#Blogtour #Giveaway – HIDING CRACKED GLASS BY JAMES J. CUDNEY

Giveaway

Digital Reads and James J Cudney are sharing some big prizes! In the Rafflecopter below, you will find 6 options with multiple entry points. The giveaway will be open through October 9th, 11:59 PM EST. They will randomly choose the winners in the following days and announce the winners on James’ blog: https://thisismytruthnow.com/ and social media. The six prizes include:

• 2 eBook winners for Hiding Cracked Glass
• 1 physical book winner for Hiding Cracked Glass (US Only)
• 2 eBook winners for Watching Glass Shatter
• 1 physical book winner for Watching Glass Shatter (US Only)
• 1 winner for both eBooks
• $25 Amazon Gift Card

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e5ee1a9220/?

Character Exploration – Aunt Diane

Supporting characters are often the ones who share the perfect advice, act as foils for the protagonist’s success, or provide levity when the drama grows too intense. In The Perceptions of Glass series, the centerpiece is the Glass family. Ben and Olivia, who are in their late sixties, have five adult sons. Each son is married or has a significant other of some sort, including children for a handful of them. In the opening scene of Watching Glass Shatter, Ben perishes in a car accident. The book alternates chapters like a kaleidoscope of varying personality degrees, primarily focusing on Olivia and her five sons. Hiding Cracked Glass functions the exact same way… it’s all about the Glass family. Then again… is it?

Diane is Olivia’s sister. She is not technically a member of the Glass family, as that’s Olivia’s husband’s surname. But she is present in nearly every chapter as a support structure to not only her sister Olivia but to each of Olivia’s five sons. Diane is the character who represents the beloved aunt to so many of us, the one who made us feel better when our parents yelled at us… the one who gave us money on the side to buy something sweet at the store… the one who hugged us when we just need a lift at a troubling time. Diane bonded with the five Glass boys as they grew up around her. In Hiding Cracked Glass, she is once again the stalwart pillar of the family who tries to keep them held together.

But this time, she too has a secret… and it’s one that doesn’t reveal itself early on. Diane spends most of the book comforting Olivia and reminiscing about their trip to Italy. She scolds Teddy when he reverts to his angry ways. She playfully slaps Zach when he gets too boisterous. She worries about Matt’s true recovery. She tells Caleb that he’s made the right decision again. And she does everything in her power to keep Emma close to the Glass family, especially after what transpired in the first book with her husband, Ethan. When Diane’s secret finally explodes, it changes so much for the Glass family’s future. I’m not giving away any spoilers with this post, I promise you. There are seven secrets in the book. Olivia has one. Diane has one. Each of the boys have one. The truth behind the blackmailer’s letter is not at all what it seems to be this time around.

Diane still holds firm in all she does. She is the supporting character who deserves her own chapter, but I chose not to give one to her. Not because I’m cruel, but because I wanted her personality to shine in every scene, whether she was being spotlighted or hovering in the background. This is a woman who unselfishly gave her own life away to care for others, and when readers listen to her words… observe her actions… consider her point of view…. they realize the power of a supporting character. It is Diane who imbued all the generous and loving traits in the boys. It is Diane who balances Olivia’s dynamic personality so that the two sisters actually seem to be cut from the same cloth. It is Diane who finds the potential for love again. Diane is the glue that holds the Glass family together.

So I must ask myself… if the Glass family shatters and cracks from time to time, will she always be around to put them back together again? I suppose the answer to that would be more apparent in a future book… should there ever be one. And with that note, I will leave this guest post in Robbie’s very capable hands. As everyone knows or comes to find out, I always leave a book open for possibilities or end it with a cliffhanger. Why shouldn’t my posts be the same way?

About Watching Glass Shatter

Series Name: Perceptions of Glass

Book #1 Name: Watching Glass Shatter

Book #2 Name: Hiding Cracked Glass (cover reveal for this one)

Publication for Book #2:

Next Chapter, October 8th, 2020

Amazon Link:

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54399989-hiding-cracked-glass

The Blurb

An ominous blackmail letter appears at an inopportune moment. The recipient’s name is accidentally blurred out upon arrival. Which member of the Glass family is the ruthless missive meant for?

In the powerful sequel to Watching Glass Shatter, Olivia is the first to read the nasty threat and assumes it’s meant for her. When the mysterious letter falls into the wrong hands and is read aloud, it throws the entire Glass family into an inescapable trajectory of self-question. Across the span of eight hours, Olivia and her sons contemplate whether to confess their hidden secrets or find a way to bury them forever. Some failed to learn an important lesson last time. Will they determine how to save themselves before it’s too late?

Each chapter’s focus alternates between the various family members and introduces several new and familiar faces with a vested interest in the outcome. As each hour ticks by, the remaining siblings and their mother gradually reveal what’s happened to them in the preceding months, and when the blackmailer makes an appearance at Olivia’s birthday party, the truth brilliantly comes to light.

Although everyone seemed to embrace the healing process at the end of Watching Glass Shatter, there were hidden cracks in the Glass family that couldn’t be mended. Their lives are about to shatter into pieces once again, but this time, the stakes are even higher. Someone wants to teach them a permanent lesson and refuses to stop until success is achieved.  

About the author

Background

James is my given name, but most folks call me Jay. I live in New York City, grew up on Long Island, and graduated from Moravian College, an historic but small liberal arts school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with a degree in English literature and minors in Education, Business and Spanish. After college, I accepted a technical writing position for a telecommunications company during Y2K and spent the last ~20 years building a career in technology & business operations in the retail, sports, media and entertainment industries. Throughout those years, I wrote some short stories, poems and various beginnings to the “Great American Novel,” but I was so focused on my career in technology and business that writing became a hobby. In 2016, I refocused some of my energies toward reinvigorating a second career in reading, writing and publishing.

Author

Writing has been a part of my life as much as my heart, my mind and my body. At some points, it was just a few poems or short stories; at others, it was full length novels and stories. My current focus is family drama fiction, cozy mystery novels and suspense thrillers. I think of characters and plots that I feel must be unwound. I think of situations people find themselves in and feel compelled to tell the story. It’s usually a convoluted plot with many surprise twists and turns. I feel it necessary to take that ride all over the course. My character is easily pictured in my head. I know what he is going to encounter or what she will feel. But I need to use the right words to make it clear.

Reader & Reviewer

Reading has also never left my side. Whether it was children’s books, young adult novels, college textbooks, biographies or my ultimate love, fiction, it’s ever present in my day. I read 2 books per week and I’m on a quest to update every book I’ve ever read on Goodreads, write up a review and post it on all my sites and platforms.

Blogger & Thinker

I have combined my passions into a single platform where I share reviews, write a blog and publish tons of content: TRUTH. I started my 365 Daily Challenge, where I post about a word that has some meaning to me and converse with everyone about life. There is humor, tears, love, friendship, advice and bloopers. Lots of bloopers where I poke fun at myself all the time. Even my dogs have had weekly segments called “Ryder’s Rants” or “Baxter’s Barks” where they complain about me. All these things make up who I am; none of them are very fancy or magnanimous, but they are real. And that’s why they are me.

Genealogist & Researcher

I love history and research, finding myself often reaching back into the past to understand why someone made the choice he or she did and what were the subsequent consequences. I enjoy studying the activities and culture from hundreds of years ago to trace the roots and find the puzzle of my own history. I wish I could watch my ancestors from a secret place to learn how they interacted with others; and maybe I’ll comprehend why I do things the way I do.

Website and blog

Website: https://jamesjcudney.com/

Blog: https://thisismytruthnow.com

Amazon: http://bit.ly/JJCIVBooks

Next Chapter Pub: https://www.nextchapter.pub/authors/james-j-cudney

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/james-j-cudney

Social media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamescudney4

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

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

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

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jamescudney4/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamescudney4/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/jamescudney4

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamescudney4

Genres, formats & languages

I write in the family drama and mystery genres. My first two books are Watching Glass Shatter (2017) and Father Figure (2018). Both are contemporary fiction and focus on the dynamics between parents and children and between siblings. I’m currently writing the sequel to Watching Glass Shatter. I also have a light mystery series called the Braxton Campus Mysteries with six books available.

All my books come in multiple formats (Kindle, physical print, large print paperback, and audiobook) and some are also translated into foreign languages such as Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and German.

Goodreads books links

Watching Glass Shatter (October 2017)

Father Figure (April 2018)

Braxton Campus Mysteries

·       Academic Curveball – #1 (October 2018)

·       Broken Heart Attack – #2 (November 2018)

·       Flower Power Trip – #3 (March 2019)

·       Mistaken Identity Crisis – #4 (June 2019)

·       Haunted House Ghost – #5 (October 2019)

·       Frozen Stiff Drink – #6 (March 2020)