Friday Five for February 28th, 2014

1. I did a happy dance on Wednesday after I unchained myself from my desk. I finished the 3rd draft of my superhero WIP. Woo-hoo! I sent it off to my CPs and betas. Then I celebrated with peanut butter cookies. On Monday, I will start revising WIP #1 again. I'm right on track with my writing goals so far this year.

2. It's been a tiring week. I've been babysitting every day. It only reminds me I no longer have the energy of my youth. I just wish the youths understood that!

3. My husband was sick on the weekend, and with stuffed up nose, he snores more than usual. So I spent two nights on the couch. I love my couch. It's amazingly comfy, but it always gives me weird dreams. One dream had 5 good versions of myself fighting 5 bad versions. Not clones. (I don't have access to Alex's cloning machine!) It was more like a spirit battle. It was unsettling. Thankfully when I'm sleeping in the bed, I only fight monsters and not myself, er, my selves.

4. I've been reading a lot lately, and I realized I have a favorite bookmark. Until recently, I didn't care what I marked my pages with. A lot of the time it was just a strip of paper ripped from a recycled scrap. Now I have to have a certain one. Do you have a favorite bookmark?

5. I got some BIG news this week: the 4th book in the 13th Floor series, THE HARBINGER, has been nominated for a BigAl's Books & Pals Readers' Choice Award in the category of Fantasy. I'm honored and excited. Voting starts on March 2nd and runs through to the 12th. Please consider voting for my book. I'll share my cookies with you!

Bloodlust blog tour - guest post by Nicole Zoltack

Barbarian Love Story?

I bet love isn’t the first word you think of when you hear “barbarian.” Maybe anger or rage or berserker or something along those lines.

Writing a romance featuring a barbarian heroine wasn’t easy. I had to be true to her

character as her barbarian self but I also had to make her have weaknesses and

compassion and a reason to root for her. Ivy, herself, fights against love. She has spent all of her life without feeling that emotion, not even toward her parents.

But she does find love. And the battle for her heart is one she is doomed to lose.

What is the first word you think of when you hear “barbarian”? Tell me and be entered to win some swag!

Oh, and the first ten people who email (Nicole.Zoltack@gmail.com) proof of purchase of BLOODLUST will be gifted another one of my stories. Spread the word about this and you might win another novel!

Blurb:

In a world torn by prejudice and hatred, six races struggled for supremacy.
 

Desperation…

Barbarian-Princess Ivy is unwilling to allow her father to provoke the other races into war and forms an unlikely alliance with Lukor the goliath to save her people from utter destruction.
 
Betrayal…
 

Unbeknownst to her, Lukor blames the barbarians for murdering his sister and plans on sabotaging her goal.

Bloodlust…

Almost despite each other, they grow to respect each other on their journey to decode secret messages from the trolls. But nothing Ivy can do will prevent the war as her father is blinded by Bloodlust and incites it himself. Not even killing him and becoming Barbaroness can stop the tide. And when Bloodlust claims Ivy, forcing her to kill everyone in her path, she must make a choice to destroy even Lukor, who she may have started to fall for and him in return.

Add it on Goodreads.

Buy BLOODLUST here:

Amazon, B&N, and Kobo

Bio:

Nicole Zoltack loves to write in many genres, especially fantasy romance. When she's not writing about knights, superheroes, or zombies, she loves to spend time with her loving husband and three energetic boys. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they're unicorns!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire, dress in garb. She'll also read anything she can get her hands on. To learn more about Nicole and her writing, visit her blog.

Wicked Wednesday - original PNR heroines

I love the kick-butt heroines of paranormal romance (PNR). I love their physical and mental strength, their immense supernatural powers, their intelligence, and their wit. But sometimes they start to blur together.

It's fun to read and write about a strong female character, but there are a lot of them in this genre. When you get so many of the same type of protagonists, the books don't stand out from one another. It's the author's job to make sure their heroine is unique and memorable.

Here are a few tips to having a fantastic and original PNR heroine:

- Give her an unexpected job. We see many assassins, spies, and law enforcement officers. While those careers provide a good background for fighting experience and opportunities to mix with the dark side, there are several other jobs to choose from. What about a teacher or a nurse? Or even a rattlesnake milker. That's a dangerous job!

- Don't make her a loner. There are too many orphans and women from broken homes in PNR. Everyone needs some support. Give her good (smart!) friends and/or a decent family.

- Wit and sarcasm is fine. So is a little attitude. Yet don't go overboard. If the protagonist gives sass back to everyone, no one is going to like her. If she never follows her boss' orders, she's not going to keep her job no matter how good she is.

- Don't make her a glamor queen or a scarred beautiful killer. Not every man needs to lust after her. What's important is that her love interest finds her gorgeous.

- Make her strong, smart, and brave, but most importantly, make her flawed. Everyone has flaws. Protagonists become boring if they're perfect. Give the powerful characters flaws equal to or greater than their strengths. It'll be much more worth the reader's while when the protagonist overcomes them.

What types of heroines do you see too much of in PNR? Any additional tips on how to make them unique?

Teaser Tuesday with The Darkest Kiss

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I'm gobbling these books up! This is the sixth book in the Riley Jenson Guardian series by Keri Arthur. Dark and gritty paranormal romance with very steamy hot scenes. While a lot is standard PNR, Keri throws a lot of twists and turns in. Things I expected to happen have happened, but not in the way I expected them to happen. So far, I've enjoyed each book equally.

Here's your teaser:
"Not into motorcycles?"
"No." But my treacherous hormones were certainly into all that leather. (page 45)

Bloodlust cover reveal

Hi, everyone! Nicole Zoltack here and I'm so happy to share with you the cover for my upcoming release.

Isn't it just beautiful? And it's perfect for the story.

Here's the blurb for BLOODLUST, a NA epic fantasy romance.

In a world torn by prejudice and hatred, six races struggled for supremacy.

Desperation…

Barbarian-Princess Ivy is unwilling to allow her father to provoke the other races into war and forms an unlikely alliance with Lukor the goliath to save her people from utter destruction.

Betrayal…

Unbeknownst to her, Lukor blames the barbarians for murdering his sister and plans on sabotaging her goal.

Bloodlust…

Almost despite each other, they grow to respect each other on their journey to decode secret messages from the trolls. But nothing Ivy can do will prevent the war as her father is blinded by Bloodlust and incites it himself. Not even killing him and becoming Barbaroness can stop the tide. And when Bloodlust claims Ivy, forcing her to kill everyone in her path, she must make a choice to destroy even Lukor, who she may have started to fall for and him in return.

The cover is so fitting, am I right?

The story will be released on February 24th. Ack! So excited. I'd love for you to share this and I'd even kiss you if you add it on Goodreads.

What do you think about the cover? The blurb? Does it sound like something you'd like to read?

Bio:

Nicole Zoltack loves to write in many genres, especially fantasy romance. When she's not writing about knights, superheroes, or zombies, she loves to spend time with her loving husband and three energetic boys. She enjoys riding horses (pretending they're unicorns!) and going to the PA Renaissance Faire, dress in garb. She'll also read anything she can get her hands on. To learn more about Nicole and her writing, visit her blog.

Friday Five for February 21st, 2014

1. Thank you so much to DL Hammons and the Blog Blitz team. I was blitzed last Friday. It totally shocked me. And it felt absolutely wonderful. What a way to end the week! This is one of the reasons I love the Blog Blitz. You, too, can make other people feel this fantastic. Join the Blog Blitz team now!

2. Thanks to the blitz, I now have over 500 followers! Yay! I'm also nearing 850 posts on this blog. I think it's time to do a giveaway. Let me think on this. I want to make it worth your while.

3. It hasn't been a terribly productive week. I've been distracted by babysitting, headaches, and Archer. I managed to do some revisions to my superhero WIP, but little else. If I push it these last days of February, I might be able to finish the 3rd draft by the end of the month as I planned.

4. When I'm working on a WIP or critiquing, I always do it with the document single-spaced. I don't know why this is. I think maybe the extra white space of double-spaced documents is distracting. How do you usually format documents that you're working on?

5. Our household is just getting over a sick week. We haven't been horribly sick, but something icky has been sticking around. So we have no plans for the weekend except resting up. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Model Position is here!

For Sienna, love and art are perilous games. Is she ready to take that gamble?

Sienna is a beautiful, talented artist poised on the precipice of soaring into the glamorous, yet cutthroat Manhattan art scene.

Dave Hightower is a hooked-up, handsome heir to the hippest gallery in NYC, Gallery Hightower.

Erik is the live drawing model with his sizzling green eyes fixed only on Sienna.

Three’s a crowd, so Sienna must make a choice: date Dave and ride the fast track to landing a show at Gallery Hightower and hobnobbing with the art glitterati, or follow her heart and take a chance with Erik, the stunning male model who’s stealing her heart. But Erik has some worrisome secrets, and who in their right mind would make live modeling their career?

Dare Sienna throw away her chances of hitting it big to follow her heart?

 

BUY THE BOOK NOW AT:

AMAZON * B&N * KOBO * INKSPELL

Add MODEL POSITION to read on Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

When Kitsy Clare isn’t creating stories on her favorite Mac Air, she teaches speculative fiction and creative writing workshops. She also loves to draw, travel, read spicy romance, sci-fi and all kinds of thrillers. She divides her time between New York City and her studio in the Catskills, where she enjoys the sounds of birds, bullfrogs and the random coyote. 

Kitsy Clare is the pen name for her new adult romance. She also writes young adult fiction using her real name, Catherine Stine. Her YA futuristic thriller, Fireseed One won finalist spots in both YA and Science Fiction in the 2013 USA Book News International Book Awards. It was also granted an Indie Reader Approved notable stamp. Her YA Refugees, earned a New York Public Library Best Book. Ruby’s Fire, the new companion novel to Fireseed One, is receiving high praise from reviewers. She’s a member of SFWA, SCBWI and CBIG. She can be found on www.catherinestine.com, www.catherinestine.blogspot.com, and https://twitter.com/crossoverwriter

Wicked Wednesday - now that's just really creepy!

The men and women of paranormal romances do many grand romantic gestures. Acts that are sometimes ludicrous, cheesy, or terrifying. If someone did these things in real life, we'd consider them creepy. Yet we're very forgiving of our fictional lovers. We let them get away with a lot.

Here are some romantic gestures that you commonly see in romances that would creep out any sane person in real life:

- Extreme possessiveness. Typical alpha male behavior. Even the women sometimes have this too. If even another person looks at their lover in any other than a neutral manner, they'll get into arguments and physical fights. Not a turn on at all.

- Stalking your love interest and admitting to it. Some characters find this romantic. Stalker is the new sexy? I'd freak out if I knew someone was watching me as I slept!

- Doing something potentially lethal to convince someone to go on a date. If I take out that whole nest of vampires, you have to go on a dinner date with me. Or I'll throw myself off a cliff if you don't go out with me. That says a lot about the person right there. Nope, not romantic.

- Public confessions of love. You can't get your love interest alone, so you shout it out in front of his pack or school or family, sometimes at a wedding. Their wedding. Maybe there's a reason the person doesn't want to be alone with you.

- Continuing to try to assert yourself in your love interest's life after she has said she's not interested and doesn't want to see you again. Are you thinking she's confused? And if she is, let her contact you later on if she changes her mind. Respect her. Don't be creepy and show up to her work with flowers or serenade her on the street.

Are you guilty of being more forgiving with fictional characters? Have you experienced a grand romantic gesture that was really just creepy?

Teaser Tuesday with Full Moon Rising

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This is the first book in the Riley Jenson Guardian series by Keri Arthur. It nabbed me right away. Lots of action, a great story hook, and quite a few steamy scenes. I was afraid it was going to go over the top with a half-werewolf, half-vampire protagonist in the midst of moon fever, but it's working. Working really well!

Here's your teaser:
His laugh sent warm shivers down my spine. "One thing I love about werewolves - they're always forthright when it comes to sex." (page 37)

Review for Fireseed One

Blurb:

The year is 2089. Temperate climate has replaced Arctic ice, and much of what is now the United States is a lethal Hotzone, cut off by an insurmountable border from its northern, luckier neighbors, Ocean and Land Dominion. It is rumored that roving Hotzone nomads will kill for a water pellet or a slice of insect loaf, and that the ZWC, a dangerous Hotzone activist group, has infiltrated the border to the northern Dominions. 

Up in Ocean Dominion, all eighteen year-old Varik Teitur wants is to party on SnowAngel Island with his friend Audun and flirt with college girls he dreams of joining next year in his quest to become a doctor. Instead, he inherits a vast sea farm, following the death of his father, famous marine biologist Professor Teitur. 

Five weeks later, ZWC member Marisa Baron breaks into the farm's secret seed vault and a fellow activist poisons the farm's agar crops, the world's food source. In order to save the last agar seedlings Varik is forced to journey to the Hotzone in search of Fireseed, a plant his father supposedly developed with magical hybridization properties. 

Varik takes Marisa along. Aside from being a terrorist, she's the beautiful daughter of Melvyn Baron, the biggest real estate mogul in Land Dominion, and the professor's old rival. Oddly, she knows lots about Fireseed, and what Hotzone land Professor Teitur bought to test the crop, before becoming embittered and trashing the project. No one except Varik knows whether Fireseed once existed off the drawing board. Might the refugees in Vegas-by-the-Sea have answers, or the bizarre Fireseed cult in the Chihuahua desert? Varik, the reluctant hero, must risk burning in the Hotzone, as his mother did, to save the ailing agar, and the world.

My review:

Varik Teitur has always wanted to study medicine, but when his father dies, he's left to run their sea farm. Food is scarce as the global temperatures rise and the arctic ice has melted. The agar Varik's farms grow feed many. When Marisa Baron breaks into his sea vault, Varik must get back the valuable seeds that were stolen by an activist group. Even as he deals with the infuriating girl, he learns his father had a secret project: a plant called Fireseed that could withstand the cruel sun's rays and feed the world. Varik and Marisa dare the desert oven that is a Hotzone to find Fireseed and save mankind from starvation.

An incredibly unique and fun YA futuristic thriller. It takes place in the not so distant future and makes you wonder if this is what could happen if the polar ice melts. I could definitely see the big corporations taking over, and farming the seas makes a lot of sense. I loved the strange hybrids they grew, and I can only wonder what other wonders man has created. The world in this book seems alien, but it's a great prediction of what might be.

There's also a fantastic cast of characters. Varik is an admirable young man. Though he's only 18, he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. I didn't feel he acted too old for his age. He just wants to hang out with his friend and have some fun. Marisa is a daring and compassionate girl. She's a great complement to Varik's steadfast personality.

I was quickly caught up in the world and Varik's story. The plot moves along quickly with several surprises along the way. I didn't want to put my Kindle down!

I can't wait for the next book in the series.

 

 

About the author: I write young adult and middle grade novels as Catherine Stine, and romance as Kitsy Clare. More and more, I enjoy writing page-turning suspense and speculative tales. I’m also an illustrator, and I’ve done work for Penguin-Perigee, Learning Strategies and Lantern Books. I illustrated my YA futuristic thrillers, Fireseed One and Ruby’s Fire. I teach classes in crafting the novel and in writing for teens.

You can find Catherine here:

Website * Blog * Twitter * Goodreads

Worlds on Edge coming next month!

Coming this March is the fifth installment in M. Pax’s thrilling science fiction series, The Backworlds. This is a great scifi series for anyone interested in the frontiers of the galaxy, or fans of Firefly. Check out the whole series.

War is coming. A horde of merciless aliens poise just beyond the Edge. In a matter of weeks they will devour the worlds.

Racing ahead of the apocalypse, Craze returns to the Backworlds to warn them and plan a defense. Only he can’t go home. Banned from Pardeep Station, he must wage a more urgent battle. His moon is under siege, and his friends are dying.

Bad things come in threes, and the galaxy is no exception. An old enemy returns, attacking moons and defenseless globes, leaving a wake of destruction. Worse than that, they threaten to join forces with the alien horde.

Defeat seems inevitable. Craze may not be able to stop it. Yet home is worth the fight.

---

About the Author

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

Website / Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

You can also find M. Pax on LinkedIN, Pinterest, YouTube, and Wattpad

People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors coming this fall

Epic Fantasy

The Foxwick Chronicles

The Complete Short Story Collection

People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors includes the short story collections Women of Foxwick and Men of Foxwick as well as seven never before seen stories from Foxwick's neighbors.

The short stories in this collection include: Common Love, Blind Scribe, Lady Bard, Siren’s Call, Dragon’s Sacrifice, Tribal Abandonment, Dragon Spy, Dragon Seer, Sword Master, Lady Death, Mage Game, Courting Magic, Monster Hunter, Mourner’s Lament, Magic Seeker, Prince’s Price, and Love’s Challenge.

Add to Goodreads

Like Reborn, Laura Sava created the beautiful cover art for this collection. The ebook and print versions of People of Foxwick and Their Neighbors will be out this Fall.

Friday Five for February 14th, 2014

1. Happy Valentine's Day! And it's Friday! Yippee! You have a few hours still to enter to win books from 21 authors in this great giveaway. I'm giving away a digital copy of The 13th Floor Complete Collection. Don't miss out on this chance to treat yourself.

2. As another treat, an interview with my handsome dragonslayer, Xan (from 1303 - THE DRAGONSLAYER) was reposted on Cover Girls yesterday. Go on over for a laugh and some eye candy!

3. I managed to get through critiquing 3 short stories this week. I'm getting nitpickier as I grow as a writer. Am I more so with myself? I think so, but I know I'm still biased at times. Thankfully I have such wonderful CPs and betas to help me. I also made the halfway point on my second draft with my #2 WIP. (#1 WIP is with CPs and betas right now.) I might be able to keep on track with my goals and finish the third draft of #2 by the end of the month.

4. I cut up a ton of strawberries for my son's preschool class today. They're having a little Valentine's Day party. He's not quite so excited about today. More often he asks if he's four yet. He knows he turns four in April, and he really wants to be four!

5. I have my local critique group meeting tomorrow. I sent in my first chapter from #2 WIP. I do wonder what they'll think of my superheroes. That's the only plan I have for the weekend. What about you?

Still time to enter the Valentine's Day Giveaway!

 Love is in the air.

And in all these fantastic books.

21 authors have joined together to give away their books

and make your Valentine's Day extra sweet!

HERE ARE THE BOOKS!
 

Book Name: DANGLED CARAT
Author Name: HILARY GROSSMAN
#pages: 281

Hilary had gotten used to dating the commitment-phobic Marc. They had a great relationship—why rush into things? But after four years together, their friends decided to take matters into their own hands, pushing Marc to propose. Unfortunately, Marc still wasn’t ready—and their friends’ meddling in the form of a faux engagement party led to a disastrous New Year’s Eve that brought their relationship to a turning point.
In this relatable, playful memoir, Hilary reminisces about her life before Marc—from the awkward teenage years to her early relationships and, finally, to the day she met Marc and realized that she really wanted to see him again. Through the ease of their early time together up until that fateful New Year’s Eve, Hilary shares the details and considers how Marc’s inability to commit led her to find an inner strength and confidence she didn’t know she possessed.
For anyone who has ever dated a commitment-phobe, who has found their patience wearing thin, or who has sat around wondering if he is ever going to pop the question while trying to remain the picture of patience and grace, Hilary’s humorous and honest story will hit home.
Available on Amazon, Ebook $2.99, paperback $9.43

Book Name: OUT TO LUNCH

Author Name: STACEY BALLIS

#pages 417

Jenna has lost her best friend.
With Aimee gone so tragically young, Jenna barely knows where to turn. Aimee was the one who always knew what to do—not to mention what to wear. The two built a catering company together and had so much in common—well, except their taste in men. Jenna never understood what the successful, sophisticated Aimee saw in Wayne, with his Star Wars obsession and harebrained business schemes.

And gained her best friend’s husband…
But Aimee has left a shocking last request: Jenna now has financial custody of the not-so-merry widower. True, Wayne needs someone sensible around to keep him under control, but what was her dear departed friend thinking?
The thing is, as she gets to know Wayne better, his latest moneymaking idea actually starts to intrigue her. Her attractive new lawyer boyfriend doesn’t approve of it—but then, Wayne doesn’t approve of her attractive new lawyer boyfriend. Now Jenna has to figure out what direction her life is going to take next. And she can’t help asking herself: What would Aimee do?

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble , Kobo Ebook $7.99, Paperback $10.74

Book Name: A WOMAN LOST

Author Name: T.B. MARKINSON

# pages 241

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Petrie has it all. She’s rich, beautiful, intelligent, and successful. None of this matters to her mom. Les-Bi-An. That’s all her mom sees.
Even though Lizzie insists her mom’s antagonism does not bother her, Lizzie distances herself from her entire family. When her brother, Peter, calls her out of the blue to announce he’s getting married, Lizzie’s entire life changes drastically. Peter’s fiancée wants to bring the lesbian outcast back into the family. Will this desire cause Lizzie to lose everything dear to her?
Sarah, Lizzie’s girlfriend, is ecstatic about this change in Lizzie’s personal life. Sarah, the hopeless romantic, wants it all, including settling down with the fiercely independent Lizzie.
Can Lizzie be tamed? And can she survive her family and all of their secrets?

Available Amazon. Amazon UK ebook: $2.99, Paperback $8.99

Book Name: CHASE

Author Name: JILL KNAPP-ZITRON

#pages 205

The question that 23-year old Amalia Hastings wants the answer to is: What happens to men when they move to Manhattan? Life in the city gives Amalia a ride she is not expecting. As she tries to find her way on the little island that never sleeps, she discovers she has a harder time navigating through life then she does the streets of Greenwich Village and finds herself truly lost in the complex world of men, graduate school, money, family, and friendship. She thought she had everything she wanted – a new apartment in Manhattan, a first-rate education at NYU, a group of trusted friends and Nicholas, a boyfriend who she once believed was her soul-mate. But somehow, it isn’t enough. Stumbling through her relationships, Amalia encounters Michael. An attractive classmate who quickly moves from being one of her close friends, to an inconsistent friend-with-benefits. After all, the only thing consistent about New York is its beauty. After getting terribly lost searching for love in all the wrong places, Amalia finds herself torn between the possibility of a relationship, and an adventure she’s been planning all along. She eventually realizes that solely chasing love closes her off to all of the other good things life has to offer. Now she must decide – what is worth the chase? Chase is the debut novel from author Jill Knapp-Zitron and the first in the Chase series of novels

Available Amazon, Barnes & Noble ebook $7.99, paperback $14.99

Book Name: THE GUARDIAN

Author Name: SARA MACK

#pages 326

True love never dies. Emma Donohue begs to differ.
When a late night accident claims the love of her life, Emma secludes herself in memories of James.  In his sandy brown hair and clear blue eyes.  In their innocent first kiss and declarations of love.  In their plans for a life together after college.  But happy dreams can’t rid her of the guilt she carries.  She can’t erase her actions the night he died.  She can’t erase her reaction at his funeral.  And she can’t erase the hollow void that fills her chest and consumes her heart.
The first time Emma hears James’ voice, she’s astounded.  It sounds as if he’s standing right beside her, and she fears her shattered heart is trying to drive her mad.  But, as she continues to hear the voice, she finds comfort in it.  With the help of her best friend Shel and handsome newcomer Dane, she tries to move forward and start living again.
Until the voice in her head turns out to be more.  So much more.
You know what they say.True love never dies.
Available Amazon, Barnes & Noble Ebook $0.99, paperback $9.99

Book Name: GOOD INTENTIONS
Author Name: KATHRYN R. BIEL
#pages 307

Maggie Miller is about to start her life in Boston. She’s done with grad school and has a good job as a pediatric physical therapist. Maggie sees herself as plain and ordinary, nothing remarkable. She doesn’t see that surviving a horrific car accident that killed her mother and brother as anything special. She’s had bad taste in men and is jaded, and has decided to lay low while she focuses on her career. Matt Slavin is Maggie’s best friend from college. He has an atrocious girlfriend, who hates Maggie for no reason. But he also has this good friend from home. Ryan Milan is a drop-dead gorgeous young attorney who, despite significant reservations, has relocated to Boston to start his career as a prosecutor. He is good at reading the people he’s prosecuting, but cannot read women. Maggie and Ryan dance around each other, never sure of where the other stands. After months of push and pull, they finally realize that the other is actually interested. After finally getting together, they are pulled apart by Ryan’s family tragedy, and he is unable to return to Maggie. Just when Maggie thinks she does not have the strength to rebuild again, she finds she no longer has that choice. And when they’re finally reunited seven years later, Maggie’s life is barely recognizable…
Available on Amazon Barnes & Noble, Kobo & Smashwords Ebook $2.99, Paperback $12.99

Book Name: DROWNED SORROW
Author Name: VANESSA MORGAN
#pages 191




Megan Blackwood has just lost her son in an accident. Now she has come to Moonlight Creek with her teenage daughter, Jenna, hoping that a change of scenery might help to put their lives back together. But something odd is happening in Moonlight Creek. When rain falls over the village, its inhabitants commit grisly murders, leaving the village deserted again with the first rays of sunshine. Beneath the lake’s surface, something watches… and waits… Waits to reveal a tragic past drowned in mystery and fear. One that doesn’t bode well for visitors. By the time Megan realizes that her daughter’s life is in danger, it might already be too late.

Available Amazon Ebook $3.89

.

Book Name: UNBREAKABLE
Author Name: JOANN LEE
Genre: lesbian romance, #pages 251

Sequel to Broken Star

After finding happiness, Lynn Feoras was convinced life with Alexis and Calista would be perfect. But when she and Alexis begin the tedious journey of expanding their family, she soon comes to learn that money doesn’t buy everything.
In the midst of doctor’s visits, a move to New York, and a whirlwind tour, life remains chaotic for the Feoras family. New friends emerge, old ones return, and an unexpected reappearance of someone from Lynn’s past leaves her questioning her ability to be a parent.
Will Lynn and Alexis be able to overcome the obstacles placed before them? Will their relationship crumble under the strain or will they come out on top, stronger than before?

Available Amazon $6.99

Title: MURDER IN MOSCOW

Author Name: STORM CHASE
#pages 222

When burned out ex-copper Cassidy Stone moves to Moscow, a favour for a friend leads her into a lethal ambush, and into the orbit of Dmitri Milyukov, a fun loving millionaire. Cassidy slowly learns to love again – until she stumbles on proof that Dmitri is a Red Mafia agent bent on robbing her employer. Worse, there is a gruesome murder, and everyone is convinced Cassidy is the killer…

.Available Amazon & Smashwords Ebook $3.99

Tittle: THE BAD GIRL’S CLUB
Author: Kathryn O’Halloran
Chick Lit 240 pages

The Bad Girls’ Club: it’s about sex, it’s about dares, but most of all, it’s about friendship!
Imogen, Juliette and Beth have had a gutful of the manipulative Poppy so, when they are seated together at her wedding, their resentment not only unites them but pushes them into a risqué prank
Their problems go much deeper though. Imogen has major body issues and a lousy track record with men, Juliette is stuck in a dead-end relationship with her dead beat boyfriend and Beth is so busy trying to impress everyone else, she’s got no idea what she really wants.
It’s time to take drastic action.  It’s time to rebel.  It’s time to become Bad Girls.
They band together to form the Bad Girls Club and, through a series of brazen dares, push the limits of their sexuality.

But are the girls ready to finally take the final leap that will have them branded as bad girls for real? To save the club, and each other, they each have to publicly acknowledge their darkest secrets.
Join the bad girls in this steamy yet snort-laughingly funny chick lit adventure.
Available Amazon Ebook $3.54

Title – BAD BOY ROCK STAR
Author – CANDY J STARR
196 pages
Hannah Sorrento never planned to be a band manager. She’s a princess and the toughest obstacle she’s had in life is finding shoes to match her outfit.Then her father disappears leaves her with only the money in her purse and a management contract for hot, indie band, STORM. She plans to sell the contract, one way or another, then pack up her designer wardrobe and head back to law school.But lead singer, Jack Colt, has other ideas. She’s never met a man like him before. His raw sexuality messes with her head and her heart… and a lot of other body parts too.With the help of crazy rock chick, Angie, Hannah sets the band on their first steps to the big time and learns to survive on her own.But this isn’t some game – soon the threat that Hannah fears most becomes reality.

.

Jack Colt – he’s arrogant and infuriating but he’s the one that’s there for Hannah when her world comes crashing down. With secrets of his own, will Jack Colt save Hannah or destroy her?

Bad Boy Rock Star is book 1 in this series.
Available:Amazon Ebook $3.50

Book Name: THE UNICORN’S DAUGHTER

Author Name: NORMA BEISHIR

Genre:Thriller #pages 353

Codename: Unicorn. Jaime Lynde adored her father. She was devastated when she was told he was dead–but she refused to believe he was a traitor to his country. Her determination to prove his innocence sent her on a journey from Washington DC to Paris to Libya and put her on a collision course with a double agent in Tripoli at the time of the 1986 air strike…

Available Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble price $2.99

Book Name: “NO LONGER A BRIDESMAID!”

Author Name: TERRY CATO

Genre: memoir #pages 166

For years, Terry Cato was always the bridesmaid, but never the bride. In this poignant memoir, this first-time author tells the story of her seven years of preparation, finally becoming a Lady-in-Waiting (engaged) and then a bride. During her years of being single, Terry observed seven personality types–her own included–that can get in the way of progress toward the altar. In this book, learn: The seven types of single women and how they could be harming their chances of getting married; why dating is just practicing for divorce; how to deal with and heal old emotional wounds; the seven steps the author used to successfully prepare for her husband; how to live a happy, celibate life as you prepare for your husband and more.

Available: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books -a- million, christianbook.com

Ebook $2.99, Print $9.86

Book Name: OUT OF THE BOX AWAKENING

Author Name:JENNIFER THERIOT

Genre: Romance

Olivia is a good woman, a good mother, a good wife. She’s got it made. She doesn’t want anything to change. Of course, it does…Swept from her perfect paper-doll life in Houston, Olivia finds herself in Chicago, alone, betrayed, and far from home. Soon everything she thought she knew about herself and her life will be challenged. She has only courage, love, and her passion for music to carry her through the maelstrom—or draw her further in.
Ash is the man who has everything—everything except healing from the losses of a lifetime. His only peace lies in the sweet flow of music pouring from his guitar.
What happens when the married woman and the sexy handsome widower are thrown together by fate?
Out of the Box Awakening is a story of shared passion and shared joy. Jennifer Theriot has written a compelling book about what happens when two people find new life and new love for themselves and for those around them.

Available Amazon Barnes & Noble Smashwords & Ibook  Ebook $2.99, paperback $8.02

Book Title: EARLY ONE MORNING

Author name: AUBREE LANE

#pages 312

 He was the dark haired deity with a salacious smile… he was the one the girls gossiped and giggled about for months… 2,600 miles away Terence Javier didn’t have a clue his high school yearbook was being passed around an all girl choir and that he had been voted, as the more experienced girl put it, the one she would ‘most likely do.’
Thirteen years later Marissa Crandall while on a romantic island vacation, celebrating her ten year wedding anniversary, is shocked and surprised to find their dive master was none other than her old high school crush. Seeing the chance to fulfill a dream, Marissa sets out to kiss Terence.
Stuck in San Diego dealing with unreasonable clients and babysitting Marissa’s kids, a jealous Annie Harper catches the red-eye out of LAX wanting to intercept Terence and foil her best friend’s plans. This envious act uncovers a scandalous affair and in that one pivotal moment none of their lives would ever be the same.

Available Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords Ebook $2.99, print $7.78

Book Name: Minutes Before Sunset (book 1 of The Timely Death Trilogy)
Author Name: Shannon A. Thompson

#pages 287

Two destinies. One death.

“Her kiss could kill us, and my consent signed our death certificates…”

Eric has less than a year left before his fated battle when he meets her. She’s a shade like him, but separated from the Dark – and with more power than she should have. And he can’t stay away.Jessica is new to town and desperate to figure out who, or what, her birth parents were. But she can’t find them without overcoming Eric, and she won’t let him stop her.
Minutes Before Sunset happens through the minds of two young adults as they struggle to survive their paranormal realities and find balance in their human lives.

Available Amazon, Barnes & Noble,  Ebook $3.89, Print $12.79

Book Name: The 13th Floor Complete Collection
Author Name: Christine Rains
# of pages  439
Six supernatural tenants

Living in a haunted apartment building

On a floor that doesn’t exist.Six novellas telling their tales.A retired demon acquires a price on his head.

A werewolf is hunted by her pack.
A modern day dragonslayer misses his target.
A harpy challenges Zeus for the soul of the man she loves.
A vampire is obsessed with a young woman he can’t find.
A banshee falls in love with someone whose death she has seen in a vision.
And a sweet ghost must battle a primal monster to save them all.All the stories take place at the same time intertwining their lives together on the 13th Floor.

Available:Amazon Ebook $4.99

Book Title: UNFORGETTABLE KISS

Author: Angela Ford

#Pages 112

Meghan Eden swore she would never love again. The tragic death of her son, at the hands of her husband, destroyed her emotionally. She believed her successful Spa would fulfill her life until a business seminar takes her to a golf resort in Arizona.

Meghan’s love of golf gets her paired up with a man she doesn’t know. The rest of the world does. Eric Nolan is the most sought after actor in Hollywood and the most eligible bachelor in the hearts of many women. Eric draws out hidden desires Meghan never imagined and leaves an unforgettable kiss etched in her memory. One kiss from Eric leaves her questioning her decision to never love again. An emotional struggle to love again cannot stop the passion that unravels. But perhaps Meghan’s ex can. Released on early parole without her knowledge, he’s had the time to develop an obsession. Will Eric be able to keep her safe?

Available:Amazon, Ebook $2.99 (but sales prices - February 7th – 10th $0.99, Feb 10th-13th $1.99)

Book Title: THIRTY-TWO GOING ON SPINSTER

Author: Becky Monson

#pages 347

Julia Dorning is a spinster, or at least on the road to becoming one. She has no social life, hates her career, and lives in her parent’s basement with her cat, Charlie.

With the arrival of Jared Moody, the new hire at work, Julia’s mundane life is suddenly turned upside down. Her instant (and totally ridiculous) crush on the new guy causes Julia to finally make some long-overdue changes, in hopes to find a life that includes more than baking and hanging out with Charlie.

But when the biggest and most unexpected change comes, will the new and improved Julia be able to overcome it? Or will she go back to her spinster ways?

Available Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble $2.99 (ebook) $10.28 (paperback)

Book Name: CLOAKED IN FUR

Author Name: T.F. WALSH

#Pages 234

As a moonwulf, Daciana never expected to fall in love with a human. Hell, she never imagined that she’d abandon her pack, endanger everyone around her, and break the worst rule possible. But she did.

A rogue werewolf is killing Daciana’s friends, and she sets on capturing the creature. She’ll do whatever it takes to stop the beast. The police and her boyfriend, Inspector Connell Lonescu, are starting to question her involvement in the murders, which is endangering the pack’s secret existence. But when the pack alpha kidnaps Connell, revealing the awful truth about the creature and its connection to the pack, Daciana must choose between saving the man she loves and saving her pack family from certain death.

Available: Amazon,Barnes & Noble, All Romance, Itunes, Kobo, Sony Reader - $3.50 but $1.99 for Feb (Amazon US)

Book Title: AFTER WIMBLEDON

Author Name:JENNIFER GILBY ROBERTS

#pages 264

After 12 years on the pro. tennis tour and four years with her sort-of boyfriend, Lucy Bennett has had enough.  She wants real life… and real love.
Her life, her decision.  Right?  Well, no one else seems to think so.  With opinions on all sides, Lucy’s head is spinning.  And she’s stumbling right into the arms of long-term crush and fellow player Sam.  Shame her boyfriend – his arch-rival – would sooner smash a racquet over their heads than agree to a simple change of partners.
As the Wimbledon Championships play out, Lucy fights for her life on and off the courts.  The question is: what will she be left with after Wimbledon?

Available Amazon $0.99 (but not for long)

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Wicked Wednesday - romance isn't all flowers and chocolates

With Valentine's Day two days away, I've been seeing and hearing all sorts of commercials for florists, jewelers, and fancy chocolates. I shake my head and sigh. Is this what romance is built upon? Okay, I'm a chocolate lover, but they're not romantic in my eyes even if they come in a gigantic heart-shaped box. Most people I know agree that true romance is not represented by the stereotypes of Valentine's Day.

You need to consider this when writing romance. Are your characters traditional romantics? Or does something different sweep them off their feet? Find what romance is to your characters and you've discovered the core of their being.

It could be something silly she collects or tickets to a sporting game she enjoys. BUT most of the time it isn't about physical things. It's about actions, morals, and emotions. A dedication to family, the will to never break one's beliefs no matter what the enemy does to him, selfless acts, and loving someone for who she is no matter all her crazy little quirks.

For me, romance lives in the times my husband and I stay up late talking and laughing about silly things, and the moments we sit quietly in each other's company. Walks in the woods holding hands. When he stays home instead of going to do something he really wanted to do and takes care of our son so I can have a nap. A smile and a wink that still makes my stomach quiver even after 15 years.

What is romance to you?

Teaser Tuesday with Dog On It

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This was a book my husband heard about on one of his podcasts. DOG ON IT is the first book in Spencer Quinn's Chet and Bernie Mystery series. The books are narrated by Chet, a dog. While this is amusing for a while, it does get a little annoying. After all, Chet is a dog. He particularly does not pay attention at very important information moments in the story!

Here's your teaser:
And sure, because of my leaping ability - I'd been the best leaper in K-9 class, which had led to all the trouble in a way I couldn't remember exactly, although blood was involved - how could I not wonder a bit about certain possibilities? But I wasn't about to find out now, was I? We were on the job. (page 12)

Moonless Book Release Blogfest

The fabulous Crystal Collier is celebrating the paperback release of MOONLESS with an awesome blogfest!

In the English society of 1768 where women are bred to marry, unattractive Alexia, just sixteen, believes she will end up alone. But on the county doorstep of a neighbor’s estate, she meets a man straight out of her nightmares, one whose blue eyes threaten to consume her whole world—especially when she discovers him standing over her murdered host in the middle of the night.

Her nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless.

BUY IT HERE

It's easy to participate. Just answer one question. But, oh! What a question! So here it is: If you lived in a society where arranged marriages were a la mode, whom would you beg your parents to set you up with? Why? (Literary characters and celebrities welcomed.)

My answer: If I lived in a society where parents arranged marriages, I would revolt! No one can force me to marry. No way. I'll only marry for love. So, if they set me up with Severus Snape or Sirius Black, I'm good. Hmm, but that makes my family sound like dark wizards. Am I scary to say I'm disappointed they're muggles? Okay. Let's be more realistic. My father would want a hard worker, someone not afraid to get dirty, and my mom would want someone dedicated to family. Dean Winchester. Oh please, Mom and Dad, make it Dean Winchester! Sure he might be hard to get a hold of, but I can fake a monster infestation.

Find the linky list for the blogfest HERE!

And while you're at it, enter to win one of these great prizes!

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