Reclaiming Hope by Shell Taylor Blog Tour, Guest Post, Excerpt & Giveaway!

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Hi guys, we have Shell Taylor popping in today with the blog tour for her newest release Reclaiming Hope, we have a brilliant guest post where Shell chats about Reclaiming Hope and minorities, a great excerpt and a fantastic giveaway, so check out the post and click that giveaway link <3 ~Pixie~ 

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Reclaiming Hope

(Home for Hope 03)
by

Shell Taylor

Four years ago, Kollin Haverty’s best friend, Riley Meadows, dropped off the face of the earth. When he shows up out of the blue, armed with a flimsy excuse for disappearing and having nearly completed his transition from female to male, Kollin wants to pick up where they left off. But Riley’s unwillingness to be honest with Kollin prevents him from fully trusting Riley again. Despite Riley’s insecurities and Kollin’s abandonment issues, they quickly discover there’s something more than friendship between them.

When a ghost from Riley’s past unexpectedly appears with haunting memories in tow, Kollin’s anger about being lied to outweighs his desire to be the understanding boyfriend Riley needs. As Riley’s web of strategically withheld secrets begins to unravel, he must find the courage to pursue his own peace before he can move forward with Kollin, and Kollin must decide what’s more important—supporting his best friend or protecting himself.

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Shell Taylor!

Hi, everyone! I want to thank MM Good Book Reviews for having me today to talk a little bit about Reclaiming Hope. Today’s topic can cause a lot of different feelings in people, so I want to first say that everything I write, I do so with the greatest respect for everyone. I try to research as much as possible and use whatever experiences I have in life to corroborate my characters, their actions, their feelings, and their words. Do I always get it right? No—at least not right for everyone, because again, two people can have completely opposite reactions to the same cause.

When I first started Home for Hope series, including minority groups was important to me, but at the same time, I felt a bit nervous about it. If you follow me on Facebook, you may’ve seen one of the few personal pictures I’ve posted of myself or my family. I’m a white woman and have led a reasonably easy life. My kids are all healthy. We’ve never been discriminated against for any reason. So when I started writing, I was so nervous I would get something wrong and end up offending someone. I overanalyzed everything my minority characters said and did and hoped I wasn’t being offensive.

In Reclaiming Hope, I branched out more so than I did in the first two books with Kollin’s younger sister and one of Riley’s friends. And of course, can’t forget Riley himself. It’s scary to write these characters. What if I mess up so badly that I insult an entire group without meaning to? What if I piss people off with my ignorance? But what’s the alternative? Only write straight, white couples who have had a relatively easy life?

That’s boring.

Visibility for minorities in books and media matters. My kids go to an extremely diverse public school and are exposed to lots of people ‘not like them.’ I love it. We’ve had some really open and frank conversations about race, sexual orientation, and religion. We’ve had some really tough conversations about these things, too. So, no… I’m not one hundred percent comfortable writing these characters and possibly adding in some of the drama that comes along with them simply because of the color of their skin or who they love or what they like to eat, but visibility for everyone is important. Nothing ever got fixed by ignoring the problem. I don’t think my romance novels are going to solve any major problems, but if I completely ignore everyone different from me, then I’m part of the problem.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Don’t forget to enter to win the giveaway for a chance to win an Amazon gift card or a book from my backlist. Or… if you’d rather, I also have an audio copy of Redeeming Hope (Home for Hope book 1) to give away!

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Excerpt

Adam rolled his eyes to mimic her and then turned his attention toward Kollin. “Look who the cat dragged in.”

For some reason, Kollin’s heart fluttered. Waves of nervousness raced through his body as he tried to figure out why Adam thought he should know the stranger. He’d never told either of his parents about meeting the guy at the bookstore, and even if he had, Adam couldn’t have known he was the same person.

The man studied the ground, seemingly reluctant to look at Kollin, but Kollin knew he couldn’t identify him even if they were staring directly at one another.

Fortunately Adam saved him from further embarrassment. “I didn’t recognize Riley until he threatened to own me in Ping-Pong.”

Kollin sucked in a huge gulp of air. The nervous flutters, which had been nothing more than a curious enigma, ceased, and he suddenly felt as if a boulder had settled in the pit of his stomach.

He hadn’t spoken to Riley Meadows in over four years. When Kollin’s parents kicked him out, Riley had been the one who kept Kollin sane. He tethered him to reality when all he’d wanted was to escape inside himself. They’d kept in touch when Riley first went to college and somehow became even closer—until Riley seemingly dropped off the face of the earth. Phone calls, e-mails, texts… all unanswered. Kollin eventually took the hint and gave up.

Now Riley was back?

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About Shell

Shell Taylor is a full-time mother of three exuberant and loving kiddos and one fur baby, a tiny but fierce Yorkie-poo named Rocco. As a Christian who practices love, grace, and humility, she tries her best to instill these same virtues in her rowdy kids. She is a huge fan of Marvel comics and will never stop loving Harry Potter (Hufflepuff pride, baby!) When Shell isn’t writing, she can be found binge watching Netflix or volunteering at her church and childrens’ school. Shell considers herself blessed to have married a strong, supportive man who works hard to allow her to continue to follow her dreams.

:: Facebook :: Twitter :: Blog ::

You can also email Shell at – shell4jmu@gmail.com

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Giveaway!

1st Winner’s Prize: $20 Amazon GC!

2nd Winner’s Prize: E-copy of Redeeming Hope/Resurrecting Hope!

(Just click the link below)

Shell Taylor Rafflecopter giveaway!

(Ends 9th November 2016)
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Check out the other blogs on the blog tour

October 14: Diverse Reader
October 17: Hearts on Fire
October 18: Rick R. Reed
October 19: Drops of Ink
October 21: Author Dean Frech
October 24: Love Bytes Reviews
November 1: My Fiction Nook
November 4: BFD Book Blog
November 7: Bayou Book Junkie
Creative Minds