Showing posts with label coming of age. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coming of age. Show all posts

Monday, July 13, 2026

Book Blitz - A Boy Becoming: Reflections from Ages 10-16 by Eddy Yang


A Boy Becoming:
Reflections From Ages 10-16
A Renewed Vision for a Kinder, Gentler World
by
Eddy Yang

Coming of Age Memoir
Publisher: MindStir Media
Publication Date: May 14, 2026
Page count: 150 pages
 
SYNOPSIS:


What if the most important lessons in life came from the ordinary moments we often overlook?


A Boy Becoming: A Renewed Vision for a Kinder, Gentler World is an inspiring coming-of-age memoir that invites readers into the private journals, drawings, reflections, and life experiences of young author Eddy Yang. Compiled from diary entries written between the ages of ten and sixteen, this powerful memoir chronicles the journey of a young boy learning how to navigate family, faith, friendship, sports, responsibility, and personal growth.

Through honest reflections and meaningful life lessons, Eddy explores what it means to build character in a world that often values achievement over integrity. Along the way, he learns that becoming a better person is not about perfection—it is about practice.

As an ice hockey goalie, Eddy discovers courage, resilience, humility, discipline, and the ability to recover from failure. Through conversations with his parents, guidance from teachers and coaches, experiences with service, and moments of self-reflection, he learns that true strength comes from within and that growth happens one choice at a time.


Filled with wisdom beyond his years, A Boy Becoming explores timeless themes including:


✔ Character Development and Personal Growth

✔ Kindness, Compassion, and Empathy

✔ Family Values and Faith

✔ Self-Reflection and Emotional Growth

✔ Discipline, Responsibility, and Resilience

✔ Youth Leadership and Positive Decision-Making

✔ Sportsmanship and Life Lessons from Hockey

✔ Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Humility

✔ Identity, Purpose, and Self-Discovery


At the heart of this reflective memoir is a simple but powerful truth: character is built slowly through ordinary moments. Every mistake, every challenge, every act of kindness, every lesson learned, and every effort to improve becomes part of the process of becoming.

Perfect for teens, young adults, parents, educators, coaches, mentors, and anyone interested in personal development, A Boy Becoming offers encouragement, insight, and hope for readers navigating their own journey of growth.


Inside You'll Discover:

● Honest diary reflections from childhood through adolescence
● Life lessons from family, faith, sports, and service
● Thought-provoking insights about character and self-improvement
● Inspirational messages for young people facing challenges and uncertainty
● Practical wisdom about becoming someone you respect


Memorable Quotes from the Book

"Kind is more important than smart. Logic has no moral. We must be nice no matter what."

"Forgiveness frees you more than it frees the other person."

"Possessions should not possess you."

"A distracted driver misses exits. A distracted life misses destiny."

"Remember: you are not your trophies. You are not your mistakes. You are the daily effort that nobody sees."


If you enjoy inspirational memoirs, coming-of-age stories, personal growth books, youth leadership, family-centered nonfiction, or books that encourage reflection and character development, A Boy Becoming will resonate long after the final page.


Because becoming a better person isn't a destination—it's a lifelong journey.
 
CLICK TO PURCHASE!

| Amazon | BAM! | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop.org |

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Eddy Yang is a student, writer, ice hockey goalie, and young author whose work focuses on self-reflection, personal growth, family values, faith, discipline, and character development.

His passion for writing began long before he imagined becoming an author. Throughout childhood, Eddy kept journals, diary entries, drawings, comics, and reflections that documented his experiences, thoughts, challenges, and questions about life.


Over time, these personal writings evolved into something larger—a record of growth from childhood into adolescence.


The Beginning of a Writer

Eddy never started writing with the intention of publishing a book.

He wrote to understand himself.

Sometimes he wrote after difficult experiences. Other times he wrote after learning valuable lessons from parents, teachers, coaches, teammates, or faith. Writing became a way to process emotions, reflect on mistakes, and preserve important moments.

As he revisited years of journals and drawings, he recognized a story unfolding: the story of becoming.


Hockey and Character

As an ice hockey goalie, Eddy has learned lessons that extend far beyond the rink.

Goaltending taught him courage, resilience, humility, patience, and discipline. It taught him how to handle pressure, recover from failure, and continue improving after setbacks.

These experiences became a powerful influence on his understanding of personal growth and are woven throughout his writing.


Why He Wrote A Boy Becoming

Eddy wrote A Boy Becoming because he believes growth happens through ordinary moments.

Character is not built overnight.

It develops through repeated choices, honest reflection, mistakes, perseverance, gratitude, forgiveness, and love.

His hope is that readers—especially young people—will recognize that they are not alone in their struggles and that becoming a better person is a lifelong journey worth embracing.


Mission

Through his writing, Eddy hopes to inspire readers to:

● Practice kindness
● Develop discipline
● Embrace humility
● Learn from mistakes
● Strengthen character
● Value family and faith
● Continue growing every day


"Kind is more important than smart. Logic has no moral. We must be nice no matter what."
 

| Website | YouTube |


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Saturday, May 02, 2026

Audiobook Review: Thea by Genevieve Morrissey

TheaThea by Genevieve Morrissey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Outstanding coming-of-age story set in 1920s Oklahoma City.

Thea by Genevieve Morrissey is the outstanding coming-of-age story of Thea Carter, set in the mid-1920s in Oklahoma City, and, combined with Nicole Fikes's audiobook narration, perfectly captures her struggles, triumphs, time, and place. All 15-year-old Thea wants is a little stability in her life, the chance to get her high school diploma, and her troubled mother to stop drinking.

As the housekeeper to Dr. Hallam, a new physician in town, Thea's mother not only receives a salary but also a separate, self-contained, private apartment over the garage, where young Thea can secretly reside, out of her employer's sight. Unfortunately, her mother's frequent benders put all this in jeopardy, so Thea does her best to pick up the slack while hiding in the background so Dr. Hallam doesn't give her mother the boot. As Thea juggles her home life and schoolwork, she excels at school and, as time goes on, is accepted by the close-knit group of students and catches the eye of popular, smart Homer. But when her part in the smooth running of his household is discovered by Dr. Hallam, rather than seeing Thea as an unwanted burden, he gradually becomes her champion and she his supportive confidant.

What a great story! Thea is engaging, endearing, and the picture of self-reliance, despite her tragic childhood, poverty, and manipulative alcoholic mother. With her eye always on the prize of earning her high school diploma, she overcomes so much that is stacked against her at the time, when girls were expected to leave school early, marry, and start a family.

Dr. Hallam has his own struggles. A quietly private man, his personal story is revealed only a little at a time, and what a surprising and sad one it turns out to be. But he, too, perseveres, and even gets a second chance, as Thea pushes and encourages and secretly works in the background to help make it happen.

The plot addresses important issues and how they were viewed during that era: women's roles, expectations, and education, Prohibition and drinking, pre-marital sex, and homosexuality. The Oklahoma City setting is unique, and although Thea says the city's population at the time of the story is over 100,000, it feels like a much smaller town. Everyone knows everyone else and all their business, and everyone has an opinion to share about what's going on.

The audiobook narration by Nicole Fikes is absolutely wonderful. Her performance shines with incredibly believable, varied voices for all the speaking characters: young, old, male, female, local, and foreign. The switch between Thea and her mother, who have many conversations together, is amazing. My favorite voice is that of Grace Carter, the mother, with her strong regional accent, wheedling, nagging, and alcoholic mumbling.

I highly recommend THEA to readers and listeners of historical fiction, especially those who enjoy an American midwestern or southern setting during the 1920s.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Silver Dagger Book Tours.

View all my reviews

Wednesday, October 29, 2025

Book Campaign - Pillars of Creation: A Quest for the Great Name in a Nietzschean World by Carlos Nicolás Flores

 


Pillars of Creation:
A Quest for the Great Name in a Nietzschean World
by
Carlos Nicolás Flores

Literary Fiction / Coming of Age
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Publication Date: July 22, 2025
Page count: 296 pages


SYNOPSIS:


Where is God amidst the mass graves, poverty, drug trafficking, and corrupt officials on the Texas-Mexico border?

Yoltic Cortez, a college dropout and aspiring writer in his mid-twenties, grapples with this question while living in an impoverished colonia. His bedridden father warns him to prepare spiritually for the challenges ahead by returning to their religious traditions and confronting the "Devil in the desert."

Encouraged by his mentor, the "Failed Poet," to pursue a literary career, Yoltic struggles to write his first book. His situation is further complicated when a young Mexican woman, fleeing the violence in northern Mexico, seeks his help.

In this Nietzschean world, a secular realm fraught with fear and loathing, where God has been declared dead, Yoltic's quest for redemption and wisdom unfolds. Pillars of Creation: A Quest for the Great Name in a Nietzschean World by Carlos Nicolás Flores offers a powerful perspective on the crisis at the Mexican-American border through the eyes of a gifted young Tejano.

Content Warnings: Extreme Violence, Mild Sexual Content

Click to Purchase!

| Amazon |




ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


A lifelong resident of the Texas-Mexico border, Carlos Nicolás Flores has much lived experience to draw from as a novelist. In Our House on Hueco, he portrays an impoverished family’s struggle to achieve the American dream. “This book feels like a classic to me,” states Naomi Shahib Nye. In Sex as a Political Condition, a satire of the cultural wars on the border, he reflects on the male condition at the end of the Cold War. In Pillars of Creation: A Quest for the Great Name in a Nietzschean World (Atmosphere Press 2025), he portrays a young Chicano’s search for meaning in a world torn apart by violence on the Texas-Mexico border. According to Lily Andrews of Feather Quill Reviews, Flores “ably captures what it means to be stuck between cultures by showing how being Chicano isn’t just about language or heritage, but a constant tug-of-war between belonging and not.”


To learn more about the book,

look for #LSLLPillarsofCreation on your preferred social media platform.

 

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE CAMPAIGN PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH REVIEWER PARTICIPATING.




Thursday, September 25, 2025

Book Campaign: Narrow the Road by James Wade


NARROW THE ROAD
by
James Wade


Southern Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming of Age

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Publication Date: August 26, 2025

Page count: 306 pages



SYNOPSIS


In this gripping coming-of-age odyssey, a young man’s quest to reunite his family takes him on a life-altering journey through the wilds of 1930s East Texas, where both danger and opportunity grow as thick as the pines.

With his father missing and his mother gravely ill, William Carter is struggling to keep his family’s cotton farm afloat in the face of drought and foreclosure. As his options wane, William receives a mysterious letter that claims to know his father’s whereabouts.

Together with his best friend Ollie, a mortician in training, William sets out to find his father and bring him home to set things right. But before the boys can complete their quest, they must navigate the labyrinth of the Big Thicket, some of the country’s most uncharted, untamed land. Along the way they encounter eccentric backwoods characters of every order, running afoul of murderers, bootleggers, and even the legendary Bonnie and Clyde.

But the danger is doubled when the boys agree to take on a medicine show runaway named Lena, eliciting the ire of the show’s leader, the nefarious con man Doctor Downtain. As William, Ollie, and Lena race to uncover the clues and find William’s father, Downtain is closing in on them, readying to make good on his violent reputation. With the clock ticking, William must decide where his loyalties lie and how far he’s willing to go for the people he loves.


CLICK TO PURCHASE

Amazon | B&N | Publisher | Bookshop





ABOUT THE AUTHOR


James Wade is the award-winning author of Hollow Out the Dark, Beasts of the Earth, All Things Left Wild, and River, Sing Out. He is the youngest novelist to win two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America, and a recipient of the MPIBA’s prestigious Reading the West Award. His work has appeared in Texas Highways, Writers’ Digest, and numerous additional publications. James lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country with his wife and children.



WEBSITE ◆ INSTAGRAM ◆ NEWSLETTER ◆ GOODREADS 


To learn more about the book, look for #LSLLNarrowtheRoad on your preferred social media platform.

 

CLICK TO VISIT THE LONE STAR LITERARY LIFE CAMPAIGN PAGE

FOR DIRECT LINKS TO EACH REVIEWER PARTICIPATING.

  



Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Review Tour & Giveaway: A New Life (Reflections of Michael, #4) by L.J. Ambrosio



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

SYNOPSIS:

From America to the streets of Paris, A New Life follows two friends as they navigate grief, love, and self-discovery in a city filled with history and hope.

A New Life is a story that lingers long after the last page.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!




READ AN EXCERPT:

They rushed out of the hotel and stopped short of the Lyft; they gazed in wonderment at the outrageously small size of the car. Reluctantly they climbed into the car. It was like the Mouseketeer’s car; it was so small and they were so tall. They wondered if they should try another Lyft but there was not enough time. As they pulled away, they smelted gasoline or oil burning. Louie shot Ron a silly look, then smiled. 

Ron hit the ceiling with every bump; his head bounced almost out of the taxi. Louie held his hand up to avoid suffering the same fate. The roads were rough all the way to the Air France Terminal. Louie told the driver he should sell his car to an amusement park. 

Ron decided to travel with just a carry-on bag. He had no desire to check bags after remembering a few of Michael’s airline horror stories of his lost luggage. Michael, his mentor and friend, truly taught him the right way to travel safe and as a gentleman; they might give you an extra drink if you're nice. 

As Ron approached the departure gate, he tried to put the thought of leaving Rhonda behind out of his mind but not his heart. He wondered what Michael would say to him about this incident with Rhonda. He would tell Ron to smile; Rhonda was in a better place.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.



REVIEW:

5 stars!

Live true to yourself and love others as they do the same. 

A New Life is the fourth book in author L.J. Ambrosio’s emotionally exploratory and character-driven series, Reflections of Michael. This book follows Ron and Louie’s relationship after the death of their beloved canine companion, Rhonda. 

Life has almost come full circle for Ron. Once the young wanderer whom Michael took under his wing and mentored, Ron passes along what he’s learned in his life to Louie, the confused young stray he met as the manager of the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris. Where once he was the one seeking his place in life, Ron has found his purpose and is finally ready to end his self-imposed exile and return home to the US. He also feels Louie has come into his own and will survive nicely, with more confidence, comfortable in his own skin and the answers to his questions about his sexuality. I was glad Ron invited Louie to move out of the bookstore and into his apartment with him. And although nothing could ever replace Rhonda in their hearts, Mikey, the Jack Russell puppy, was a lovely addition to their lives. 

This story was full of heart and surprises as Louie finds his footing as a leader among his politically active friends, or when he befriends a sick and lonely older man, pursues possible new love interests, and bravely deals with being the target of bigots. Ron, Louie, Mikey, Madam, and so many of the characters had worked their way into my heart that the ending absolutely gutted me. It brought a very emotional closure to Ron and Louie’s story.

I recommend A NEW LIFE to fans of the previous books in the series.

 

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

L.J. Ambrosio will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.


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Saturday, August 02, 2025

Virtual Book Tour & Giveaway: Turning Toward Eden by Cate Touryan

TURNING TOWARD EDEN
by Cate Touryan

Mystery / Coming of Age / Historical Mystery
Publisher: ‎ Winged Publications
Publication Date: ‎ May 6, 2025
Print length‏: ‎ 350 pages 
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!
SYNOPSIS:
An evocative story laced with mystery, Turning Toward Eden weaves nostalgia with grit, sorrow with humor, and despair with faith, offering hope to anyone who has sought to belong in a world that rarely plays fair.

“Chasing the truth, huh? Sure you’re not running from it?” Hollis might be her only friend, a lanky boy Mama calls her beau, but Eden Lewis has no time for his hogwash. She’s got a mystery to crack. For most fourteen year olds, California summers in the early 1970s mean sun and surf, despite the Cold War chill. Not for Eden. Her AWOL father has sent her life into a tailspin, landing her in a shabby beach town, stuck caring for her severely disabled brother, Dex. Caught in her parents’ own cold war, Eden ditches Dex at every chance—pier fishing with Hollis, playing poker with the grizzled card sharks, and caterwaulin’ in the church choir, laying plain to the Almighty that singing terms ain’t the same as speaking terms, what with the hand he’s dealt her.

Then Raven arrives mid-ninth grade—an elusive Soviet girl rumored to rain black-winged curses over the fearful town. When a rash of petty crimes escalates to bloodshed on the beach, suspicion falls on the “commie”—and then Eden. Desperate to prove herself innocent, and Raven guilty, she embarks on a reckless game of chase. But for the truth to set her free, she must risk Dex’s life. Will she go all in, no matter the cost?

PRAISE:

“This is storytelling at its most atmospheric—brimming with quirky, well-drawn characters, razor-sharp prose, and the kind of setting you can almost smell. The writing is lyrical, grounded, and often laugh-out-loud funny—even in the midst of deeply poignant moments. With a cast of endearing misfits and a tone reminiscent of Southern Gothic charm, this story lures you in from the very first line and doesn’t let go. Cate Touryan has a truly original voice, a rare gift for language, and a special ability to render a world so vivid you feel baptized in it.” — Zena Dell Lowe, Screenwriter, Story Coach, and Founder of The Storyteller’s Mission

Click to Purchase!

goodreads badgeAudiobook Available Soon!

The audiobook edition of Turning Toward Eden is in production and on its way to Audible, iTunes, and beyond. Stay tuned for a richly narrated experience, perfect for readers who love stories on the go. 

 

About Cate Touryan

Cate Touryan writes fiction and creative nonfiction that reach for the story beyond the story and the beginning beyond “The End.” Her complex, realistic narratives often touch on themes of faith. While she avoids gratuitous violence and profanity, keeping any romance clean, she does not shy away from portraying the grit and beauty of real life, instead writing the truest story she can, infused with heart and humor. Her fiction will delight young adults and adults still young.

Cate invites you to journey with her into lives both real and imagined, wherein might lie glimpses of your own story beyond the story and an ending redeemed.

Tour Participants

July 30 - Hall Ways Blog - SPOTLIGHT
July 30 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
July 30 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
July 31 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 1 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
August 2 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
August 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 4 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 5 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT
August 6 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 7 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
August 8 – Sarandipity’s – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 10 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 11 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 12 – Salty Inspirations – SPOTLIGHT
August 12 – Reading Authors Network – SPOTLIGHT

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!


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Friday, June 13, 2025

Book Blast & Giveaway: A New Life (Reflections of Michael, #4) by L.J. Ambrosio


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by
Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

SYNOPSIS:

From America to the streets of Paris, A New Life follows two friends as they navigate grief, love, and self-discovery in a city filled with history and hope.

A New Life is a story that lingers long after the last page.

CLICK TO PURCHASE!




READ AN EXCERPT:

They spent the rest of the trip talking about Rhonda and how great she was, from the fight where she tried to protect Ron to the National Cemetery where she was left behind by accident at dusk, not found until midnight.

Louie and Ron had a chuckle over how Rhonda refused to walk on the sidewalks in Paris because of all the cigarette butts on the ground; she had to be pushed around in a baby carriage, because she did not want to burn her paws.

Louie started crying, and Ron comforted him, assuring him that the pain was fine; he needed to accept it.

“Rhonda was so smart,” Louie said proudly. "Some people don’t know the relationship between an owner and their pet. It is so special, so unconditional. Rhonda will always be a part of me. It was nice to bury her here in America, her home country.”

A while later, Ron and Louie arrived at their motel. Ron said to him, "Let’s get the luggage and go to bed. Hey, I was thinking when we get back to Paris, you should move in with me and stop sleeping in the bookstore.”

Louie could not believe what he heard. Sharing more time with Ron would be special; he was excited to have that time together.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.



GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

L.J. Ambrosio will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.