A Dream Within A Dream: Of Threads and Oceans Blog Tour: Guest Post + Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the OF THREADS AND

OCEANS by Camilla Tracy Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

OF THREADS AND OCEANS
Author: Camilla Tracy
Release Date: August 17, 2023
Publisher: Pudel Threads Publishing
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 326

Find it: Goodreads, https://geni.us/OfThreadsandOceans

Description:

An exceptional life leads to

extraordinary challenges. Especially with a tiger, dog, and snake.

In a world of ancient secrets and mystical powers, Thali, a famed merchant’s

daughter conceals her true identity. After her brother’s sudden death, Thali

must stay safe and navigate a new school and unfamiliar faces. As she struggles

with whom to trust, strange things start to happen around her, and the animals

refuse to be ignored as she’s tempted by the draw of her own magic.

Every day threatens to expose her secrets as she’s torn between embracing her

magic and remaining in the shadows. Especially when she meets a mysterious boy

who is a match for her in all forms. With her friends, magic, and identity at

stake, Thali must confront the truth she has been avoiding.

As Thali battles her inner demons and the mysteries of an ancient world unravel

around her, will Thali embrace her true self and harness her magic’s potential,

or will she succumb to the evil dangers that lie ahead?

 

Top 5 Favorite Movies

Mulan

This was the first time I
saw Asian representation in main stream media. There are so many
cultural things I could relate to, but I think my favorite is when Mushu
presents Mulan’s breakfast of congee with eggs and bacon. I don’t think
I’ve ever had bacon in my congee, but I’ve definitely had egg in it,
and you can take it in many directions with all kinds of add ins.

Bride and Prejudice

I
can’t explain it, I absolutely adore this movie and have watched it
dozens of time. I love Pride and Predjudice (the super long BBC version
with Colin Firth is my personal preference), but sometimes I don’t have
the time and want my P&P hit in a shorter version and this is the
playful, super fun and colorful version that is like a mug of hot tea on
a cold snowy day.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

While
I’m not Greek, there were so many relatable moments I found here. That
moussaka scene? I literally went through the same moment with some home
made cucumber rolls when I was an elementary kid.

Encanto

I
could rewatch Encanto a thousand times. I love the music, the stories,
the characters – I want to BE Antonio so badly. I also LOVE Luisa. It’s
such a beautiful story with so many touching moments and deeper
meanings.

Barbie

I honestly think that just
like The Importance of Being Earnest is an exaggerated representation of
life at the time, Barbie is the movie that represents the 21st century.
I never liked barbies as a kid, actually I hated all dolls (they made
my uncomfortable), so I was hesitant to see the movie. When I did
though, I went through the gamut of emotions and I thought it was such a
poignant and important film to our generation.

Top 5 Favorite Board Games

It
is a GREAT time to get into board games. There are so many types and
kinds and artwork associated with them, there’s something for everyone.
If the last one you played was monopoly, scrabble, or Life, (not that
there’s anything wrong with them), it’s time to dive back in because
it’s a HUGE world!

Skyrise  

Not only was I a lucky duck
and won this beautiful edition of this game, but I love how different it
is as it’s kind of an auction game, but even if you lose all the
auctions, you still have a chance to win the game as a whole! Also, the pieces for the edition are beautiful and fun to handle.

Settlers
of Catan  

This is the gateway game that got me back into board games and
the wide world it is. I love a good long term strategy, where you can’t
mess with each other too much.

Dog Park  

Remember when I
said that there are all kinds and types with all kinds of artwork? This
is a great game with beautiful artwork done of various dog breeds and
it’s fun to play with fun little bone pieces to play with. You get to
collect, walk, and show dogs.

Clank

I love this game
because it’s cuter than the usual dungeon crawling. You’ve got to go
down into the dungeons to grab some fancy artifacts without waking the
dragon – but you’re all a little clumsy. And then when someone makes it
out, it’s a rush to make sure you don’t get buried alive underground!

Scout 

Scout is a new card game I’ve just started playing and I’ll admit the first
round was confusing, but the more I play it, the more complex the
strategy is and since it’s kind of chance what you get to work with, I
feel like it’s low stakes pressure.

Top 5 Writer Must Haves

Mood music: Lately, I’ve been into

Imagine Dragons while I edit and get business stuff done. I’m finding it

energizing and motivating to get my tasks moving. But, I can’t write with

lyrics playing. So while I’m writing, it’s always instrumental, and lately,

it’s been this fantasy instrumental list that helps me get my words in. 

Beverages: At least two drinks,

maybe three. Water to hydrate, something fun like tea or coffee, and a protein

drink for nutrition to keep yourself going through your those writing sprints.

I believe it’s known as being a drink goblin and I am definitely that.

A favorite pen: My favorite pen is

the Sarasa zebra gel pen in blue. Whether it’s to make notes, write something

down to remember later (like the color of a dress in a scene), a pen you love

using makes it all the more lovely to do.

Favorite notebook: Now I know I

can’t be the only one who collects notebooks and is usually too afraid to use

them. But just like it can be a pleasure to write with your favorite pen, it’s

also a pleasure to write ON your favorite paper – the smoothness, the

thickness, please tell me I’m not the only one.

Furry friend: please don’t get a

furry friend if you don’t already have one, or weren’t planning on getting one.

Or maybe get a stuffed animal friend. I’m an animal person through and through,

but I do think they make the best office co-habitators. My doggos remind me to

get up and empty my bladder, stretch, and move around. I also love to grab a

few treats for a quick training session for a mental break. And there’s nothing

better than doggie snuggles!

Many of us readers/writers have

other hat as a pet professional to give you a few things to try below:

Five quick games to play with

your dog:

Treat hunt: put your dog in

another room, put three-five treats in little piles around your space – the

easiest is in the middle of an open space, the more difficult being near

furniture corners. Let your dog use their sniffer to find and eat the treats!

What do you know: Does your dog

know the hand signal, or the verbal cue? Try asking for a sit – both verbally

first, and then with your hand signal and see which your dog listens to

fastest. This one gives you homework to know which you need more practice with.

Random tricks: Write each of the

behaviors your dog knows on a cue card, shuffle them up and pull each out at

random to see which you should practice. Or make it fancy by seeing how many

you can do in a row!

Nose boop: Put a treat in your

hand. Close your hand around it and place your hand right in front of your

dog’s nose. When they move to investigate and touch your hand – open your hand

and let them eat the treat! Once your dog practices this a few times, make it

harder by moving your hand further away, or to the left/right, or up/down. 

Good dog: Dogs don’t usually like

to be pet, especially a hand touching the top of their head. But you can teach

them it’s awesome! Pat your dog’s head and then give them a treat. You’re

creating a positive association with touching the top of their head! You can do

this with touching their collar too. Because usually, when we grab our dog’s

collar, we take them away from the fun thing, so many dogs learn to shy away

when a hand moves in.

Bonus: Recall: The power of your

dog’s name comes from all the previous instances – and what happened after.

Grab ten treats, call your dog to you, give them one from your hand and toss

the second treat away from you. Takes seconds and you’ve just put five great

coins into the ‘come when I call your name’ account. 

Camilla is a lover of many mediums of storytelling. She loves

to write YA fantasy with strong heroines who can kick butt, find love, and

adventure with their animals sidekicks. She always has projects on the go and

loves to consume stories of all kinds – books, shows, movies, plays, amongst

many others.

When she is not writing, Camilla is often found exploring

animal behavior, crafting, drinking a hot beverage, and clicker training her

animals.

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(2) winners

will receive a book box with a finished copy of OF THREADS AND OCEANS &

swag – US & Canada Only.

Ends March

4th, midnight EST.