book reveals the way we worked our way back to the beginning family to find the origin of the problems and tried to help that family once again become a place to belong and be loved in again. While this challenge was being met we gave them what they needed -love, support, a safe place to be themselves and people they could begin to trust again.
Who should read this book?
Foster parents– it explores a world only they understand. Those professional parents know foster care is not about dressing children up in cute outfits and giving them a cookie. This is almost a manual for those newbies.
Parents– we all know how hard the job is and that sometimes we should have more tools in our parenting tool box. You may not have kids with so many problems but, we all could use solutions that are creative and focus on a sense of humor.
Those who love reading about the dynamics of a large family– I was an only child, so much of the time growing up was rather boring. I always gravitated toward large families because there was always something going on. They were full of fun and all the different personalities in the family meant interesting and entertaining encounters.
Foster kids– You may enjoy reading about our brand of fostering and the things that made our house unique.
All readers may find the topic informative and eye opening. When you work within the system and need to advocate for the children they place with you sometimes you must recommend solutions not everyone is comfortable with or agrees with but, must be implemented for the good of the child.
Thanks for stopping and enjoy the rest of the book and blog tour! Don’t forget to comment. Consider joining the Rave Reviews Book Club for great author exposure and support.
Hi Jo Ann! This was a great post; thanks so much for sharing! I’m adding It Begins and Ends with Family to my TBR list; it sounds like some fascinating reading! Take care, stay cool, and enjoy your weekend! 🙂 ~Stephanie
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The freedom is great but, ours is an old, small motor home and needs repairs pretty often. We were trying the experiment in an older one because a new one is out of the question but, will soon need to upgrade. This is a wonderful club and I am impressed with all the supportive members. Thanks for the kind words and stopping by.
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Hi, Jo Ann. I’m a little late today. What a great job with hosting and posting today! You do indeed have a colorful site. Ultimate Betrayal looks very interesting and I hope to read it as soon as I can. Welcome to RRBC and I hope you’ve had a fabulous day!
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No worries-we’re open all day. Had a great day and am so thrilled with the club participation. Share your thoughts when you get a chance to read it. Love to learn from everyone. Thanks for stopping by.
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Interesting sounding book and opening! Looking forward to reading it! Cheers! S.J. Francis 🙂 Vibrant colors are so much better than pale pastels!!
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Thanks for all the compliments and stopping by..Let me know your thoughts if you get to read it. This club is the greatest..
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Jo Ann, it’s been an absolute pleasure getting to know you better. I joined RRBC just before the Blog Party last year and found it to be a fantastic and fun way to meet fellow members. I didn’t have a clue about blogging. No clue! But it’s been an incredible year of friendship and learning. I’m so glad you joined us. 🙂
My gosh…your journey is truly inspiring. Enjoy your retirement, traveling with your love and writing as you go. Your gracious spirit, humour, and creativity is a blessing and gift to the world.
I hope you enjoyed an awesome party day! Many cheers. 🙂
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Natalie, I am sure glad I joined RRBC. I have enjoyed all the fantastic members and their work amazes me.I hope to be active enough to get to know all of you better. You are all touching my heart. Thanks for dropping by.
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Hi Jo Ann, wonderful site, great books and wonderful life!!! I envy you. I think I was in that New Mexico State Park on one of two cross country trips. I remember the turquoise sky and the beauty all around me–then a kid threw up but . . . we were warned not to drink the water lol. Your books sound awesome and I hope to get to some of them soon. be patient–long TBR list.
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Yes, we all have long lists of books to read and I wonder sometimes if I have enough years left to get to them all. The park is great. We really like New Mexico both the scenery and the people. No rush, I suspect I will be looking for readers and their thoughts for a very long time. Appreciate your stopping by today.
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Hello, Jo Ann! Your blog has a real snazzy look to it. Thanks for having us over. Best wishes to you.
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Another name I see constantly and recognize for being one of the top people in the club. Thanks for all you do. Appreciate your dropping by.
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Welcome to #RRBC! I’m so glad that you joined the tour this year. I envy you the Simplicity of your life, especially since mine is so crazy these days. I have added your book to my must read list and I can’t wait to get to it. I hope you are having a wonderful day. 😃
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I am having a super day. My little blog is swelling with pride at the attention it is getting today.Retirement is a simple life and we enjoy it. Though keeping busy, it is nothing like foster care . Hope you get a moment to slow down and enjoy your life. Please share your thoughts when you get to read my book.Thanks for stopping by.
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Welcome to RRBC! Nice to read about you and get to “know” (online anyway) another author!
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I am enjoying meeting all the members,such a wealth of support and talent. Thanks for stopping by.
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Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie.
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\What a nice thing to do. Thank you.
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You meet such a wealth of interesting people on #RRBC!
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It has been wonderful to start to get to know the group. Thanks for visiting.
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I’m late to the party, as well, but JoAnn, I heard somewhere that it’s better late than never, so here I am! I enjoyed reading all about you. Interesting life, interesting woman you are. Thanks for sharing! Hope you had a great time!
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Nonnie, thanks for coming to the party. You are welcome whenever you arrive.I appreciate you stopping by since I know how busy you must be. Thanks for coming and for the kind words. It was an impressive turnout and I am glad to have joined this club.
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