Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Book Trailer Reveal: TEASE by Sophie Jordan

Today I get to have the lovely Sophie Jordan visiting my blog to share the book trailer to her newest book TEASE which is the 2nd book in her sexy New Adult series, the Ivy Chronicles. I first met her at RT 2013 in Kansas City and she was very nice and approachable. If you get the chance to meet her, do. She's super talented and able to write multiple genres.

Sophie Jordan is an international and New York Times bestselling author whose books include historical romances and the Firelight series. When she’s not writing, she spends her time overloading on caffeine (lattes preferred), talking plotlines with anyone who will listen (including her kids), and cramming her DVR with true-crime and reality-television shows. She lives in Houston.

Sophie can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

A born flirt and good-time party girl, Emerson has never had a problem finding a willing guy. She’s always chosen her hook-ups carefully, and she’s never broken her three cardinal rules:

  • Never let them see the real you.

  • Never fall in love.

  • Always leave them begging for more.

Then comes Shaw. A hottie from the wrong side of the tracks, he’s immune to her flirtatious banter and come-hither smile. After rescuing her from a disastrous night at a biker bar, he doesn’t even try to take her to bed-he calls her a tease and sends her home instead. Unable to resist a challenge, or forget the sexy dark-eyed bad-boy biker, she vows to bring him to his knees.

But instead of making Shaw beg, she finds herself craving him. For the first time in her life, she’s throwing out her rulebook. Suddenly, she’s the one panting for a guy she can’t control. A guy who won’t settle for anything less than the real Emerson, who forces her to do things she’s never imagined, including facing a past she thought she’d buried.

A guy who just might leave her wanting more...



So, there you have it.

Enjoy.

'Till Next Time

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

RT Revisited

A year ago, something amazing happened. It started with this, then this, and finally this. A lot has happened since I attended the Romance Times Booklovers Convention in May 2013. And by a lot, I mean A LOT!

Last year, I thought I was ready to publish Hate Jacket. I thought it was THE ONE. The book that would get me on the map so to speak. I mean, it came in as a runner up in the RT Conventions Writer Idol competition. It had even gotten requests from some of the judges.

Then I sent it to Nicole.

And waited.

And waited.

There's a lot of waiting in publishing. Not because they are ignoring you, but I've found out over the course of a year that agents can get an INSANE amount of emails every day. Most of which are not even fit for human consumption.

But I digress.

Anyway, I finally received my first email from Nicole. We chatted back and forth and talked about how we each saw this mentorship working. Once we were both comfortable with how it works, she she sent me an email with her initial critique of my precious baby.

The gist of the email was she loved my writing, but I had no plot. What? How can I have no plot? I got from the beginning to the end and I don't have a plot. What?

Then I read some more of her email and she explained what she meant. Then she gave me "homework". I then did what any author in their right mind (I use the term "right" loosely) and sent it to my CP and a couple other people.

They all agreed, I didn't have a plot. So I did smashed my face into the wall a few times and did what Nicole suggested and tore my story apart.


And this happened.

I have spent since then revising and revising. I'm on my 7th major revision and I'm still working on it. I did take a break in November to start another story, but that's not important.

Anyway, Nicole has been an invaluable resource for me in many ways. Some of which I can't talk about here because it involves my penname. But needless to say, my life changed a year ago. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I owe so much to Nicole, and Louise Fury for everything they've done for me. For that I am eternally grateful.

It is unfortunate that I can't attend RT this year. Not only is it in New Orleans, but I won't be able to see all the amazing people I met last year. Not to mention giving both Nicole and Louise a huge hug for everything.

There is a bright spot. This happened yesterday.


Anyway, if you happen upon Cecily and she is indeed carrying my face on a Popsicle stick, stop and give her a hug from me and take a picture. You can tweet me, or drop it on my FB page. I'll have to set up a way for you to email me. If I figure that out, I will edit this post.

'Till Next Time

Monday, May 12, 2014

GUEST POST: On Fear and Writing by Ella Martin

Today, I have the unique pleasure of having a guest post by the awesome Ella Martin. Her novel, WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP is due to release July 2014. She can be found on here and here.



ON FEAR AND WRITING
by Ella Martin

I admire anybody who has the guts to write anything at all. – E.B. White

Writing is a scary business.

I’m not talking about the fear that no one will ever buy your book, or the fear that editors won’t buy it, or even the fear that agents won’t love it enough to offer to represent you.

Those are all scary things related to writing, but those are all after the fact because writing—the actual act of sitting down and getting words onto the page (or screen, as the case more often is these days)—can be pretty freakin’ terrifying.

It wasn’t always like this for me. And in all actuality, I love to write. It’s my emotional outlet. My fifth-grade teacher handed me a blank notebook one day and told me to fill it up with all my thoughts and ideas and stories, and I was hooked. In those days, writing wasn’t so scary. Writing was just something I did.

When I sat down to write my novel WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP?, it wasn’t scary. I wrote it during NaNoWriMo 2012, and I signed up for that on a whim. I’d had the general idea for the story for month, but I finally put the words onto the screen that November. I was excited and eager to be writing the first draft, and I didn’t have a chance to be scared.

But writing the second book? I didn’t have the one-month self-imposed deadline. I wouldn’t “earn” a shirt proclaiming me a winner once I’d finished it. I didn’t have a site that would hold me accountable before all my peers. Worse, I had time to think, to second-guess myself, to wonder if I was telling the right story for my character. In that way, time can be a dangerous thing because if allowed, time can feed fear and allow it to fester.

Why, then, is writing so scary? I can’t speak for anyone else, but for me, committing words to the page, knowing that people may—no, will—read them, is intimidating. My work in progress, a companion novel to WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP?, has started and stalled more times than a lemon coming off a used car lot. In my head, I have the story perfectly mapped out, and the words are beautifully written. It’s flawless.

To actually write out the story, though, means it will lose that perfection. It subjects it to the possibility (and likelihood) of being questioned, torn apart, and rejected. And as much as I claim to welcome feedback and embrace rejection, it’s still scary.

I once read somewhere that fear and excitement, from a purely physiological perspective, are the same emotion. The body responds the same way to both. Pupils dilate, adrenaline courses, heartbeats race, breathing quickens to accommodate the increased blood flow, and the brain is on alert. How we use that energy is what determines if it’s fear or excitement.

So embrace the fear and channel that energy into your words. Know that it’s okay to be scared—but it’s not okay to give into that fear. Repurpose the fear as excitement, and write like no one but you will ever read it. There will be ups and downs. There will be passages you can’t wait to write and parts you force yourself to slog through. But when you’ve met your word count for the day or feel the euphoria that comes after finishing a chapter, you can think of the roller coaster you’ve just been on, look back on it, and say, “I wanna do that again!”

Ella Martin is a YA author represented by Julia A. Weber of J.A.W. Literaturagentur. Her debut novel WILL THE REAL PRINCE CHARMING PLEASE STAND UP? is a contemporary continuation of Snow White in which a 15-year-old girl discovers “happily ever after” only happens with the right guy. It will be available July 2014 from Astraea Press.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Cover Reveal: If Ever I Would Leave You

Today, authors Bronwyn Green, Jessica Jarman, and Jenny Trout unveil the cover of their upcoming
anthology:

If Ever I Would Leave You
(July, 2014)

Keep reading for a chance to win an Arthurian-themed DVD prize pack or a $25 Amazon gift card!



Surfacing
Bronwyn Green

A year after Tabby Nolan's sister vanished from the Lake Michigan shore with her boyfriend, Liam, Tabby visits the spot where the two were last seen-- and finds herself pulled into the crumbling world of Avalon.

Since his disappearance, Liam has been trapped in the mythical land, with no link to the world he knew. Now, their shared memories of Tabby's missing sister are all they can cling to as Avalon dies around them.

But Tabby doesn't want to be a replacement for her sister, and her growing attachment to Liam feels like a betrayal. As Avalon fades around them, Liam and Tabby must rely on each other--or be lost with the ancient kingdom forever.


Albion’s Circle: The Deepest Cut
Jessica Jarman

For nineteen years, Anna has been plagued by dreams of lives lived only in legend. Finally free from the family that believed her hopeless and worthless, she’s ready to start her life over—alone.

When Anna meets an enigmatic stranger claiming to be the legendary wizard Merlin, she is forced to question the very reality she’s struggled to accept. With the mythic figures from her dreams intruding on her waking life, Anna learns that she’s been reborn to fight an ancient evil alongside King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.

Caught in an ages old conflict, Anna is the key to stopping a dark magic that will destroy the world—and Merlin wants to make sure that this time, Anna isn’t alone.


A Choice Fit For A Queen
Jenny Trout
writing as
Abigail Barnette

For perpetual overachiever Madison Lane, a summer studying Arthurian mythology in the Welsh countryside with professor Thomas Evans is a dream come true, and the adventure of a lifetime.

Of course, the enormous crush Madison developed on the professor after a semester of his lectures at U of M has absolutely nothing to do with her desire to learn more about the enduring legend of Camelot. At least, that’s what she’s telling her parents.

When Madison meets fellow student Rhys Crewe, sparks fly, throwing her plans for wild fling with Professor Evans completely out of whack—as do her unexpectedly complicated feelings for Thomas. With tales of Arthur and Lancelot haunting her every waking moment, Madison has to make the most difficult choice of her life.


Jessica Jarman is an author, blogger, and rather obsessive fangirl. Having grown up in Upper Michigan and currently living in Minnesota, she is a Midwestern girl through and through. And wouldn’t have it any other way.
When Jessica isn't working to get words on the page, she passes the time with her amazing husband and four children, attempting to be crafty (and failing miserably), squeeing uncontrollably over her favorite shows or curling up with a good book.









Bronwyn Green is an author, blogger and compulsive crafter. She lives Michigan with her husband, two sons and three somewhat psychotic cats. When not frantically writing, she can be found helping in her youngest son’s classroom or binge-watching Netflix while working on her latest craft project.










Abigail Barnette (Jenny Trout) is a writer, blogger, and funny person. She has written award winning and bestselling erotic romance as Abigail Barnette. Writing as Jennifer Armintrout, she made the USA Today bestseller list with Blood Ties Book One: The Turning. Her novel American Vampire was named one of the top ten horror novels of 2011 by Booklist Magazine Online. She is a proud Michigander, mother of two, and wife to the only person alive capable of spending extended periods of time with her without wanting to strangle her. Visit her on twitter (@Jenny_Trout) or at her blog, jennytrout.com.

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Thursday, May 1, 2014

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Kate Evangelista!


I've known Kate for a while now. Despite being on opposite sides of the world, we've managed to become good friends (at least until the restraining order...JOKE!). She's sweet, smart, and a talented writer. I've read several of her books and loved each one.

And, to celebrate her birthday, she's got a massive giveaway. So, Happy Birthday, Kate. Hope you have a wonderful day.

And here's a cake with friendship cubes from the game Portal...because I'm a nerd.


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