Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Secrets of the IN-group by Carolyn Re and Loretta Re. This tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt for you as well as a guest post regarding social media. There's also a tour wide giveaway to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more excerpts, guest posts, interviews, reviews, and more. Enjoy!
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Title: Secrets of the IN-groupAuthors: Carolyn Re and Loretta Re
Publisher: Resisters
Publication Date: May 2nd 2019
Print Length: 366 pages
Genre: Women's Fiction
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A small town. A world wide web. Is the net really a friend?
What do you do when the children have flown the nest and you have time on your hands?
Six women in the Australian riverside city of Albury realise that, without social media skills, they’re staring irrelevancy in the face. Their book club won’t cut it any more. It’s time to go virtual.
But their decision to plunge into the on-line world brings shocking revelations and unexpected outcomes. Friendships, new and old, are tested and their lives teeter on the edge of collapse. They must navigate a path through the chaos. But who exactly can they trust?
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EXCERPT:
[Denise has sent off a valuable package she sold on Ebay. She’s waiting anxiously for payment from Nancy, her regular customer in the US.]
Now the panic was rising to a crescendo again. Logging into her bank account for the tenth time in thirty minutes wasn’t going to make ten thousand dollars appear miraculously in her account, but it was all she could do. Each viewing made her heart pump harder. Could there be a delay because it involved so much money this time?
Two days later, and still no sign of the payment, she sent a frantic email.
Nancy, the money hasn’t arrived and I posted your package days ago. What’s happened?
A reply arrived the following day, but it wasn’t what she was expecting.
Dear friends, it read. Our dear Aunt Nancy is in hospital after suffering a stroke. The stress of her beloved mother’s death recently has played its part and the doctors can’t say how well she will recover, so we ask for your thoughts and prayers at this very sad time. Stacey (Nancy’s niece)
Denise stared in horror. Poor Nancy. But what a terrible time for this to happen. It would surely delay the money being forwarded. Denise’s heartburn became a little worse.
She sent an email back to Stacey, saying how sorry she was to hear the news and how she hoped for Nancy’s full recovery, but received no update. She waited a few days before sending another email to enquire about Nancy’s health, but rather than hearing from Stacey, she received a return message...
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Carolyn Re worked for over twenty years as a general practitioner before turning to writing. No longer needing to produce serious medical and scientific articles, she's now writing contemporary fiction for older women. Carolyn lives in the regional city of Albury, New South Wales, with Ziggy the whippet and three contented chickens.
Loretta Re is a former lawyer who is now writing novels and screenplays. Her book for middle grade readers, Stand Up and Cheer, is a story inspired by the rescue of the Uiver DC2 over Albury during the 1934 Centenary Air Race. It was voted one of the best books for literacy and language development in 2015. Loretta lives in Sydney and is on the board of Writing NSW.
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GUEST POST:
- Do you believe that we rely on social media too much to be happy? Why or why not?
The more we engage with others, the happier we are, and social media is a great way of connecting with family and friends, and of meeting new people with similar interests anywhere in the world. Who would think that two sisters writing a novel set in their small town in Australia could reach out to readers a world away so seamlessly? That’s just one way we’ve found social media can promote happiness.
There’s a difference, though, between using social media in an active way to nurture happiness, and using it passively to observe other people’s lives. Scrolling for hours in a never-ending search for ‘Likes’, or feeling like a loser by making comparisons with more beautiful or successful ‘winners’, can turn social media into a monster.
Our novel, Secrets of the IN-group tells the story of older women who haven’t grown up with social media, are unsure of it and even a little fearful. They don’t belong to the generation that naturally reaches for their iPhone as soon as they wake, but they do need to learn how social media works. Once they’ve been introduced to it, they become keen students. The problem is, they’re naïve and trusting.
The story has unexpected twists and shocks as the women in the IN-group discover the best and worst of social media. They all find new passions and connect with people around the world. One, much to her surprise, finds herself with a legion of followers she wasn’t even seeking. But social media also comes with a downside for some of the women when it exposes secrets that could destroy their world, and brings in strangers intent on harming them.
Used with care and generosity, social media can tackle loneliness, introduce us to worlds we never knew existed and teach us almost anything. It helps us feel connected and happier, so it’s not surprising that we’ve all come to rely on it so much. On the down side, it can make our lives a lot more difficult. It’s up to us how we use it.
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GIVEAWAY:
Carolyn Re and Loretta Re will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour each day. Good luck!
Thanks so much for sharing your terrific book. I sure enjoyed reading about it and appreciate you taking the time to share it with us.
ReplyDeleteYour comments are always welcome, James. Thank you so much for following the tour
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteDo you have any plans for a followup?
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie,
DeleteWe've grown to like our ladies so much, we'd love them to have more adventures together, so a follow up is on the cards!
Carolyn and Loretta
sounds so good :D
ReplyDeletemia2009(at)comcast(dot)net
Thanks for coming on the tour, Edye
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
The book sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rita, for joining us on this book blog tour
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
Thanks for the chance!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Jamie
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
Thank you very much for hosting us on this book blog tour, Heather
ReplyDeleteWe love being able to introduce our book to others.
Carolyn and Loretta
Sounds like a very good book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sherry, for joining our tour
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
A question: What authors and book series did you read as a child and adolescent?
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Hi Nancy,
DeleteWe loved so many writers. The Anne of Green Gables series was a big favourite—we even made a special trip from Australia to Prince Edward Island in Canada to visit the site of the book. We also liked Louisa May Alcott's Little Women series, Pollyanna, Heidi, and of course, all the Enid Blyton mystery, adventure and school stories
I enjoy women's fiction! This one sounds like one not to miss.
ReplyDeleteHope you have a chance to read it, Caryl, and enjoy it
DeleteBest wishes
Carolyn and Loretta
I'm wondering what comes next for those of us who do know how to use social media...there's bound to be something coming that will make us feel as if we're irrelevant! My kids are young adults now, so my days of empty nesting are certainly coming soon.
ReplyDeleteGreat question, Christy,
DeleteWe're hoping it will be something like robots to help us around the home — once we learn to program them!
Empty nests open up all sorts of opportunities, so there's still a lot to look forward to!
Carolyn and Loretta
Sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dale
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
I liked both the excerpt, and the book cover.
ReplyDeleteWe like the book cover, too, Juana
DeleteThanks for following us on the tour
Carolyn and Loretta
What's the longest you've ever stayed up?
ReplyDeleteWe're both larks, so no late nights fo us!
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
The book sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for coming on the tour, Deb. Hope you enjoy it
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
How did you come up with the title of the book?
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie,
DeleteThe title had a few changes as the book evolved, beginning with The IN-group (IN stands for Information Networking), to A Mingled Yarn, until we decided that as so many secrets were exposed, Secrets of the IN-group fitted the bill.
Carolyn and Loretta
Great cover
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy,
DeleteThe colours really stand out, don't they?
Carolyn and Loretta
thanks this book sounds wonderful
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome and thanks for joining the tour
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
I really like the cover and I can relate to the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julie
DeleteOther readers who, like us, didn't grow up with social media either, find they relate to it, too!
Carolyn and Loretta
How have you given to charity in the last year?
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining the tour, Victoria
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
Thank you for this giveaway
ReplyDeleteYour'e welcome, and thanks for joining the tour
DeleteCarolyn and Loretta
I love the cover - it's so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate, so many readers are telling us they love the cover. We had several beautiful choices, which you can see in our book tour post for January 15 at https://fabulousandbrunette.blogspot.com
DeleteThanks for following,
Carolyn and Loretta
What did you name your pet?
ReplyDeleteHi Jamie,
DeleteMy dog's name is Ziggy and he's an adorable black whippet.
Thanks for joining the tour
Carolyn
What are your plans for the week?
ReplyDeleteWe're busy writing this week, Jamie.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes
Carolyn and Loretta
What was your most exciting date?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the excerpt! It's nice to see a little snippet about the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading about it, Dianna
DeleteBest wishes
Carolyn and Loretta
When is your bedtime?
ReplyDeleteLoved the excerpt!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sandra,
DeleteBest wishes
Carolyn and Loretta
I love the cover!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Danielle,
DeleteWe chose the cover because it's bright and happy, and we hope it's how readers will feel at the end of the book.
Carolyn and Loretta
This sounds like a great read!
ReplyDeleteHi Holly,
DeleteWe tried to add suspense, mystery and romance into the book to make a great read. Hope you enjoy it.
Carolyn and Loretta
Sounds like a good read. I like the cover.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susan,
DeleteYou may be interested to read about how we chose the cover at the book blog site https://fabulousandbrunette.blogspot.com
Regards
Carolyn and Loretta
What was your favourite day of school?
ReplyDelete