Carmela A. Martino

 

     For the month of March, I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of Women's History Month because Playing by Heart was inspired by two notable women of history: composer Maria Teresa Agnesi (pictured above) and her sister, linguist and mathematician Maria Gaetana Agnesi. (To read more about the sisters, see this website I created in their honor.) March is also the six-month anniversary of the release of Playing by Heart. It's hard to believe the book has already been out six months!

 

     The giveaway prize is pictured above. It includes a limited-edition zippered book bag featuring the cover of Playing by Heart on the outside pocket, with some "swag" tucked inside the two pockets: bookplates that I'll autograph especially for you, and some bookmarks. I use one of these bags myself and love it! 

 

     You must subscribe to my Creativity Newsletter to participate in the giveaway. All subscribers are welcome to download a free PDF excerpt of Playing by Heart.  Go to this page and click on "Download Now."  

 

Giveaway Instructions:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter 1, 2, or all 3 ways:

1. You must subscribe to my Creativity Newsletter to enter.
   Current subscribers: simply enter your subscription email address in the first option of the widget below.
   New subscribers: provide the email address you'd like to use to subscribe and you'll be automatically added to the mailing list.
2. Post a picture on Instagram of someone reading Playing by Heart.
   Be sure to tag @cmartinoauthor (my Instagram handle) and use #PlayingbyHeart
3. Tweet a picture of someone reading Playing by Heart. Please provide the URL of your tweet and tag @carmelamartino (my Twitter handle). If possible, include #PlayingbyHeart

If you have any problems entering, email me via the Contact page. Contest runs through March 1-31. Winners will be notified via email.

 

Open to those 18 and over only. You must have a U.S. mailing address to receive the prize. Good luck!

P.S. If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, here's info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Here's a list of the online reviews of Playing by Heart so far, mostly by bloggers. If I've missed any, do let me know.

• 9/6/17   Booklist review of Playing by Heart 
• 9/29/17 Review of Playing by Heart On Barb's Bookshelf
• 10/3/17 Blogger and author of adult suspense novels H. Schussman's 5-star review 
• 10/9/17  Review by A.J. Cattapan, author of middle-grade and young-adult novels
• 10/12/17  Carolyn Astfalk, author of novels for young adults and adults, shares her review of Playing by Heart here
• 11/6/17 Fantasy author Katy Huth Jones's 5-star review
• 12/15/17 Leslie Lindsay's review and interview
• 2/1/18  Review in the February 2018 edition of The Historical Novels Review
• 5/16/18 Review at Today's Catholic Homeschooling
• 9/14/18 Review at Catholic Reads
• 9/24/18 Review by Catholic speaker and inspirational author Virginia Lieto
• 11/24/18 Review by Michelle Lynn at YA Books Central (YABC)
• 1/27/19 Review by Leslea Wahl at Catholic365.com
• 2/2019 Review by Vince Piro for the Italian Catholic Federation Bollettino February issue (p. 7)

Hi all!

     I'm planning a Blog Tour and Giveaway to celebrate the release of
Playing by Heart PLUS a Facebook Launch Party!

 

The Blog Tour and Giveaway will run 10/6-10/16. Then, you're invited to attend the virtual Facebook Launch Party on Oct. 17, at 7-9 p.m. (Central Time). Attendees will be able to win not only copies of Playing by Heart but other great books and prizes! Contests will run 15 minutes each so you needn't attend the full two hours to participate.

 

Below is the list of the authors hosting the Blog Tour and their website links. After their posts go live, I'll update the links to their specific blog tour pages. Also beginning on Friday, Oct. 6, you'll be able to enter below for a chance to win an autographed paperback copy of Playing by Heart. The giveaway instructions follow the list of blog tour stops. 

• 10/6  H. Schussman, author of adult suspense novels, hosts an interview here 
• 10/9  A. J. Cattapan, author of middle-grade and young-adult novels shares her review of Playing by Heart here 
• 10/10  Leslea Wahl, young-adult author, hosts an interview here 
• 10/11  Theresa Linden, young-adult author, hosts an interview here 
• 10/12  Carolyn Astfalk, author of novels for young adults and adults, shares her review of Playing by Heart here
• 10/13  Courtney McKinney-Whitaker, young-adult author, hosts an interview here 
• 10/16  Cynthia T. Toney, young-adult author, shares an excerpt from Playing by Heart here

Giveaway Instructions:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter 1, 2, or all 3 ways:

1. Subscribe to my creativity newsletter. Current subscribers: simply enter your subscription email address with Option 1. New subscribers: provide the email address you'd like to use to subscribe and you'll be added to the mailing list.
2. Comment on this blog post (under the Rafflecopter widget below). Tell me which blog tour stop you visited and what you learned there/found of interest.
3. RSVP to the Playing by Heart Facebook Launch party to be held Oct. 17, 7-9 p.m. (Central Time). You don't have to attend the party to enter via this option, but you need to RSVP on the event's Facebook page.

If you have any problems entering, email me via the Contact page. Contest closes at the end of the day on Oct. 17.

 

Open to those 18 and over only. You must have a U.S. mailing address to receive the prize. Good luck!

P.S. If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, here's info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association, reviewed Playing by Heart in their online edition on September 6, 2017. They called the novel "a sweet and pleasurable read"! See another tidbit from the review in this trailer the publisher created: