Miscellaneous – Avonna Loves Genres

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: For Honor Alone by Andrew J. Harvey

Hello everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for FOR HONOR ALONE (The Honor Trilogy Book #3) by Andrew J. Harvey on this Black Phoenix Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

The war is far from over. With the city of Pesh devastated by nuclear attack, the Cross-Temporal Empire, Sultan’s Angevine monarchy, and the Northern Caliphate unite to hunt the terrorists across shattered timelines-leading them to Nayarit, a lost world long thought destroyed.

Jade Carvello, missing and presumed dead, escapes captivity only to discover she’s the descendant of a legendary priestess-thrust into an ancient caste war in a decaying underground city. As Carlos Babineaux fights his way across a devastated alternate Europe to find her, Margaret Peric faces a different battlefield: her heart. While her upcoming marriage to Markus Ackov spins out of control, she’s also asked to become World Leader of Sultan.

Meanwhile, deep within Nayarit, an ancient AI prepares to defend the remnants of its world-and its guardian priestess, Xipil-at any cost.

From collapsing portals and engineered viruses to rebellion, romance, and rediscovery, For Honor Alone delivers an epic conclusion to the Honor Trilogy. In a final stand against destruction, loyalty, and love must span timelines-and shape the future of empires.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243783329-for-honor-alone?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7R5aF4qw1Q&rank=2

Book on Amazon

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FOR HONOR ALONE (The Honor Trilogy Book #3) by Andrew J. Harvey is the stellar finale in The Honor Trilogy. This trilogy has been an epic read, and I have enjoyed all the characters, the thrilling and intriguing political plotline, and the multiverse worldbuilding. I am not a big sci-fi reader and yet this trilogy pulled me in and kept me reading from beginning to end.

As this book begins all the main characters are spread throughout the multiverse facing various perils. Jade Carvello escapes her kidnappers and wakes up in an underground society on what all thought to be extinct line of the multiverse, Carlos Babineaux is searching for Jade, praying she is alive, and Margaret Peric is trying to discover who is behind the destruction of Pesh while discovering she is to be a new World Leader while also becoming a wife and mother.

This trilogy is so much more than just characters involved in a multiverse sci-fi war plot. Many cultures throughout the multiverse find they must all come together and fight against past prejudices for all to survive. The AI ancient priestess and her Mirror add even more story high tension with the addition of a collapsing universe. The main characters are all emotionally connected by love and/or loyalty which keeps the reader emotionally tied to each and sitting on the edge of their seat during trials, tribulations, and major battles. This is a great addition to the trilogy which ties all the plot threads together for a very satisfying climatic conclusion.

I highly recommend this final addition to The Honor Trilogy series and would recommend the entire trilogy to any reader.

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About the Author

Andrew spent his high-school years in the school’s library lost in the worlds of Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. Reading in turn led to writing, with the first draft of The Portal Adventures originally completed to read to his two sons at night. Now his children have left home he lives in Perth with his wife, one dog, and sixty four gold fish.

Andrew is presently the Principal of Hague Publishing, established in 2011 as an independent publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Registered in Western Australia, it publishes original work by Australian and New Zealand authors.

Andrew’s first published short story (A Messenger to the Dragon) appeared in Aurealis – Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1992. His most recent was the award winning 1827: Napoleon in Australia, which appeared in Sea Lion Press’ anthology Alternate Australias released in 2020.

His first novel, Nightfall (book one in the Clemhorn Trilogy) is an adult, alternate history set against the backdrop of the Cross-Temporal Empire and its fifty-four separate lines. Nightfall was released by Zmok Books in 2019. The series is distributed by Simon and Schuster.

Trouble on Teral and Crisis at Calista Station, the first two books in his new middle-grade, Science Fiction adventure series, The Portal Adventures, were released by Canada’s Peasantry Press in 2020. The open ended series is a combination of Caroline Lawrence’s Roman Mysteries and Andre Norton’s juvenile speculative fiction.

A passionate reader of Alternate History Andrew is working on completing a number of additional series of trilogies based on the Cross-Temporal Empire.

Social Media Links

Website: https://andrewjharvey.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewJHarveyAuthor

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/andrew-j-harvey

Feature Post and Book Review: That’s What Friends Are For by Wade Rouse

Book Description

Theodore Copeland has created a fabulous life in the desert oasis of Palm Springs, where he shares a fabulous pink mid-century home with three fabulous friends: Barry, a former actor still clinging to his youth, his hair, and the memory of the dream role that killed his career; Ron, an uprooted Christian from the Midwest with a big heart but no one to give it to; Sid, who, after coming out late in life, has never found love. Teddy is the caustic, unspoken leader of “The Golden Gays”—the foursome’s monthly drag tribute to The Golden Girls. Despite their foibles and bickering, they have turned their golden years into a golden era.

But the harmony of their desert enclave becomes a carousel of emotional baggage when Teddy’s estranged sister, Trudy, shows up on their doorstep, her dramatic teenage granddaughter in tow. While Teddy keeps Trudy at arm’s length, she manages to wheedle her way into the lives of the Golden Gays, until the real reason for her visit is revealed and the secrets they’ve all been keeping from each other unravel faster than a hastily stitched hemline.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/232737568-that-s-what-friends-are-for?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=qRpszGheVN&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR by Wade Rouse is a wonderful look at a family made not born written also as a beautiful homage to the Golden Girls sitcom. This LGBTQ+ fiction novel takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions with witty and sharp dialogue and characters that could walk right off the page.

Teddy, Ron, Sid, and Barry are mature gay friends living together in a pink mid-century home in Palm Springs. The four came from different professions and parts of the country to make a safe home for themselves in their golden years. While they all get along, like any family, they have their problems, too. They perform together every month as The Golden Gays, which is based on a script written from an original episode from the Golden Girls sitcom but is also updated.

Teddy is Dorothy. He runs the mid-century vintage clothes store, Dorian Gay, and is a widower. He lost his husband to suicide. Ron is Rose. He is an exceptional interior designer and the mother hen of their home. Ron grew up in a Christian home and still deeply believes, he just does not go to a traditional church. Sid is Sophia. He is the oldest of the group, Jewish, and still practices as an attorney parttime. He lived his life hiding his sexuality and raised a family as expected in his time but came out and divorced once his children got older. Barry is Blanche. He is a very fit actor who is afraid of aging. He writes the episodes for their shows and has never emotionally dealt with having his character cut from the original Golden Girls pilot.

While each is dealing with their own mortality, they are also dealing with the changing society, not only in the general population, but in the gay community of as well. Teddy is hiding a secret and before he can even emotionally deal with that, his ultra conservative sister and her young, goth granddaughter show up at their home and shake everyone and everything up. Soon secrets begin to surface and relationships alter. Can this chosen family survive?

I loved this novel so much. There is so much love, caring, crying, anger, and perfectly cutting dialogue. Being of a certain age myself and having worked in the bar and restaurant industry my entire life, these characters are wholly and partial reminders of many of my friends and co-workers. This story made me laugh out loud, and feel rage at the injustices that still abound, but it ultimately is a story of love and family and left me with a smile on my face and a full heart.

I highly recommend this beautifully written LGBTQ+ fiction novel.

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About the Author

I am the USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly and internationally bestselling author of 18 books, including five memoirs and thirteen novels. I also write fiction under the pen name, Viola Shipman, as a tribute to my working poor Ozarks grandma, whose family stories, heirlooms and love inspire my novels. I was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards in Humor (I lost to Tina Fey) and was named by Writer’s Digest as “The #2 Writer, Dead or Alive, We’d Like to Have Drinks With” (I was sandwiched between Ernest Hemingway and Hunter Thompson).

That’s What Friends Are For is inspired by The Golden Girls, and this novel is like the sitcom in that it lessens life’s pain with laughter, it breaks down walls and unites with humor. Moreover, it’s ferociously funny (money back guarantee you will laugh on the first page!), hopeful and heart wrenching, a story about what so many of us have endured in this life to find friendship, love and respect. The novel has already been praised by #1 New York Times Jodi Picoult “Hilarious, tender, devastating!), the New York Post (Full of heart, humor and friendship, quick witted and heartfelt … buy one for yourself and another for your BFF) and named a 2026 Most Anticipated Read by Zibby Owens.

This marks the twentieth book I’ve written and my twentieth year as a published author, and I feel as if this is not only the book I was meant to write but also the right moment for this story – inspired by The Golden Girls – of friendship, family, faith, aging and acceptance. This novel is a HUGE departure for me in in career – my first novel under my own name – and I wrote this story because it called to my soul, and I knew that I needed to follow my heart. I’ve learned that sometimes the greatest moments in our lives happen when we are most terrified – as writers and souls – and that if we can just corral that fear and walk through the fire to emerge on the other side – heart racing, a bit scorched –what we dreamed of and fought so hard to achieve has the chance to change the world. I believe this novel does. When you think of the show or hear the lyrics to the song, and smile, that is the spirit that this novel captures.

Social Media Links

Website: https://waderouse.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wade.rouse.9

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorwaderouse/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/that-s-what-friends-are-for-by-wade-rouse

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: For the Honor of the Empire by Andrew J. Harvey

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for FOR THE HONOR OF THE EMPIRE (The Honor Trilogy Book #2) by Andrew J. Harvey on this Black Phoenix Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Haunted by the horrors of war and the weight of her new role as envoy to the Sultan Line, Margaret Peric reaches her breaking point. But with the support of her estranged mother, her devoted sister Louise, and a slowly healing bond with Markus Ackov and his daughter, Jessie, Margaret begins the long road to recovery.

Meanwhile, on the volatile world of Sultan, Jade Carvello and her partner Carlos Babineaux uncover a terrifying plot: eco-terrorists are preparing to unleash a devastating weapon-one that could destabilize the entire Cross-Temporal Empire. As Carlos walks a dangerous line between spycraft and exposure, Jade must protect Margaret, now a symbol of diplomatic hope, from enemies closing in on all sides.

But when a deadly bombing rocks the Sultan capital and Margaret is taken hostage, survival becomes uncertain. The conspiracy leads back to a line thought lost to history-and to a biological weapon born from its ancient secrets.

As the C-TE prepares for war, For the Honor of the Empire delivers a gripping story of political intrigue, emotional resilience, and interdimensional conflict-where loyalty and love must stand against terror, and redemption comes at the highest cost.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242874015-for-the-honor-of-the-agency?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=FRukz4A4Jr&rank=1

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FOR THE HONOR IF THE EMPIRE (The Honor Trilogy Book #2) by Andrew J. Harvey is the second exciting book in this sci-fi trilogy and it is so much more than middle book filler. The political intrigue, plot twists and surprises continue, along with the romances. Once you figure out the worldbuilding of multiverses, these books contain everything a good suspense thriller gives you and more.

As all the main players continue to try to discover who is biologically sabotaging the Mainline’s crops, this book focuses more on the action and political intrigue in the Sultan Line multiverse.

The book opens with Margaret Peric being discovered having attempted suicide due to her unresolved PTSD from the war. Margaret is asked by the First Leader to be the new diplomatic Ambassador to the Sultan Line and she believes she cannot handle the assignment on her own, but she also cannot refuse. With the support of Markus Ackov and his daughter, Margaret is thrown into a hornet’s nest of intrigue, political double cross, and anarchists. A bombing in the capital with hostages taken ratchets up the stakes and the tension.

This book in the trilogy focuses on Margaret and while it starts with her succumbing to her PTSD and insecurities, she then must attempt to find her warrior strength and determination, real or not, to carry on and lead. I loved reading more about Jade and Carlos’ relationship and their work to uncover who wants to destroy the Mainline, but while Margaret and Jade had two intertwining plotlines in the first book, I feel this book is much more focused on Margaret’s character arch and the political intrigue/thriller plotline. An intricate plot with plenty of action and fully developed characters had me wanting to not put this book down. I also had more understanding of the multiverse worldbuilding in this book, which made it even more enjoyable.

I highly recommend this intriguing second book in the Honor Trilogy and cannot wait to read the next!

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About the Author

A passionate reader of Alternate History Andrew is working on completing a number of additional series of trilogies based on the Cross-Temporal Empire.

Social Media Links

Website: https://andrewjharvey.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewJHarveyAuthor

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/andrew-j-harvey

Feature Post and Mini Book Review: The Traitor’s Circle by Jonathan Freedland

Book Description

When the whole world is lying, someone must tell the truth.

Berlin, 1943: A group of high society anti-Nazi dissenters meet for a tea party one late summer’s afternoon. They do not know that, sitting around the table, is someone poised to betray them all to the Gestapo.

They form a circle of unlikely rebels, drawn from the German elite: two countesses, a diplomat, an intelligence officer, an ambassador’s widow and a pioneering head mistress. What unites every one of them is a shared loathing of the Nazis, a refusal to bow to Hitler and the courage to perform perilous acts of resistance: meeting in the shadows, rescuing Jews or plotting for a future Germany freed from the Führer’s rule. Or so they believe.

How did a group of brave, principled rebels, who had successfully defied Adolf Hitler for more than a decade, come to fall into such a lethal trap?

Undone from within and pursued to near-destruction by one of the Reich’s cruelest men, they showed a heroism in the face of the most vengeful regime in history that raises the question: what kind of person does it take to risk everything and stand up to tyranny?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223830505-the-traitors-circle?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=FEmiThRIwv&rank=4

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE TRAITOR’S CIRCLE by Jonathan Freedland is a nonfiction novel that reads like a gripping spy thriller. This book features a group of aristocratic Germans during WWII who come together to voice their objections to Hitler and the Nazi regime, help Jewish friends, families, and even strangers escape the Holocaust and are then betrayed by a traitor within. The terrible retribution of the Gestapo on all involved during the final years of the war is stark and terrible and yet their stories need to be told and remembered for their bravery and moral resistance to the depravity of the Nazi regime.

This is a nonfiction book that I was unable to put down, even with scenes of torture and depravity. The author masterly introduces the members of the group, and you become invested in the varied individuals and the various reasons for them opposing the new regime. I have read many nonfiction history books and historical fiction books about WWII and that era, so I assumed this story would not end well, but the author does a great job of following all the characters to the end of their journeys whether they lived or died. This book gives the reader a look at German dissenters during a time that a radical regime sought to eliminate all dissent.

I highly recommend this gripping nonfiction WWII novel!

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About the Author

Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist and former foreign correspondent. He is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s contemporary history series, The Long View, as well as two podcasts, Politics Weekly America for the Guardian and Unholy, alongside the Israeli journalist Yonit Levi. He is a past winner of an Orwell Prize for journalism. He is the author of twelve books, the latest being The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World. He has written nine thrillers, mostly as Sam Bourne, including The Righteous Men which was a Sunday Times number one bestseller.

Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JonathanFreedlandOfficial/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jonathanfreedland.bsky.social

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-traitors-circle-by-jonathan-freedland-2025-01-21

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: For the Honor of the Agency by Andrew J. Harvey

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review of FOR THE HONOR OF THE AGENCY (The Honor Trilogy Book #1) by Andrew J. Harvey on this Black Phoenix Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Description

Newly appointed to the Cross-Temporal Empire’s Department of Agriculture and Food, Margaret Peric quickly discovers her role is far more dangerous than she ever imagined. When an ex-employee is nearly killed trying to expose a genetically engineered crop blight, Margaret and her bodyguard, Jade Carvello, uncover a trail of eco-terrorism, corruption—and something far more sinister.

While Margaret faces bureaucratic sabotage and growing political unrest, Jade’s own investigation leads her into the orbit of Carlos Babineaux—a charming anarchist with a secret agenda and a dangerously kissable French accent. Their relationship threatens both Jade’s mission and her loyalty to the powerful Rucker’s Agency.

As conspiracies unravel across alternate Earths, and a child’s life hangs in the balance, Margaret must defy her own government to protect those she loves, and somehow must track down her missing sister for her mother. Meanwhile, Jade and Carlos risk everything on a river journey through hostile territory, where betrayal could come from either side.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242874015-for-the-honor-of-the-agency?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ilHZ6L0h3l&rank=1

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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My Book Review

RATING: 4.5 out of 5 Stars

FOR THE HONOR OF THE AGENCY (The Honor Trilogy Book #1) by Andrew J. Harvey is an exciting first book in a new sci-fi trilogy that contains plenty of twists, thrills, romance, and political intrigue all set in a multiverse where every decision can change the fate of humanity. While I do not usually pick up a sci-fi book, this one has so many elements of other genres, that it kept me thoroughly engaged and turning the pages.

On an alternate Earth, this story takes place primarily on the Mainline and is controlled by the Cross-Temporal Empire. Former soldier and sister in-law to the First Leader, Margaret Peric, has been appointed the head of the Department of Agriculture and Food. She is approached by Markus Ackov, who has been fired and has an attempt made on his life when he discovers a conspiracy to kill the world’s crops with a biologically engineered crop blight.

Jade Carvello is Margaret’s bodyguard and works for the private security firm, The Rucker’s. Even though Margaret’s protection is a job, they become close and Margaret considers her a friend and the only one she can trust to investigate the threat of the Anarchists and possible enemies within her own department. Jade infiltrates the anarchists and cannot resist the chemistry that sparks between herself and Carlos Babineaux, a French-Canadian anarchist that puts her investigation and personal integrity at risk.

These two plotlines weave together is an exciting, suspenseful, and fast paced sci-fi multiverse story that pulled me right into the intrigue, romance, and worldbuilding. The twists throughout kept me guessing and turning the pages. I will admit difficulty and frustration with all the multitude of locations and multiverses layer names which occasionally pushed me out of the thrilling character focused plotlines themselves, but the characters are very well developed and with them as a focus, I could not put this book down.

Overall, I highly recommend this wonderful start to this trilogy, and I am looking forward to the next book in the Honor Trilogy.

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About the Author

A passionate reader of Alternate History Andrew is working on completing a number of additional series of trilogies based on the Cross-Temporal Empire.

Social Media Links

Website: https://andrewjharvey.com/?page_id=650

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewjharvey_author/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/for-the-honor-of-the-agency-the-honor-trilogy-book-1-by-andrew-j-harvey

Friday Feature Author Interview #2 with Elise Cooper: Yumi: Keepers of the Garden of Peace by Tess Cacciatore

Book Description

When Yumi travels the world with her wise Grandmother “Obachan” she discovers how many cultures celebrate peace, one tea ceremony at a time.

From India to China, Africa to Australia, Yumi and her new animal friends learn that kindness and respect can unite us all.

A beautifully illustrated story of compassion, friendship & peace.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Yumi’s Universe was born from the imagination of Tess Cacciatore, an award-winning writer, director and global peace advocate. After decades of empowering youth across continents, Tess envisioned a world where children could learn values of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. The emphasis is to inspire children everywhere to grow with kindness, imagination, and peace through magical stories, music, and art from around the world. People can go to her website and explore Yumi’s Universe. (www.YumisUniverse.com)

There are currently two books out with the story written by Tess Cacciatore and illustrated by the former Disney animator Joel Christopher Payne. Keepers of the Garden of Peace is for younger peacekeepers (ages 4-8). It has Yumi traveling the world with her wise Grandmother “Obachan” as she discovers how many cultures celebrate peace, one tea ceremony at a time.

The other book, for young adults (ages 9-13), is Yumi: An Enchanted Tale of Compassion, Friendship & Peace. This travel adventure storybook takes the readers on a global exploration to meet the friends of Yumi and to explore other cultures for compassion, friendship, and peace.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: What was it like working with the Disney artist Joel Christopher Payne?

Tess Cacciatore: It started with the story and the creation of the characters. I gave Joel, the illustrator, a description of who the characters were, what their outfits were like, and where they were from. He, as a brilliant illustrator, brought them to life. It was a collaboration where I am the author of the book, and he is the talent behind the actual art creation.

EC: How did you get the idea for the story?

TC: Jay, a friend of mine was diagnosed in 2024 with stage 4 cancer. In the middle of August, he posted that his friend came to his hospital room to serve a Japanese formal tea ceremony. It instantly reminded me of what a lot of little children do, putting together a tea party with their stuffed animals. In the process of writing the book Jay passed, however, his character is alive and well as Jay is the inventor of the mystical-magical orbship that the characters use to travel the world. The way that the orb-ship is fueled is by pure intention of compassion. I keep my friend alive in memory, full of respect and love.

EC: Is this a series of books?

TC: There is the book Yumi Keepers of the Garden of Peace for younger peacekeepers (ages 4-8) and the Yumi: An Enchanted Tale of Compassion, Friendship & Peace (ages 9-13). The second book has at least two more parts coming. A trilogy released over the next year or so. In the second book they travel to North and South America, while in the third book they travel to Europe.

EC: What are the various locations the characters travel to?

TC: They travel from Japan to South Africa, India, China, and Australia. The characters plant “peace poles” from the GOI Peace Foundation everywhere they go, spreading the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”

EC: What is the role of the animal characters?

TC: Respect, harmony, purity, and tranquility represent the formal Japanese tea ceremony and the four characters of the book. Ravi, the elephant from India, represents respect; Zuri, the Giraffe from South Africa represents purity; Seren, the Panda Bear from China represents tranquility; and Holly, from Australia represents harmony. We hope through the animal characters we teach children to respect one another.

EC: What about the specific places they travel?

TC: Just as military families have traveled a lot including going to different countries so do the characters in the story. Ravi is the character that comes from India at the Konark Sun Temple. Ravi means the sun. Zuri comes from South Africa. Long ago, there was an animal conservation project where elephants and giraffes were sent from Kenya to South Africa. Her grandmother was born in Kenya. Through her storyline readers learn about purity. Holly finally finds the courage to sing, as she stands up to sing “Mother Nature.” Davy Nathan (award-winning composer) and I co-wrote most of the songs. The theme is that Holly finds the courage to have her voice be heard. Seren is quite shy. He carries around this little stuffed brown bear like a security blanket. Through his storyline I wanted to express that no one should be made fun of for having certain quirks.

EC: Do you think these quotes can apply to what happened in Australia with the massacre at the Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration?

TC: You are referring to this quote from Holly who is from Australia and believes in harmony, “Everything in nature and in life can change in a moment.” We want to do something with Australia as well as Brown University. Everything we do and everything I have done in my career is about giving back and promoting social impact. There is another quote in the book, “Your quiet light makes the world brighter.” Hanukkah is known as the “Festival of Lights.”

EC: What is the role of the teas?

TC: We are launching in January our Garden of Peace teas that have seven different flavors, 100% organic. Each character has their own flavor of tea. Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku are the four names of the formal tea ceremony that represent harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. The Garden of Peace teas are a way for schools, organizations, synagogues, and churches to sell the teas as a fundraiser, while also giving back.

EC: What do you want readers to get out of the books?

TC: People need to be accepted for who they are. They need to agree to disagree at times and to be understanding of each other’s cultures. We are in the process of creating Yumi’s University K-12 curriculum. This app can be delivered to even the most remote places to bring education to children all over the world.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.