Chick Lit Goddess

...because every author wants to feel like a goddess!

Archives for September 2013

In Need of Therapy

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Book Review of “In Need of Therapy”InNeedOfTherapyCover

“In Need of Therapy” by Tracie Banister

Book Description:

Lending a sympathetic ear and dispensing sage words of advice is all part of the job for psychologist Pilar Alvarez, and she’s everything a good therapist should be: warm, compassionate, supportive. She listens, she cares, and she has all the answers, but how’s the woman everyone turns to in their hour of need supposed to cope when her own life starts to fall apart?

While working hard to make a success of her recently-opened practice in trendy South Beach, Pilar must also find time to cater to the demands of her boisterous Cuban family, which includes younger sister Izzy, an unemployed, navel-pierced wild child who can’t stay out of trouble, and their mother, a beauty queen turned drama queen who’s equally obsessed with her fading looks and getting Pilar married before it’s “too late.” Although she’d like to oblige her mother and make a permanent love connection, Pilar’s romantic prospects look grim. Her cheating ex, who swears that he’s reformed, is stalking her. A hunky, but strictly off-limits, patient with bad-boy appeal and intimacy issues is making passes. And the sexy shrink in the suite across the hall has a gold band on his left ring finger.

When a series of personal and professional disasters lead Pilar into the arms of one of her unsuitable suitors, she’s left shaken, confused, and full of self-doubt. With time running out, she must make sense of her feelings and learn to trust herself again so that she can save her business, her family, and most importantly, her heart.

My Review:

“In Need of Therapy” has been on my TBR list for quite a long time, so as book reviews dwindled down, I finally found time to start it. When I finished it, I finally knew what all the hype was about this charming and delightful read, by the lovely author, Tracie Banister.

At first, I wasn’t too sure about the main character, Pilar, because she was a little too nice, but I quickly learned to adore her. She was a hardworking woman who was just trying to do the best she could to help anyone out, no matter who, or what the situation was, and I liked her for that. Whether it was dealing with her family (I loved her sometimes-overbearing mother, and care-free sister, Izzy), Pilar’s up and down relationship troubles were a constant saga, especially with her ex. So, between him, the handsome man who can talk to her about his troubles, and of course, the delightful man across the hall from her (who was my favorite), there was constant wonder who she would end up with. But, when all was said in done, I was a little surprised by the ending, but was satisfied with it.  (No, I’m not going to spoil it for you).

If you’re looking for a light-hearted, lazy weekend read, you’ll fly right through “In Need of Therapy,” you won’t be disappointed. This was my first book by Tracie Banister, and it won’t be my last!

I give this book 4 stars!

Jaimie Admans

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jaimieadmans2About author, Jaimie Admans: Jaimie is a 28-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, drinking tea and watching horror movies. She hates spiders and cheese & onion crisps.

She has been writing for years, but has never before plucked up the courage to tell people.

She is the author of chick-lit romantic comedy Kismetology and YA romantic comedies Afterlife Academy and Not Pretty Enough, and the soon-to-be-released North Pole Reform School.

GUEST POST

The Process Of Writing Not Pretty Enough

I learned a valuable lesson while writing Not Pretty Enough. My usual process of writing is in chronological and linear order – I start at the beginning and work my way forwards, through until the end. If I’m truly stuck on a certain part then I will either cut it completely or write it quite badly with the intention of editing it later. I don’t skip bits because I don’t feel like writing them, I write the next scene no matter what I feel like.

I decided to do something different with Not Pretty Enough. I had a beginning and an end to the story – I do know that I can’t start writing a book without at least that much – but the middle was a different matter. All I had for the middle was a long list of potential scenes I’d thought of, and after writing the beginning, I decided to try a different approach to writing this book. Rather than writing from beginning to end, I decided to have a look at the list of potential scenes each morning and choose whichever one I felt like working on that day. I usually wrote them in separate Word documents, and it was definitely a change from my usual one-long-document way of writing a book. I quite enjoyed it at first, it was fun, and interesting to start work each morning without a pre-determined starting point, up until then I had always started work knowing I’d be continuing with the part I ended on the night before.

But, trouble began when I decided I felt like writing the ending. I had a very clear picture of how I wanted the book to end, I kept imagining it in my mind, and I was desperate to write it, so one day quite early on in the writing process, I wrote the final scene.

And then I struggled.

Because in my head, the end had already happened. The characters had already ended the journey they were on, Chessie already knew what she discovers at the end, so I then found it hard to write the middle because I knew what was coming. Obviously as the author you probably know what’s going to happen anyway, but there was a big difference for me between knowing how it was going to end and having already written the ending. The character’s journey had ended before it had even been written, and I found it hard to go backwards. Chessie grows a lot over the course of the book, and it was hard to carry on writing her as she used to be when I had already written her as a much more mature character.

It also led to a lot of confusion for me in terms of timeline. The book is set over the course of Chessie’s school year, so what had happened when and did that incident come before or after this incident? It actually took me days of work to get it into some sort of logical order, and I had to re-write certain parts to fit in with the timescale and change the timing or month that certain things were supposed to take place.

So I learned a valuable lesson when writing Not Pretty Enough. While everyone’s writing process is different, for me the only way is to start at the beginning and finish at the end!

npe-cover-done-400**Contact Jaimie:

Website   Facebook   Twitter

Always Something There to Remind Me

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Book review of “Always Something There to Remind Me”AlwaysSomethingThereToRemindMeCover

“Always Something There to Remind Me” by Beth Harbison

Book Description:

Can you ever really know if love is true? And if it is, should you stop at anything to get it?

Two decades ago, Erin Edwards was sure she’d already found the love of her life: Nate Lawson. Her first love. The one with whom she shared everything–dreams of the future, of children, plans for forever. The one she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. Until one terrible night when Erin made a mistake Nate could not forgive and left her to mourn the relationship she could never forget or get over.

Today, Erin is contentedly involved with a phenomenal guy, maneuvering a successful and exciting career, and raising a great daughter all on her own. So why would the name “Nate Lawson” be the first thing to enter her mind when her boyfriend asks her to marry him?

In the wake of the proposal, Erin finds herself coming unraveled over the past, and the love she never forgot. The more she tries to ignore it and move on, the more it haunts her.

Always Something There to Remind Me is a story that will resonate with any woman who has ever thought of that one first love and wondered, “Where is he?” and “What if…?” Filled with Beth Harbison’s trademark nostalgia humor and heart, it will transport you, and inspire you to believe in the power of first love.

My Review:

I rarely buy books at bookstores anymore, but when I was at my local B&N a few weekends ago, I saw this book, read what it was about (I’m a huge sucker for when Heroines wonder about their first love), and bought it.

“Always Something There to Remind Me” was easy to get into, and I found the characters to be likable most of the time, no matter what their ages were. I liked how the reader got a picture of what Erin and Nate were like as teens and as adults. Though, at times, I found Erin to be a little absorbed with herself, but by the time the book ends, she seems to have changed, which was good. I took it as a sign that she’d finally grown up.

This was my first time reading anything by Beth Harbison, and it won’t be my last. She’s a gifted writer who makes you fall in love with the characters and story. With twists and turns, and a shocking revelation, I laughed and cried, and loved how it ended! (Without any spoilers, I loved Erin’s daughter). I recommend this book to anyone who still wonders about their first love, especially if you’re considering marrying someone else, but can’t seem to get him out of your mind…

I give this book 5 stars!

The Billionaire’s Best Friend

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“The Billionaire’s Best Friend” by Christina Tetreault

Book Blurb:

Despite a wonderful family, a career she loves, and great friends, a void has existed in Lauren McDonald’s life ever since her best friend Callie married billionaire Dylan Talbot. Although they have remained close, Lauren and Callie now lead very different lives, that is until Lauren meets wealthy CEO Kevin Walsh. Lauren believes he could be the man who will help make her life whole again.  That is until the night Nathaniel Callahan, her high school sweetheart and the one man she has always loved, shows up.

Although Nate ended things with Lauren before heading off to The Naval Academy and his life with the Marines, he never stopped loving her. Now 15 years later he is back to correct the mistake he made all those years ago.

With Nate back in town, Lauren must decide between the man who promises her the world and the man who has the power to crush her heart again.

Book Excerpt:

The main doors of the room opened as Lauren paused her scan; the guest of honor was about to enter. Grabbing her camera, Lauren stood—only to immediately collapse back down into her chair when her knees gave out at the sight of Nathaniel Callahan standing in the doorway.

“Oh my God.” Her stomach hit the floor.

“What’s the matter? Are you okay?” Callie’s concerned voice sounded as if it were traveling a great distance to reach her.

Lauren glanced over at Callie and then toward the door again. Perhaps she’d imagined him. After all, why would he be here? The last time she’d heard anything about him, he was doing his third tour in the Middle East. Despite her hope that she’d started to hallucinate, when she looked again, he was still there, dressed in a black suit rather than his Marine uniform, his brown hair cut military short and looking much the same as he did the summer he’d broken her heart. She latched her hand onto Callie’s arm. “Nate Callahan. He’s here.”

She kept her eyes on him. Since that awful day the summer after senior year, she’d only seen him once. She’d been home visiting her parents during holiday break her freshman year of college. She’d spotted him in his parents’ driveway from her bedroom window. They’d received more than two feet of snow the night before and he was helping his father shovel. That morning she’d stood and watched until the entire driveway was cleared. When he and his dad finished, he went back inside his house without so much as a glance toward her home.

“What?” Callie asked, her voice louder than necessary.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kevin and Dylan headed back to the table. “Nate just walked in,” Lauren hissed.

“Lauren that . . .” Callie’s voice trailed off and she sat up straighter. Her head moved to keep him in sight as he walked toward his parents. “What’s he doing here?” she asked, her voice lower now.

Leaning closer, Lauren whispered, “I don’t know. We don’t exactly speak.”

Short Teasers:

The one man she never stopped loving is back in town.  Now Lauren McDonald must decide between the man who promises her the world and the man who has the power to crush her heart again.

Lauren McDonald never stopped loving Nathaniel Callahan even though when he left it nearly destroyed her.  Now with him back in town, she must choose between playing it safe or risking her heart again.

After graduation Nate Callahan left Lauren McDonald behind when he entered The Naval Academy and his life with the Marines. Now fifteen years later he’s returned with one goal, to win back the woman he never stopped loving and failure is not an option.

**Click HERE to be entered to win a $15 Amazon or B&N gift card!

**Buy “The Billionaire’s Best Friend”: Amazon   B&N   Kobo   Smashwords

New Author Pic**About author, Christina Tetreault:

I wrote my first story with characters similar to those in the Sweet Valley Twins books at the age of 10 on my grandmother’s manual typewriter. As I got older my stories and characters became more mature. During my freshman year at UMass Dartmouth, I read my first romance novel and fell in love with the genre. I have been writing contemporary romance ever since.

Today I live with my husband, three beautiful daughters and two dogs in Massachusetts. Whenever I have a free moment you’ll find me either reading a romance novel or working on my most current story.

**Contact Christina:

Blog   Website   Facebook   Twitter

Shake Down the Stars

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“Shake Down the Stars” by Renee Swindle

Excerpt:

It’s two in the afternoon, and I’m already nursing a bottle of scotch I took from the banquet hall where my sister’s engagement party will take place. I’ve spent the last thirty-two hours with my family and figure if anyone deserves an early-afternoon drink, it’s me.

Mostly I’ve been hanging out in one of two libraries. Margot’s party is being held in an actual mansion: a now-defunct gentleman’s club high up in the Oakland hills. The place is

straight out of The Great Gatsby with its expansive lawns, indoor swimming pool, smoking room, the aforementioned libraries, and lookout tower covered in ivy. There are thirty rooms in all, two

stadium-sized banquet halls, and a twenty-four-hour butler for VIP guests like my sister and her football player fiancé.

After filling my glass, I go to the window and spy my sister outside on the lawn, bitching at the gardener and his assistant. It’s late September, and the sky is turning a foreboding gray; the

wind is in a foul mood, lashing out at all the carefully placed freesias and gerbera daisies strung around the gazebo and attached to the back of every single chair on the lawn—all three hundred of them. Margot has it in her head that her guests will be distracted by the lopsided bushes just behind the gazebo, when, frankly, I suspect they’re going to be more distracted by the rain that

will surely fall on their heads if a storm breaks out.

Whatever.

**About author, Renee Swindle:

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Renee Swindle is the author of  Shake Down The Stars (NAL/Penguin) available now.

Her first novel, Please Please Please, was published by the Dial Press/Dell. Please Please Please was also published in Germany as Mehr Mehr Mehr and published in Japan.  Please Please Please was an Essence Magazine bestseller.

Renee Swindle earned her BA from UC Irvine and MFA in creative writing from San Diego State University. She lives in Oakland, California.

**Contact Renee: Website

**Click HERE to win a $30 Amazon gift card!

**Click HERE to see other stops on Renee’s Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours!

Explaining the New Look on Chick Lit Goddess..and Exciting Updates!

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Hello, Family, Friends and Followers!

Before I explain why Chick Lit Goddess has a new look, let me share two exciting news!

  • The anthology, in which my short story is part of, has a name! It is: Merry & Bright! Isn’t that cute? Later this week, I will be sharing a cover reveal for it later next week and have to say that I love it! I’m in the final stage of looking it over once more, before I send it to the editor next week! Yay!
  • As for my book, The Right Design, I’m working with an amazing woman who’s doing my cover art for the book. On Monday morning, I received several concepts and loved them all in their own way, but a certain three or four stick out to me. My husband could see that I’m weighing my options, so he taped them to the refrigerator. Now each time I’m in the kitchen, I find myself staring at them. Hopefully, I will have a cover to share with you in the upcoming weeks! P.S. Scarlett Rugers, I can’t thank you enough! For those of you who are wondering when it’s going to be published, I’m working on yet another round of edits and plan on publishing it in January! Yes, that’s only months away, and I’m so excited! (I would have it published in December, but why not start the year off the right way?) 😉

Now, back to explaining the Chick Lit Goddess change facelift…Since I will be a published author soon, I’ve decided to start using this site as a feature page for writers and authors. Whether it’s an interview with, and a guest post by the author, or sharing blurbs, chapter teases, and cover reveals, this is where all that will be shared. In the next few weeks, I will be working on getting my author website set up, and of course, I’ll share it with you all! 🙂

A Giveaway and Interview with Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

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About author, Carolyn Ridder Aspenson: Carolyn Ridder Aspenson is the author of two novels, Unfinished Business An Angela Panther Novel and Unbreakable Bonds An Angela Panther Novel, both of the chick-lit and paranormal genres.

Carolyn wrote her first novel, Unfinished Business shortly after her mother died. She felt the need to let the world know a little about the woman who drove her absolutely crazy but loved her with an intensity unknown to normal people. While some of the book is loosely based on events surrounding her mother’s death, the author swears she’ll never tell if she really did bury her mother illegally.

An avid fitness buff, Carolyn writes a monthly health and fitness column for Northside Woman Magazine. She also writes several freelance articles monthly for various Atlanta area media outlets including the Forsyth Herald, the Milton Herald, The Revue and News, The Johns Creek Herald, Countyline Magazine and many Internet publications. She’s written notebooks full of great story ideas from the entertaining people she’s met as a journalist. If you know one of them, don’t mention her books to them, just in case.

Carolyn has written hundreds of guest blog posts ranging from humorous to serious about varying aspects of parenthood and marriage. She considers herself an expert at not being an expert parent and works to spread her lack of expertise far and wide.

Dogs and recently cats too, are Carolyn’s preferred companions. She loves their loyalty, unconditional love and inability to talk in a language of which she understands.

A native of Indiana, Carolyn called the northwest Chicago suburbs home for over eighteen years but because she hates the way snow sounds when she walks on it, has spent the last sixteen living in the Atlanta suburbs with her husband, son, two dogs and a cat. Her two daughters live close by.

One day she plans to retire to a peaceful home with a fantastic view of something other than her neighbor’s house with a plethora of rescue animals by her side. Oh, and her husband too.

INTERVIEW

Welcome back, Carolyn! What have you been up to since your first appearance? I’ve been busy! I’m finishing up the second book in my Angela Panther series and hope to have that out in late November. I’ve also started a short story with a holiday theme that will be included in a book with several other great authors. That’s going to be available around mid-December for a holiday release. It’s going to be only on E-book through Amazon but will be free for part of that time, too so that’s great! There are several wonderful authors involved along with a team of professionals for editing and cover design. I’m excited about that.

How do people react when they find out you’re an author? I actually have a hard time telling people that and usually say something like, “I’m a writer but I’m only self published”. They tell me that a writer is a writer and it doesn’t matter who publishes the book! They think it’s wonderful and I feel like a braggart, which I know I’m not but I still feel silly. I’m trying to adjust to it all!

What author do you admire the most and what (if anything) have you learned from them? I really admire Robert Parker, who wrote the Spenser PI series. He passed away a few years ago and I still feel that loss. He is the ‘grandfather of the PI novel’ in many respects but for me, I admired his writing. He said so much with so few words and I work hard to be that way, too. He was much better at it than I am but of course he wrote over a million books so I guess he got it down. I’m a  little late to the game.

Salty or sweet? I’m starting to realize that both together are a pretty darn good combination but if that’s not available, I’m going for the chocolate first. I’ve recently given up sugar (again) so it’s been a rough few days but I do feel better physically. No whites either so no flour, bread, pasta, etc. Once I’m over the emotional part of it all, I’ll feel much better.

What so far has been your biggest accomplishment as an author? Getting the first book done. I wasn’t sure I’d actually complete it and I’m glad I did. I wanted to complete it but it was an emotional rollercoaster for me and at times I just had to step away and repair my heart. It was a very close to home story for me, with Fran being a slightly (just slightly) exaggerated version of my mother.

Describe your perfect day: I have a few different ones. First a ‘professional’ one where I’ve got my to-do list and I get it done and am on a writing role whether it’s for my books or my freelance writing gigs. A ‘personal’ perfect day would be one spent with my family when (a miracle would happen) and no one bickers or whines. Ha! That only happens when everyone is asleep!

Every writer must have a…: cheerleader to keep them moving forward when they feel like they want to quit. That’s my husband for me. He has total faith in my writing and thinks I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread. Hard not to want to continue when I know he sees great things in me.

What is your favorite quote? It’s actually a song lyric from Van Halen, during the Sammy Hagar years (I preferred those years for sure!) In their song, “Right Now”, which I consider to be my theme song, they say, “Right now it’s your tomorrow, right now it’s everything”. That helps me not put off things I should or could do today, to live my life and not worry about that past and not let the things that could bother me bother me. It doesn’t always work but I try to be that way as much as possible. Try being the most important word in that sentence.

How has the social media helped your career? I’m not sure yet. I’m still trying to figure that out. I can say that it’s helped me connect with a lot of authors who I’ve learned a great deal from and all of them I met because of you, so I’m especially grateful to you for that!

What do you want readers to take away from your books? I want readers to walk away having felt different emotions. I want them to feel satisfied. I don’t want them to think too deep or analyze too much. I just want them to be able to put my books down having been able to feel emotions.

Can you tell us about any of your upcoming projects? Whoops. I did above because I’m excited! I’ve got a few other things in the ‘pot’ though that I’m working on. I’m going to be publishing some novellas in the next few months as a way to get more of my writing out. None of them are focused on my series yet but I’m considering a short on Fran. Just not sure. I will be writing more traditional chick lit books (starting with the novellas) and am considering tackling a cosy mystery. I just need to figure out a way to add more hours into my day.

Unfinished Business**Contact Carolyn:

Email: carolynridderaspenson@gmail.com   Website   Facebook   Twitter

**ENTER A GIVEAWAY**

PRIZE: 2 (two) winners get an eBook copy of “Unfinished Business”

Click HERE to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!

Good luck!

Dangerous Flames

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Book Review of “Dangerous Flames”

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“Dangerous Flames” by Wendy Ely

Book Description:

Back from spending her teen years in Italy, Gabrielle Medini wants answer to the hard questions. She quickly learns that the Mafia still has a hand in controlling society and her father is the Don of the largest mob organization in the area. When a hit order is taken out on her father and one of his members will be doing the killing, Gabi’s mother demands Gabi’s disappearance. For good. This time she refuses to go alone.

The Mafia doesn’t seem so glamorous any more. Not sure what Mik’s role in her father’s crime family is but sure he is involved, Gabrielle has reason to believe that her secret love’s safety is in jeopardy too.

Mikolas Russo is one hit away from becoming part of the Medini crime family. But is this what he really wants? Killing people for money is what he has been trained to do even though he’d give anything to trade the nightmares for sweet dreams of the forbidden Gabrielle. Thinking he has the chance to reveal his feelings to her, he arrives at her house to find her brandishing a loaded gun, ready to take control.

Will the truth fulfill her desires, or will Mikolas be the one to shatter everything?

My Review:

This is my second book I’ve read by Wendy Ely, so I was excited to read “Dangerous Flames”. It began quickly and almost immediately, the story had me in suspense. Whether I was hoping for Gabrielle’s safe escape to her father’s cabin (along with the person she brings with her…no spoilers ;)), and for her and Mikolas to get together, I was on the edge of my seat.

I liked all the characters, especially Gabi, and thought the book ended as it should have. My only concern was that I would have liked to have seen more of who Gabrielle and Mikolas were before she left the country. However, the passion between them since she’s been back, and even when they’re disagreeing, is very obvious.

Wendy Ely is an amazing author who has written a steamy love story between Gabriella and Mikolas, one I really enjoyed, and I can’t wait to read more of her books! If you’re looking for a steamy and mysterious weekend read, I highly recommend “Dangerous Flames”.

I give this book 4 stars!

His Fantasy Maid

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Book review of “His Fantasy Maid”HisFantasyMaid

“His Fantasy Maid” by Susan Blexrud

Book Description:

On the eve of Jake Sinclair’s bachelor party, his best man surprises him with a fantasy maid named Amy. Clad in a bikini, she cleans his house and jump starts his heart. She’s beautiful, smart, and compassionate. Why is a woman like this working as a fantasy maid? A few days later, with thoughts still distracted by the enigmatic Amy, Jake crashes his car and wakes in the hospital emergency room where his fantasy maid is now wearing scrubs and wielding a stethoscope. Is she a hallucination, or is his fantasy maid a doctor?

My Review:

Every once in a while I need something spicy to read, so the cover is what drew me to”His Fantasy Maid”. It was an easy book to get into and I liked the characters, especially Jake who was a stand up guy throughout the book. I liked how he was with his friends and of course, with Amy as well. While Amy was okay in the beginning (I liked her better when she was a doctor than a maid), I came to like her even more in the end, and it was easy to see there was something between her and Jake from the start. Through the ups and downs, I thought the ending was a little predictable and some dialogue I didn’t think was necessary. Also, I wanted more of an ending because I wanted to know they would stay together — maybe not forever, but just enough for a reader to be satisfied.

While this book was considered “spicy,” I didn’t think the scenes were all that hot. There were very little parts that made me blush, but there was nothing that I really considered to be as sexy as the cover leaves you to believe. However, I liked the book a lot, and if you’re looking for a short weekend read that will make you blush ever so slightly, I recommend “His Fantasy Maid”.

I give this book 4 stars!

SusanBlexrud**About Susan Blexrud:  Susan Blexrud grew up in Orlando, Florida, and now lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband of 27 years, John, who proposed to her on New Year’s Eve 1985 on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, halfway between Paris and Vienna.  Their son Chris lives and works in Manhattan, and daughter Allison is a college junior. Susan has a Chihuahua named Baby and a cockatiel named Romeo. She is an avid reader, and she leads two monthly book clubs in Asheville.  She is a walker and Yoga enthusiast. She enjoys quilting and bird watching (loves hummingbirds), and most of all, writing her next story.

**Contact Susan: Website   Blog   Facebook   Publisher

**Buy “His Fantasy Maid”: Amazon

**Click HERE for a chance win a $50 Amazon gift card!

**Click HERE to check out other stops on Susan’s Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours!